USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in West Virginia Impacted by Drought
Morgantown, W.V., August 20, 2024 - Agricultural operations in West Virginia have been substantially affected by recent drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and monetary support readily available to help farmers and livestock manufacturers recuperate from these negative weather occasions. Impacted manufacturers must contact their regional USDA Service Center to report losses and discover more about program options offered to assist in their recovery from crop, land, facilities, and livestock losses and damages.
Livestock manufacturers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or money rented land might be qualified for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To get involved in LFP producers must own, money or share lease, or contract grow eligible livestock, supply pasture or grazing land to eligible animals on the beginning date of the qualifying dry spell, certify that they suffered a grazing loss due to dry spell, and submit an acreage report to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for all grazing land for which a grazing loss is being claimed. FSA preserves a list of counties eligible for LFP and makes updates each Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides qualified manufacturers with compensation for above normal costs of hauling water and feed to livestock along with transferring animals to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, manufacturers are needed to finish a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no behind the yearly program application due date, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 fiscal year losses.
"Once you are able to examine the drought impact on your operation, be sure to contact your local FSA county workplace to timely report all crop and animals damages and losses," stated John Perdue, State Executive Director for FSA in West Virginia. "To accelerate FSA disaster assistance, you will likely require to offer documents, such as farm records, herd stock, invoices and images of damages or losses."
Producers who have threat security through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA's NAP ought to report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or FSA office. If they have crop insurance, producers ought to provide a notice of loss to their agent within 72 hours of initial discovery of damage and follow up in composing within 15 days.
For NAP covered crops, a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) need to be filed within 15 days of the loss ending up being apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.
"Crop insurance coverage and other USDA threat management choices are used to assist producers manage threat since we never know what nature has in store for the future," said Alexander Sereno, Director of USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Office that covers West Virgina. "Times of catastrophe can be a trying time for producers, and they must remain in close contact with their crop insurance representative. Producers can be assured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are experienced and well-trained in handling these types of occasions."
FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can help landowners and forest stewards with monetary and technical assistance to execute emergency situation water preservation steps, restore fencing, eliminate debris, replace harmed irrigation system, land leveling and more.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can help farmers make their operation more resilient in the face of drought in future years. Through preservation planning and practices that will improve soil health and water conservation, farmers can minimize future crop loss due to dry spell and improve resiliency to changing weather conditions. Financial help for carrying out conservation practices might be offered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Long-term damage from drought can consist of forage production loss in pastures and fields and reduced crop yields on fields not secured with soil health practices. Producers can visit their regional USDA Service Center to get more information about these impacts, possible healing strategies and how to take steps to make their land more resistant to dry spell in the future.
"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be an extremely valuable partner to help landowners with their healing and resiliency efforts," stated Jon Bourdon, NRCS State Conservationist in West Virginia. "Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop approaches that focus on reliable healing of the land."
Additional USDA catastrophe help details can be discovered on farmers.gov, including USDA resources particularly for producers affected by dry spell. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise offers an FSA academic hub with LIP and ELAP decision tools along with farm loan resource videos. For FSA and NRCS programs, manufacturers should call their local USDA Service Center. For help with a crop insurance coverage claim, producers and landowners ought to contact their crop insurance coverage representative.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in many favorable ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resistant regional and local food production, fairer markets for all producers, guaranteeing access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all neighborhoods, developing new markets and streams of income for farmers and manufacturers utilizing environment wise food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by getting rid of systemic barriers and constructing a workforce more representative of America. For more information, go to usda.gov.
