An additional 24 Virginia localities have received drought disaster designations by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins. Farmers in the primary designated counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Henry, Nelson, Pittsylvania, and Sussex are eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Farmers in Albermarle, Augusta, Bedford, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna, Franklin, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Prince Edward, Prince George, Rockbridge, Scott, Southampton, and Surry counties, and the cities of Bristol, Danville, Lynchburg, and Martinsville are also eligible for FSA drought emergency assistance as they are contiguous to primary drought designated localities in Virginia and Tennessee.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these localities suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.
Drought disaster assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Provided eligibility requirements are met, FSA will assess each emergency loan application individually to consider specific circumstances and needs. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.
The counties of Arlington, Brunswick, Campbell, Charlotte, Dinwiddie, Fairfax, Franklin, Grayson, Greensville, Halifax, Isle of Wight, King George, Loudoun, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Prince William, Southampton, Stafford, Surry, Sussex, Washington, and Westmoreland, and the cities of Alexandria, Emporia and Suffolk had previously received drought disaster designations. Farmers in these localities should contact their local USDA FSA office for more information and to verify their exact filing date, as application rules can be complex when navigating multiple designations.
For more information on available assistance programs and the application process, please visit the Virginia FSA State Office website at www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Virginia.
