Lexington, SC - Lexington Count is among six counties in South Carolina U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has designated as natural disaster areas due to drought. The other include, Bamberg, Calhoun, Kershaw, Orangeburg and Richland.
The secretarial declaration will allow farmers in these six counties and contiguous counties to apply for certain emergency loans.
Agriculture in South Carolina has suffered under the “flash drought” that affected the southeastern United States over the past several months. In particular, SCDA has received reports of dry pasture leading to livestock sales and culling, and low crop yields.
Despite recent rainfall, 78 percent of the land in the state remains under drought status of some form.
“I’m relieved that some South Carolina farmers stricken by drought will have access to these emergency provisions, and I thank Secretary Perdue for taking action,” said South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. “This drought developed so rapidly, but we may be seeing its effects for a long time.”
Farmers in disaster-designated areas seeking assistance should reach out to their local FSA office.
The Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to continue reporting drought conditions through a simple, mobile-friendly online tool at our website, agriculture.sc.gov.
