CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – The National Weather Service projects a slight chance of rain in central Ohio within the next two weeks, but it may not be enough to save many corn and soybean crops that are wilting under the summer sun. 

The USDA has designated 22 Ohio counties as natural disaster areas because of the state’s drought. The move announced last week by the department’s Farm Service Agency will allow farmers in those and 18 neighboring counties apply for emergency loans from the federal government.

The lack of rain at Brad Wolford’s farm near Circleville has left his corn brittle and small.

“We’ve had almost no rain since May and the sun just cooked spots on our pumpkins, and my soybeans have never matured due to the drought,” Wolford said. “The beans don’t look bad, and it appears like there’s beans in the shell, but when you open them up there’s no beans inside.”

Wolford’s corn should be approaching heights of 12 to 14 feet, but the lack of rain has left them six feet tall with fewer ears of corn. The last time he put in a crop insurance claim was in 1993.

“This has put our crop at about half of last year’s total,” Wolford said.

At Lynd’s Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio, so little rain has fallen that Lynd’s pumpkins have become misshaped or dead on the vine.

“If I think back over the past 10 years maybe even longer, this is the most disappointing year for pumpkins that we’ve had,” Andy Lynd said. “Rainfall in these parts is six inches below normal.”

The counties listed in the natural disaster declaration are Athens, Belmont, Fairfield, Fayette, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Vinton and Washington. The drought designation allows farmers to access USDA emergency loans and other federal relief programs critical to helping them through this difficult period.

According to the USDA, these counties have had eight or more consecutive weeks of severe drought. Drought conditions have worsened across Ohio since mid-June, with nearly 95 percent of the state affected by abnormal dryness or drought.

“Many farmers will bring in half their normal yield,” said Ohio Farm Bureau spokesman Ty Higgins. “Livestock farmers will have to bring in hay that was meant for winter months just to feed their livestock.

“Here in Ohio, we have farmers whose wells and springs have dried up and they have to go into town, load a truck with water and bring it from the fire station or the middle of town to their farm. This is unprecedented. We have water available, it’s just not available where it needs to be for our farmers to be successful.”

Higgins said farmers in the 22 counties can get help in the form of low interest loans to help them with supplies, or help with a long winter, or perhaps with pasture issues. Some, he said, might use the funds to help reimburse them for having to truck water from offsite to the farm.

“There are 10 to 12 programs farmers in these areas can learn more about and talk to local FSA to figure which one is right for them,” Higgins said. “It won’t make them whole, but to where they can think about getting through 2024 and getting into 2025 with some relative ease.”

And others are in the farmers’ corner.

“The drought has placed a significant strain on Ohio farmers, and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is ready to help,” said Chris Zoller, interim assistant director for Ohio State University Extension’s agricultural and natural resources program.

OSU Extension, an outreach arm of CFAES, is offering research-based guidance and hands-on support to farmers during this challenging period.

CFAES’s Drought Rapid Response Team has been closely monitoring the drought and collaborating with farmers, state agencies, and the USDA to assess the situation and devise strategies to mitigate its impact. Weekly updates on weather, crop health, and water resources help farmers manage their operations.

In addition to emergency loans, farmers can benefit from other USDA programs like the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which provide compensation for crop and grazing losses. With corn and soybean crops rated fair to very poor and 91 percent of pastures suffering, these programs are crucial.

“This drought is unprecedented,” said David Marrison, OSU Extension field specialist in farm management. “USDA’s assistance programs will provide vital financial relieve, ensuring our agricultural community can recover and continue.”