Farmers in Severe Drought Areas Eligible for Emergency Help

Photo byT. Leicher

LURAY, Va. – Some counties hit by excessive drought conditions in Virginia have officially been designated as primary disaster areas. Farmers in these areas are now eligible for emergency loans to help them recover from drought-related losses.

The loan announcement was made July 30, 2024 by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, several Virginia localities, including Page County, have suffered from severe drought conditions for eight or more consecutive weeks, or have experienced exceptional/extreme drought during the 2024 growing season.

In total, fifteen counties in the Commonwealth have received drought-related natural disaster designations by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack.

Farmers in Albemarle, Augusta, Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Greene, Highland, Loudoun, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and the city of Waynesboro are now eligible to be considered for USDA Farm Service Agency assistance.

Virginia counties affected by droughtPhoto byVirginia Drought Monitor

Farmers in Bath, Culpeper, Buckingham, Fairfax, Fluvanna, Orange, Louisa, Nelson, Stafford, Prince William, and Rockbridge counties and the cities of Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Winchester are also eligible for drought emergency assistance, as they are contiguous to the 15 primary natural disaster areas.

Farm Service Agency emergency loans include the following guidelines:

Borrowers must keep acceptable farm records

Borrowers must operate in accordance with a farm plan they develop and agree to with local FSA staff

Borrowers may be required to participate in a financial management training program and obtain crop insurance.

Producers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses to a maximum amount of $500,000.

Collateral is required

Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Loans are normally repaid within one to seven years, depending on the loan purpose, repayment ability, and collateral available as loan security.

In special circumstances, terms of up to 20 years may be authorized.

As of August 1, the interest rate for FSA Emergency Loans is 3.750%.

After eligibility requirements are met, FSA assesses each loan application individually and will consider specific circumstances and needs.

To apply, farmers in the hardest-hit areas should visit the Virginia FSA State Office website or call (804) 287-1500. Farmers located in Page or surrounding counties should contact the Farm Service Agency in Harrisonburg at 540-534-3104.

Page County is located in the northwest portion of Virginia and includes the towns of Shenandoah, Stanley and Luray. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709.