VIRGINIA – As drought conditions continue to affect the Commonwealth, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated several Virginia localities as drought disaster areas.
Twenty-four localities received the designation, including Franklin, Grayson and Halifax counties in our region. Statewide, the following areas were named:
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- Arlington
- Dinwiddie
- Fairfax
- Isle of Wight
- King George
- Loudoun
- Lunenburg
- Mecklenburg
- Nottoway
- Prince William
- Stafford
- Surry
- Sussex
- Washington
- Westmoreland
- Alexandria
- Emporia
- Suffolk
- Brunswick
- Greensville
- Southampton
Farmers in these areas are now eligible to apply for certain drought emergency assistance through the USDA Farm Service Agency. This includes FSA emergency loans. Each application will be reviewed individually, and eligibility requirements must be met. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these areas faced either severe drought for at least eight straight weeks, or even more extreme conditions during the growing season.
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.