HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Thirty-eight Ohio counties and 20 counties in West Virginia have been declared natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) due to the ongoing drought.
Jeremy Fuhrmann, with Fuhrmann Orchards, said he thinks drought assistance can really help.
“Apples falling on the ground because it’s so hot, apples not meeting size because it’s so hot and so dry. It’s tough to make ends meet,” Fuhrmann said.
In our region, the disaster declaration area includes seven Ohio counties and 12 counties in West Virginia.
The declaration allows the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend emergency loan help to farmers.
“We’ve lost about half of our crop here in our Jonathan just to the drought. And to the high temperatures because of them all falling,” Fuhrmann said.
The assistance loans can be used to replace equipment or livestock, reorganize operations — or even refinance certain debt.
The deadline to apply for the emergency loans isn’t until April 2025.
For more information, tap here.
Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.