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RICHMOND, VA (Rocktown Now) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 43 Virginia counties as primary natural disaster areas after severe frost and freeze events caused widespread damage to crops across the Commonwealth. The designation also includes affected counties in Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
The declaration makes eligible agricultural producers in the designated counties to apply for emergency loans through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). The loans can help farmers recover from production losses by covering expenses such as replacing essential equipment or livestock, reorganizing farming operations, or refinancing certain debts. Loan eligibility is determined based on the extent of a producer’s losses and their ability to repay.
The disaster designation follows unseasonably cold temperatures that struck during critical stages of crop development, damaging orchards, vineyards, and field crops throughout much of the region.
In Virginia, the primary disaster designation applies to Albemarle, Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Buckingham, Caroline, Clarke, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Frederick, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Greene, Halifax, Hanover, Henry, Highland, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Montgomery, Nelson, New Kent, Orange, Page, Pittsylvania, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Stafford, Warren, Washington, and Wise counties.
The designation also extends eligibility to producers in contiguous counties and independent cities bordering the primary disaster areas, significantly expanding access to federal recovery assistance for affected agricultural operations.
USDA encourages producers who experienced qualifying losses to contact their local USDA Service Center to learn about available assistance programs and determine eligibility. Farmers are also encouraged to use USDA disaster assistance resources to explore available recovery options.