yurdumemlak

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 actually been considerably affected by current dry spell. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and monetary help offered to assist farmers and animals producers recuperate from these unfavorable weather occasions. Impacted manufacturers must contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program alternatives readily available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.

Livestock manufacturers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to dry spell on privately owned or money rented land might be eligible for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To take part in LFP producers need to own, cash or share lease, or agreement grow qualified livestock, provide pasture or grazing land to eligible animals on the beginning date of the qualifying drought, license 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) supplies qualified producers with compensation for above regular expenses of hauling water and feed to livestock along with transporting animals to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are needed to complete a notification of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no behind the yearly program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 fiscal year losses.

"Once you have the ability to assess the drought influence on your operation, make sure to contact your regional FSA county workplace to prompt report all crop and livestock damages and losses," said John Perdue, State Executive Director for FSA in West Virginia. "To accelerate FSA disaster assistance, you will likely need to offer files, such as farm records, herd stock, invoices and images of damages or losses."

Producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA's NAP must report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or FSA office. If they have crop insurance coverage, producers need to provide a notice of loss to their representative 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) must be submitted within 15 days of the loss emerging, other than for hand-harvested crops, which ought to be reported within 72 hours.

"Crop insurance coverage and other USDA risk management alternatives are used to help producers manage risk because we never understand what nature has in shop 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 need to remain in close contact with their crop insurance coverage agent. Producers can be assured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and representatives are skilled and well-trained in dealing with these types of occasions."

FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can help landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical help to implement emergency situation water conservation measures, bring back fencing, eliminate particles, change harmed watering system, land leveling and more.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can assist farmers make their operation more resilient in the face of dry spell in future years. Through preservation preparation and practices that will improve soil health and water preservation, farmers can decrease future crop loss due to dry spell and improve resiliency to changing weather conditions. Financial assistance for executing conservation practices may be offered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Long-term damage from dry spell 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 learn more about these impacts, prospective healing strategies and how to take steps to make their land more resistant to drought in the future.

"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be a very important partner to help landowners with their healing and resiliency efforts," said Jon Bourdon, NRCS State Conservationist in West Virginia. "Our staff will work individually with landowners to make evaluations of the damages and establish techniques that focus on efficient recovery of the land."

Additional USDA catastrophe support information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources particularly for manufacturers affected by dry spell. Those resources consist of the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance reality sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance reality sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise provides an hub with LIP and ELAP decision tools in addition to farm loan resource videos. For FSA and NRCS programs, producers must contact their local USDA Service Center. For help with a crop insurance coverage claim, producers and landowners ought to contact their crop insurance agent.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans every day in numerous positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a higher concentrate on more resistant local and local food production, fairer markets for all manufacturers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and healthy food in all neighborhoods, developing brand-new markets and streams of earnings for farmers and manufacturers utilizing climate wise food and forestry practices, making historical financial investments in facilities and tidy energy abilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and developing a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, check out usda.gov.