Relief is on the way for Valley farmers, but not to the level some had hoped.
Central San Joaquin Valley farmers suffering drought-related crop losses will be eligible for assistance after the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 50 of California’s 58 counties natural disaster areas.
Included in the designation are Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties.
The declaration will clear the way for emergency loans to farmers who have suffered financial losses this year from the drought.
Farmers will be eligible depending on the severity of losses and their ability to repay.
Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District, said that while every little bit helps, “this is not going to solve the problem” of ensuring a more stable water supply to farmers.
Woolf said farmers may be able to rely on crop insurance or disaster loans to stem their losses, but she called it a “Band-Aid approach.”
“It helps you limp along, but what about next year?” she said. “It does not deal with the broader problem.”
The USDA says 21 counties — including Kings — are part of the primary disaster area, and 29 more are designated because they are next to counties where widespread losses have occurred.
State and Fresno County officials were unsuccessful in getting President Barack Obama to declare a broader federal disaster declaration that would have brought in a wide range of help, including food, job training and unemployment assistance. The president denied the request in July.
The declaration comes as California farmers struggle with a third consecutive year of drought conditions.
Below-average rainfall, court decisions and environmental protections have led to a significant decrease in irrigation water to farmers in the Valley. Thousands of acres of farmland have been fallowed, and hundreds of workers are without jobs or are working less.
Last summer, the USDA designated Fresno County a natural disaster area because of losses caused by the drought.
Growers interested in receiving more information about disaster assistance can contact their local Farm Service Agency office.
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