REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Farmers can apply for state drought relief funding from the Ohio Department of Agriculture now through April 1, after extreme weather conditions throughout the spring and summer significantly impacted Ohio’s agricultural producers.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 54 into law in December of 2024, which allocated state funding to provide relief to producers who faced challenging, persistent conditions.
Local soil and water conservation districts will help administer the relief funding to 28 counties designated as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture between Aug. 19 and Sept. 16 due to drought.
Funding is available to any livestock producer participating in the USDA-FSA Livestock Forage Disaster Program in a county designated as a primary natural disaster area.
The 28 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.
Livestock producers located in the impacted counties are encouraged to contact their local soil and water conservation districts to discuss eligibility and to apply for funding. For more resources and information,visit ODA’s drought resource webpage at agri.ohio.gov/divisions/administration/resources/2024-Ohio-Drought.
