HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — 15 Virginia localities have been designated by the USDA as primary natural disaster areas due to the drought conditions, which include Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Augusta, Shenandoah, Page, Albemarle, Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Greene, Highland, Loudoun, Madison, Rappahannock, and Warren counties and the city of Waynesboro are now eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Farmers in Bath, Culpeper, Buckingham, Fairfax, Fluvanna, Orange, Louisa, Nelson, Stafford, Prince William, and Rockbridge counties and the cities of Charlottesville, Staunton, and Winchester are also eligible for drought emergency assistance, as they are contiguous to the 15 primary localities.

These localities have been deemed in drought conditions for eight or more consecutive weeks by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

This designation will allow for assistance to farmers by the FSA to include emergency loans. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for these emergency loans.

More information about applying for assistance can be found here at the USDA’s website.