Natural disasters and severe weather events can have significant impact on agricultural production. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has compiled the following resources for farmers seeking assistance following a natural disaster or severe weather event.

2026 Drought

In 2026, Virginia is experiencing a rapidly intensifying, statewide drought pattern. River flows, groundwater levels, reservoir conditions, and regional indicators all show sustained stress.

The Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, led by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), tracks drought conditions across the Commonwealth and issues assessments. Currently, all localities within the Commonwealth are under DEQ drought watch or warning advisories.

View the current DEQ Drought Advisories.

The Commonwealth is working closely with stakeholders across affected secretariats, agencies, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Virginia Office, and farm and forest commodity organizations, to assess the intensifying drought pattern and identify needs and assistance gaps.

USDA Drought Disaster Designations

The United States Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to designate localities as disaster areas for agricultural relief. This designation makes emergency loans available to producers suffering losses in the primary designated locality and in the localities that are contiguous to a primary locality.

Provided eligibility requirements are met, FSA will assess each emergency loan application individually to consider specific circumstances and needs. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Farmers in these localities should contact their local USDA FSA office for more information and to verify their exact filing date, as application rules can be complex when navigating multiple designations.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these localities suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

In addition to emergency loan eligibility, other emergency assistance programs, such as Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster assistance programs, have historically used disaster designations as an eligibility trigger. The regulation governing disaster designations is 7 CFR Part 759.

Drought Resources

• Virginia Hay Clearing House
• Virginia Cooperative Extension Producer Drought Advice
• Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Emergency Drought Management Webinar
• List of USDA Emergency/Disaster Loan and Financial Programs

March and April 2026 Frost and Freeze

The Commonwealth experienced severe frost and freeze events in March and April 2026 that resulted in damage and crop losses in produce, vineyards, orchards, and small grains.

Farmers who were impacted by the frost and freeze events should report to:

• Their local Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) office, or
• Their local USDA FSA office.

Virginia Vineyard Resources

Wineries and vineyards can find information regarding the process to complete Fruit Loss Exemption Waivers on the Virginia Vineyards Association website.

USDA Frost and Freeze Disaster Designations

In response to the catastrophic damage due to frost and freeze sustained by agricultural producers, 43 primary localities and 61 contiguous counties in Virginia received USDA disaster designations. This designation makes emergency loans available to producers suffering losses in the primary designated locality and in the localities that are contiguous to a primary locality.

Provided eligibility requirements are met, FSA will assess each emergency loan application individually to consider specific circumstances and needs. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Winter Storm Fern January 2026

Winter Storm Fern severely impacted Virginia from January 23 through January 26, 2026, dropping up to a foot of snow in the northern and Shenandoah Valley regions and glazing the southern part of the state with heavy ice. The USDA FSA has announced the availability of low-interest physical loss loans for producers that were affected by the storm.

The application deadline for this assistance is Dec. 4, 2026.