SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Heather Duncan is a farmer, too.

The Eastern Panhandle resident is the Executive Director of the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, and as such has been monitoring the impacts of the region’s historic drought for both professional and personal reasons.

She says areas like the Eastern Panhandle are technically on Year Two of drought conditions.

Duncan echoed comments by West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt that this drought is historic.

 

She says local farmers, livestock farmers, orchardists, and other producers can tap into a network of resources.

 

Among those, the Farm Services Agency .

Heather Duncan offered ways neighbors can help the farming community.

A new drought map showed five counties in the central and western parts of the state are at their worst with the “exceptional drought” designation. All or parts of Roane, Wirt, Wood, Jackson and Mason are under that highest level drought designation, but all of Roane County is included.

West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt talked about the state of the drought and its impact on the coming year for producers earlier this week on Panhandle Live.

 

Credit: National Drought Mitigation Center

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