2024 Drought Relief Funding Available For Local Farmers
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Farmers in parts of the Northern Panhandle impacted by last year's drought can apply for state funding to assist in recovery efforts until Jan. 30 through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture's 2024 Drought Recovery Program.
The program will provide farmers funding to restore drought-damaged pastures, develop water sources and cover other drought-related expenses.
The program's funding comes from the West Virginia Legislature's allocation of $10 million surplus funds to the WVDA. The department is utilizing the funding to facilitate drought recovery support through local conservation districts.
The Northern Panhandle Conservation District is accepting applications from farmers in Ohio, Marshall and Brooke counties to receive the drought relief funding from the WVDA. In-person registration for the program is required and will take place at the NPCD Office at 1 Ball Park Drive in McMechen.
Applicants must be approved for the USDA-Farm Service Agency's Livestock Forage Disaster Program to be eligible for the state funds.
Hancock County producers are not eligible for the 2024 Drought Relief Program, as the county did not reach the D3 category for extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Since part of the drought relief program's eligibility requirements is approval for USDA-FSA LFP payments, which requires a county to reach the D3 category, Hancock County farmers are not eligible.
Farmers applying for the funding must have their USDA-FSA 2024 LFP payment report with an application number and total gross LFP payment; a completed W-9 Form, even if a past W-9 form is available and the "Sign Up, Release, and Disclaimer Application" form, which will be provided to applicants at the NPCD office to complete.
The West Virginia Conservation Agency is partnering with the WVDA and the NPCD to accept enrollment applications for the program. WVCA Communications Specialist Davin White said the organization was "all hands on deck" to do so.
"Farmers were burdened with added expenses because of last year's drought," White said. "This funding will help restore what farmers lost during the drought and will be supplemental to funding that farmers may receive federally through the Farm Service Agency."
The WVDA will determine which applicants receive funding and how much will be distributed to them following the Jan. 30 deadline. WVDA Communications Director Beth Southern said the WVDA aims to distribute the funding by early March.
Southern added that the WVDA was "on schedule" regarding receiving and approving applications for funding.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to turn around the checks soon after the application period ends," Southern said.
Southern said all $10 million of the funding provided by the state legislature will be distributed to farmers through the program.
"First and foremost, we want this funding to get into the pockets of farmers so they can begin pasture restoration and renovation," Southern noted. "Hopefully, we will not be facing another drought this summer, and farmers in the state will be able to take steps to prepare for the future."
Southern added that the drought relief program was the first of its kind for the WVDA. She said the severe drought conditions that began mid-July last year was "one of the worst" the state has seen in "many decades."
"All droughts are equally devastating in many ways, but this was certainly one of the worst we've seen," Southern said. "We're still gathering information regarding how many farmers in the state were impacted by the drought, but our short answer is probably all farmers in the state were impacted to some degree since it was statewide."