SOMERSET, Pa. – Somerset County’s dry, difficult summer has caught federal officials’ attention.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a “natural disaster” declaration for Somerset and Bedford counties, a decision that enables their local farmers to offset crop losses sustained by the weather through emergency loans.
“It’s definitely a welcome declaration – not just for us but for (neighboring) counties, too,” said Somerset County Farm Bureau President Megan Hostetler, crediting Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration and federal USDA officials for recognizing the region’s plight.
As approved, farmers who qualify in neighboring counties – Cambria included – can also seek short term loans and other relief.
Part of Somerset County has been under “severe to extreme” drought conditions for eight weeks.
Hostetler said the southern tier of the county has been the hardest hit.
Longtime farmers in the region have said this is the region’s worst drought since 1988, she said.
“We have farmers here who already running low on their supplies that was supposed to last them until next year’s harvest,” Hostetler said.
Farms that only cut hay once this year – rather than three or four times ideally – have been feeding their cattle indoors because the pastures they’d normally be feeding on all summer were dried up and scorched by the simmering, humid heat weeks, if not months ago, she said.
As described in a letter from federal officials to Shapiro’s office, contiguous counties can also apply for relief.
That means farm operators in Cambria, Blair and Westmoreland counties can apply for assistance, too.
“Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs, including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts,” the USDA wrote.
Hostetler said the region’s farmers are still gathering details from partner agencies that oversee various USDA relief programs, but it appears there are several different lines of support.
That includes Farm Service Agency Emergency Loan Assistance and federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which allow qualified farms to repay funds over up to 30 years and delay interest accrual for up to a year, documents show.
Cambria County Farm Bureau President Marty Yahner was pleased to hear the news.
Cambria County Emergency Management Agency officials notified him of the update and he said efforts were underway to share the information with individual farms.
Most of Cambria County’s summer season was only slightly wetter than its southern neighbors. Countywide, an average 6.7 inches of rain fell over the past 60 days – much of that this week leading up to Friday, the National Weather Service precipitation totals showed.
That’s two inches below normal – but it also doesn’t tell the full picture. For one, it doesn’t account for multi-week periods the region weathered without rain.
Yahner said the extent this year’s drought for Cambria County farmers depends on the type of farm, its location and oftentimes the overall size.
Some larger farms in Cambria County, dairy farms included, may have ample feed or silage for their cattle. Others, particularly smaller operations land-wise, will likely be forced to turn to other growers for hay or silage, he said.
Without outside support, that means investing more money in a business with already-thin profit margins.
Hostetler said droughts are often more narrow in scope.
One part of Somerset County may miss out on summertime storms while others get plenty of rain.
But that’s not the case this year – and U.S. Drought Monitor maps show all of southwestern Pennsylvania has been too dry this summer.
That is going to drive up demand for outside hay, silage and other vital feed, she said.
It’ll likely force local farms to look farther away for supplies.
That, too, will add to the price, she said.
Thats why the natural disaster declaration’s timing couldn’t be better, Hostetler said.
“There’s going to be some paperwork for our farmers,” she said, noting they’ll have to follow guidelines and apply for support. “But there are agencies out there, including county farm service agencies, to assist and make sure (farmers) get what they need to get help.”
Allegany County in Maryland and portions of West Virginia previously received natural disaster drought declarations in July.
