BY CHRIS LAWRENCE
CHARLESTON — Although there has been some rainfall across West Virginia to start the week and more is in the forecast, there is still a significant lack of precipitation in the Mountain State.
“Ninety-five percent of the state is under a D-1 which is a drought. D-4 being extreme drought and most of the state is in D-3,” said State Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt.
Most West Virginia homeowners haven’t had to mow their yard for several weeks as the heat has dried out most landscaping and caused grass to go dormant. The situation is much more dire for those whose industry depends on rainfall like livestock producers and growers.
“The crops aren’t growing and the pastures aren’t growing to replenish as farmers rotate their animals. They’re starting to feed hay already in many parts of the state and that’s their winter feed, so we’re eating into the winter feed supply right now,” he explained.
Some farmers are faced with tough decisions which include potentially selling off some of their stock to afford to keep them fed. Leonhardt said if that’s the case, the price of beef for the moment is elevated and they can probably get a good price. However, he added selling breeding stock will insure a reduction in revenue for next year.
“They rely on the rain. There is some irrigation that goes on but for the most part they rely on the rain and we do have some springs drying up. We have programs for spring development and the installation of larger watering tanks in the case of these emergencies,” Leonhardt said.
Last week Governor Jim Justice declared a Drought State of Emergency in all 55 West Virginia counties. Leonhardt said he’s talked to all federal and state partners and has encouraged farmers to check with their local Farm Service Agency office or Soil Conservation Service to determine what, if any, programs they can qualify for to get some help. Some include reimbursement for hauling water to livestock or compensation for crops lost to a lack of rainfall.
“This is not as widespread as a lot of droughts we’ve seen. I talked to one farmer over in Berkeley County and he said some of his orchards are fine and some are in extreme trouble,” Leonhardt said.
Highly anticipated West Virginia peaches may come early this year and may not last as long in storage as they usually do. They may also not be nearly as robust.
The forecast called for rainfall this week in some parts of the state. Although any rain is welcome, Leonhardt hoped it would be a long, slow, and steady rain to soften the soil. He noted any huge downpour would simply run off the dry, parched ground at this point.
