Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has sent a letter to President Biden asking for additional federal assistance for the Evergreen State’s producers. The letter says, in part: “Unfortunately, in addition to the ongoing drought and low soil moisture problems, an extreme heat wave hit the state at the end of June. High temperature records were set across the state, topping out at 117 degrees in Eastern Washington and 110 degrees in Western Washington. Many of the producers who suffered heat-related impacts were either located in counties not covered by the drought declarations, experienced losses not covered by FSA drought assistance programs, or both.

On July 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 14 counties, mostly in Eastern Washington, as primary natural disaster areas. The declaration allows the Farm Service Agency (FSA) the ability to offer emergency loans to producers to help them replace essential equipment, inputs or the refinance of farm-related debts. Producers in 10 Washington counties that are contiguous to the primary counties are also eligible to apply for emergency loans. A federal drought designation is made when a county has a D2 (severe drought) conditions for eight weeks in a row or a D3 (extreme drought) conditions during the growing season. The primary counties are Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima. The contiguous counties are Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, King, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce and Skamania.

Producers in southcentral Washington impacted by a wildfire Labor Day weekend near Kahlotus may receive financial assistance from the FSA. The department is implementing the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) due to damage caused by this wildfire to livestock fence and livestock water troughs. The Monday September 7th fire was exacerbated by high winds and burned a large portion of Washington’s Franklin County.

Multiple Counties Eligible for Emergency Loans Following Presidential Disaster Declaration

A South Dakota rancher and former head of the Intertribal Agriculture Council has been tapped as the first Indigenous person to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency.