The Board of Supervisors has approved a resolution requesting the Commonwealth of Virginia declare Culpeper County an agricultural disaster area due to the persistent drought.

Senior Extension Agent Carl Stafford made the request to the board at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday. Stafford’s presentation revealed the county has been going through a sustained drought due to extreme heat and inadequate rainfall.

The presentation outlined how drought conditions, from July 15 through Sept. 15, affected a total of 682 farms in Culpeper. Losses were estimated at over $7 million, more than the 30% threshold needed for a disaster declaration, Stafford said.

According to the senior extension agent, well levels around the county are also at historic lows, mentioning Clevenger’s Village on the northern end. Data showed well levels below 10 feet from the top of the well casing, coinciding with the date range of July to September in the crop loss information.

The USDA County Emergency Board, on Sept. 14 and 15, recommended the disaster declaration, attended by Virginia extension agents from Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Orange and Rappahannock. Each of the county’s agents agreed to ask for the declaration based on reports of drought conditions.

Having the disaster declaration in place will make the localities eligible for federal disaster relief funding.

Culpeper County crop loss information complied by the extension office reported 50% of pasture land impacted by the drought, resulting in a dollar loss of $3.9 million. A 30% shortage of hay during the summer harvest has resulted in an additional loss of $3.2 million.

Stafford reported 20% losses for corn and soybean, 50% loss for corn silage and 25% loss in wine grape tonnage, albeit with improved grape quality. Evergreen tree farms are also seeing impacts from the drought.

The NOAA rain gauge at Culpeper Regional Airport has collected about half as much rain as this time last year, he stated. Creeks and streams are dry. One local woman reported 100 cows watering off a house well, Stafford continued. He said surface water in the county is as low as he’s seen it.

A 2023 Drought Status provided by the county showed Culpeper at 9.25 inches below normal rainfall levels as of Sept. 22 — around 21 inches since January compared to the normal 30 inches. USDA Drought Monitor ranks Culpeper County as moderate for drought, but the impacts have been more severe, Stafford said.

The board voted unanimously to pass the resolution which will seek the disaster declaration for Culpeper County from the commonwealth.

“It is very clear that we have drought conditions with groundwater depletion and crop loss. Mr. Stafford detailed clear evidence this morning that there is real impact upon Culpeper, and especially upon agricultural operations,” said Board Chairman Gary Deal in a statement after the meeting.

“The board fully supported adoption of the Resolution requesting the governor to declare Culpeper County an agricultural disaster area because there has been a clear negative impact on our farmers. If the governor declares a disaster, it could potentially open up opportunities for disaster relief funds from the commonwealth.”

Catalpa District Supervisor Paul Bates said he has had numerous farmers contact him about hauling water for livestock.

“It’s a temporary fix for a long-term problem,” he stated.

Bates said owners of some private lakes in Culpeper have agreed to share the water with farmers.

“The creeks drying up, Hazel River (is the) lowest I have ever seen it.”

He added water availability is a major issue the board cannot turn a blind eye to going forward in considering future development projects.

Source - https://starexponent.com