Sustained drought has impacted some of Virginia’s key crops

(The Center Square) — After a “high-impact” drought in the late summer and fall of 2023 that resulted in several wildfires and another drought this summer, this year’s harvest has yielded some disappointing results for Virginia’s largest private industry.

Though tropical storms are usually discussed in terms of negative impact, Tropical Storm Debby actually brought much-needed precipitation to some places in the commonwealth – but not soon enough for some crops. June was very dry in Virginia and the driest on record for many areas of the state, according to Mike Wallace, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“Tropical Storm Debby did provide relief to much of the state, but [it] was too late for much of the state’s corn crops,” Wallace told The Center Square in an email. “This year’s drought began in June, which is a prime growing month for corn in Virginia.”

The drought appears to have peaked in July, when 23 Virginia counties had Drought Disaster Designations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A portion of the Shenandoah Valley was in “extreme drought,” and much of the state was in “severe drought,” according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. The USDA announced in late July that 15 Virginia localities had been designated as primary drought disaster areas; farmers in those localities and another 15 neighboring localities could be eligible for aid through the department’s Farm Service Agency.

But Brandon Reeves, executive director of the Virginia Cattlemen's Association, said that while federal assistance helps, it’s not a total solution in situations where it’s needed.

“Federal disaster assistance, while appreciated and needed, is often untimely and insufficient to offset the experienced losses…. Farming is a risky business because we have to depend on so many things, like the weather, that are out of our control,” Reeves told The Center Square in an email.

Corn crop production in Virginia was forecast at 41% less than the previous crop, according to a department press release in early August.