By Stephen Smoot
Though drought conditions in Hardy County and across the state have eased in recent months, for many, the damage has been done.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture, however, announced that more help is on the way.
In the worst of the drought conditions last summer, Hardy County reached the federal status of D3, Extreme Drought. Parts of the mid-Ohio Valley extending into the central part of West Virginia endured D4 Exceptional Drought conditions, the worst category established by the federal government.
Conditions appeared during an unusually dry and hot summer for the Mountain State. As State Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt stated in a release “West Virginia’s farmers are facing a crisis unlike any we’ve seen in decades.” He added that “this support is crucial to help them weather the storm, so they can continue their operations.”
The West Virginia State Legislature approved moving $10 million in surplus funds to create the WVDA Drought Recovery Program.
The program benefits livestock farmers already enrolled in the USDA-Farm Service Agency Livestock Forage Disaster Program. According to the federal government website disasterassistance.gov, that program “offers payments to eligible livestock producers with eligible livestock. You must also be a producer of grazed foraged crop acreage.”
It goes on to state that “payments help producers with grazing losses suffered on native or improved pastureland due to a qualifying drought.” Farmers who experienced D2 conditions or higher are eligible.
Enrollment for the new funding started on Dec 9 and will extend through Jan 30, 2025. According to the WVDA, “all information the applicant provides MUST match the information on the USDA-FSA 2024 LFP Estimated Calculated Payment Report.”
Documents required include a physical copy of the aforementioned report, a completed W-9 Internal Revenue Service form (which can be obtained at the conservation district office,) and a completed “Sign Up, Release and Disclaimer Application” form on the website. Forms are also available at conservation district offices.
Payment distribution will take place after the closing of the enrollment period and evaluation of applications.
This comes in addition to a program announced last summer by the Potomac Valley Conservation District which took the form of a cost-sharing program from the state conservation agency to help farmers with 50 percent of the cost of watering equipment up to $500.
Additional information can be obtained by calling the PVCD at (304) 822-5174, the WVDA Charleston office at (304) 558-3200, or online at www.wvagriculture.org
Seasonable precipitation and temperatures have helped to ameliorate conditions in the area since last summer. Most of Hardy County currently sits at D1 Moderate Drought, described officially by the federal government as having “some damage to crops and pastures, high fire risk, low water levels in streams, reservoirs, and wells, and the possibility of water shortages.”
The area north and west of Old Fields extending into Grant County is under D2 Severe Drought status.
Currently, streamflow conditions in the county are considered below normal in the northern and eastern areas of the county and low near Moorefield.
Additionally, the federal government website drought.gov forecasts that drought conditions persist for the foreseeable future in the rest of the county.
Drought predictions, however, are based on predicted weather patterns and can change if the weather takes a different than anticipated turn.
The Potomac Highlands, for the most part, is in D1 Moderate Drought. Most of Grant and Mineral counties, however, remain in D2 Severe Drought conditions. Most of northern West Virginia is in D1 while the southern counties are in the D0 Abnormally Dry category.
For Hardy County, 2024 has seen the worst drought conditions in approximately 14 years.
