Beginning in the fall and lasting into the winter, acute drought conditions wreaked havoc on the local agricultural industry. Anthony Shelton, director of the Washington County Extension of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, said the drought had been the hot topic around most local agriculture circles. “As far as row crops, it’s just (been) poor pollination and a lack of rainfall to finish out the crop. And of course, we had an OK first cutting of hay, but didn’t really have a second cutting of hay, at all. So of course, we didn’t have any grass growing for about two or three months during (the drought),” Shelton said. “And we did have a little bit of a water shortage, whether it was ponds drying up or some other things. An excess of heat, just so many hot days, dried all the moisture up and didn’t help things.” In December, the federal government responded when Secretary Tom Vilsack with the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 46 counties, including Greene County, as primary natural disaster areas and made each eligible for federal assistance. “Our hearts go out to those Tennessee farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters,” Vilsack stated in a press release announcing the designation. “President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy by sustaining the successes of America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We’re telling Tennessee producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.” On a local perspective, the Farm Service Agency’s office in Jonesborough is facilitating lending to cover losses any farmer or livestock owner experienced during the drought. Farm Loan Officer Matthew Christian, whoss office is at 1105 E. Jackson Blvd., said assistance is available in two forms: emergency loans and operating loans. “As far as actual producers that we’ve made emergency loans to, I honestly have not made an emergency loan in several years, but we’ve made a whole lot of just regular operating loans to folks who’ve suffered through this disaster or previous ones,” Christian said. The emergency loans, which have a little higher interest rate than the operating loans, do require producers to meet specific guidelines, such as provide proof of losses. “Producers do have to show a 30 percent loss for a single crop due to a specific disaster, such as a drought in this case,” Christian said. That is normally completed by showing historical records of production yields or through crop insurance. Depending on the loan amount, applicants also have to show proof of declination from local credit lenders in the area for emergency loans. Qualifying farmers can borrow up to 100 percent of their actual loss up to $500,000, while operating loans are capped at $300,000, Christian said. Rainfall conditions in Northeast Tennessee have improved in recent weeks, with the majority of the region being moderately dry as opposed to being classified as a severe or extreme drought, according to The National Drought Mitigation Center’s U.S. Drought Monitor. Christian said any agricultural producer needing assistance can call him to discuss each type of loan and decide which one would be most beneficial. Source - http://www.johnsoncitypress.com