Funding available to help Ohio farms still reeling from drought

Yahoo

23-03-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced the sign-up period for Ohio farmers to apply for relief funding following last year's drought.
'We went to the different counties that were really impacted throughout this historic drought that we saw last summer and into the fall and we were meeting with farmers, meeting with local stormwater offices, and hearing their concerns,' Ohio Department of Agriculture director Brian Baldridge said.
Ohio lawmakers were part of these visits too. Baldridge said the initial place farmers can turn to for help is the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But they decided to add some additional assistance. Governor Mike Dewine signed Senate Bill 54 into law in 2024, which allocated $10 million worth of funding for the 28 counties hit the hardest by the drought.
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'We were hearing stories from farmers who had been seeding their winter storage of hay since the first part of July, hauling water because those streams, ponds, wells, springs were dried up on their farms,' Baldridge said.
One of those farms includes Harrison Farm in Groveport. The owner, Katherine Harrison, said the drought didn't just cause a rough spring and summer. It also led to the worst winter she's ever had on the farm.
'I struggled to give my animals the care that they needed and keep this farm operating. I gave up a lot of things that I needed so that funds were there for the farm,' Harrison said.
She is the fifth generation of her family to own the farm. It means a lot to her to keep all 700 of her animals healthy.
'Every day I am working and so typically I work seven days a week, ten to 14 hours a day because I believe in this farm,' she said.
Typically in the spring and summer months, the animals will graze the pastures, according to Harrison. But after the drought hit, the grass dried up. She was forced to use her hay supplies that are saved for winter. By late fall, she said the hay was gone too. Luckily, community donations came in.
'Frankly, we would not have made it through the winter. Having the Christmas trees and the pumpkins allowed us to be able to make it to today,' said Harrison.
While these donations kept the animals fed, Harrison said the different foods led to health issues. For example, it's lamb and kidding season but many of the mothers don't have enough milk.
'When a mother cannot provide the care that a baby needs, then it becomes my responsibility. So not only have we navigated health issues in the adult animals as well as in the newborns, but we've also had those situations where mama may not have enough milk from nutritional compromising,' she said.
Harrison said this funding would help get the animals healthy again and allow her to stock back up on depleted supplies.
'I am hopeful to soon be able to enjoy buying groceries without worrying about whether the farm is going to keep going,' she said.
Applications are open until April 1.
The eligible counties include: Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Licking, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Tuscarawas, Vinton and Washington.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture said the funding is available to any livestock producer participating in the USDA FSA Livestock Forage Disaster Program. Baldridge said farmers are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts to discuss eligibility and to apply.
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