Agricultural News
USDA Designates 209 Texas Counties as Primary Disaster Areas for Drought
Mon, 09 May 2022 15:27:11 CDT
The natural disaster designation allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment, reorganization of a farming operation, or the refinancing of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of the losses, security available and repayment availability.
In the Texas High Plains region, all 42 counties represented by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. are designated as primary disaster areas for drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of D2 (drought-severe), D3 (drought-extreme) or D4 (drought-exceptional) for eight or more consecutive weeks.
Between 1949 and 1957, Texans experienced the second-, third- and eighth-driest single years ever in the state. The 1950s drought was described by a state water official as "the costliest and most devastating drought in 600 years.
Enter 2011. The drought in this year surpassed all years in the 1950s drought as the driest year in Texas ever on record with 14.8 inches of total rainfall.
However, 2021-2022 may be crowned champion of a game no one wants to play. Some counties in Texas haven't seen rainfall since August 2021. The U.S. Drought Monitor comparisons of current-day conditions and May 2011 prove producers are in the midst of worsening drought conditions this crop year.
Ironically, at the same time, cotton market prices are hitting record highs. "I think every farmer wants to make a crop this year," said Quentin Shieldknight, producer in Hansford County. "It's just a matter of faith and help from Mother Nature at this point. Things can always turn around. They have before."
PCG joins producers in praying for rain.
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