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WASHINGTON—Virginia farmers hurt by drought this year are eligible for disaster aid, federal agriculture officials said Wednesday.
The Department of Agriculture expanded an earlier disaster declaration to cover farmers in 41 Virginia counties and cities who suffered crop losses in 2008 due to excessively hot and dry weather.
The declaration made farmers eligible to receive up to $500,000 in low-interest loans from the Farm Service Agency. Farmers seeking aid must have lost 30 percent of their income in 2008 because of drought.
Virginia Farm Bureau spokeswoman Sherri McKinney said the aid could help farmers recoup their losses from back-to-back dry spells.
“They’ll never be able to recoup all of the loss,” she said, but “it’s always helpful, especially when you’re trying to plan for next year’s crops.”
The 37 counties covered by the disaster declaration include: Appomattox, Brunswick, Campbell, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Floyd, Franklin, Gloucester, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Isle of Wight, James City, Lee, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick, Prince Edward, Prince George, Russell, Scott, Southampton, Surry, Washington, Wise, James City, King and Queen, Mathews, Middlesex, Nottoway, Southampton, Sussex, and York.
“The lack of precipitation in Southwest Virginia has resulted in substantial damage to crops, and I am pleased that, as a result of this disaster designation by the Secretary of Agriculture, farmers in our area may now qualify for federal help,” Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th, said in a statement.
The cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Newport News, and Petersburg were also declared disaster areas.
Six North Carolina counties and three Tennessee Counties that border Virginia were also included in the declaration.
--Neil H. Simon
The Department of Agriculture expanded an earlier disaster declaration to cover farmers in 41 Virginia counties and cities who suffered crop losses in 2008 due to excessively hot and dry weather.
The declaration made farmers eligible to receive up to $500,000 in low-interest loans from the Farm Service Agency. Farmers seeking aid must have lost 30 percent of their income in 2008 because of drought.
Virginia Farm Bureau spokeswoman Sherri McKinney said the aid could help farmers recoup their losses from back-to-back dry spells.
“They’ll never be able to recoup all of the loss,” she said, but “it’s always helpful, especially when you’re trying to plan for next year’s crops.”
The 37 counties covered by the disaster declaration include: Appomattox, Brunswick, Campbell, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Floyd, Franklin, Gloucester, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Isle of Wight, James City, Lee, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick, Prince Edward, Prince George, Russell, Scott, Southampton, Surry, Washington, Wise, James City, King and Queen, Mathews, Middlesex, Nottoway, Southampton, Sussex, and York.
“The lack of precipitation in Southwest Virginia has resulted in substantial damage to crops, and I am pleased that, as a result of this disaster designation by the Secretary of Agriculture, farmers in our area may now qualify for federal help,” Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th, said in a statement.
The cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Newport News, and Petersburg were also declared disaster areas.
Six North Carolina counties and three Tennessee Counties that border Virginia were also included in the declaration.
--Neil H. Simon