Staff Reports
In a not-so-surprising twist for Virginia’s agricultural sector, the state’s farmers are facing a rough harvest season due to a combination of drought and wildfires. With a “high-impact” drought wreaking havoc during late summer and into fall 2023, the situation has left many local farmers scratching their heads, wondering if they might just be better off raising cacti instead of corn.
Tropical Storm Debby strolled into the commonwealth like it owned the place, bringing some much-needed rain to certain areas. However, the storm was a case of too little, too late. June had already dried up the land and set the stage for disastrous corn yields that nobody saw coming, except maybe the local weather vanes. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the month of June was officially the driest on record in several parts of the state, just about as useful for growing corn as a snowstorm in July.
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The drought escalated in July, earning a disturbing amount of designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With twenty-three counties receiving Drought Disaster Designations, and portions of the Shenandoah Valley cooking under “extreme drought” conditions, Virginia farmers were looking at crop yields that could be classified as “devastated.” The USDA came to the aid of fifteen primary drought disaster areas, enabling farmers to plead for assistance as they stared at their shriveled cornfields.
Brandon Reeves, who runs the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, commented on the situation, and he’s not holding back on the truth. While some federal assistance is available, it resembles a band-aid on a gaping wound. Farmers are well aware that they are at the mercy of the elements, and relying on the government to bail them out is like relying on a yacht made of tissue paper to stay afloat in a storm. If anyone thinks federal assistance might ever come on time and actually cover the losses farmers experience, they clearly haven’t spent time wandering through the bureaucratic maze.
With the Virginia corn crop now projected to produce 41% less than last year, there’s a lesson brewing for those managing the state’s largest private industry: don’t count your corn before the rains come. Between battling the elements and navigating the government’s unpredictable safety net, it’s evident that growing just about anything these days resembles a game of roulette. The only difference? Instead of chips, farmers are betting everything they’ve got, hoping that next year brings a better climate—and perhaps a more competent administration to help them out when the skies turn dry.
