On Friday, Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, “urging the federal government to expedite disaster assistance for Virginia farmers affected by the unseasonable cold.”
This comes as Virginia saw weeks of warm weather followed by freezing cold temperatures that negatively impacted various crops in the commonwealth. Some growers are even anticipating a 100% loss.
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“As a result of the unseasonable cold impacting farms across Virginia, Virginia farmers are facing catastrophic crop losses through no fault of their own and are in desperate need of a federal disaster declaration to receive immediate assistance. While we continue to identify state resources at our disposal to assist our farmers and growers, I’ve called on USDA to declare a Secretarial Disaster Designation to make sure farmers receive the assistance and support they need to recover and keep their operations viable until the next crop year. We look forward to working with our federal partners to make sure these farmers receive the support they need.”
Governor Abigail Spanberger
Agriculture is Virginia’s largest private industry.
“The Spanberger Administration places a priority on the viability of Virginia’s agriculture and forestry industries, and on the farm families who keep these operations running even in the most challenging years. I have personally heard from farmers who said this is the worst freeze event of their lifetime. For many impacted farmers, they will lose an entire crop and a year of income. Collaboration between state and federal partners is critical to ensuring resources are made available to help farmers recover and make plans for next season.”
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier