Prince William County farmers are asking for federal relief due to this season’s drought.
The county’s supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday asking Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to declare more than 26,000 acres of land as a drought disaster area. The declaration is needed for farmers to be eligible for low-interest federal loans.
Farmers in the western portions of the county lost an estimated $310,000 this year in profits, said Paige Thacker, the county’s Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent.
“It was the crops, soybeans, pasture and hay that were most affected,” Thacker said. The area is 25 percent below normal for yearly rainfall, as of Sunday, but some farmers may not need the loans, she said.
“It is better to do it and have that money available if necessary than not and have somebody go out of business because of a drought situation,” she said.
“Where we’ll really start noticing it is if hay supplies are lower,” making it harder to feed animals without plentiful pastures, said Corey Childs, Loudoun County’s extension agent. Childs said that farmers will know the drought’s full effects once they finish harvesting.
This year, 12 Virginia counties and localities have already received the drought designation, said Elaine Lidholm, a state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokeswoman. If Prince William receives the designation, surrounding localities will most likely be able to receive aid, she said.
“We’ve probably had as many localities impacted by flood as we did by drought [this year],” she said, adding that last year was much worse with 38 counties getting drought distinctions.
