U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined Vermont farmers, state officials, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) at Lazy Dog Farm in Orwell to hear from farmers impacted by one of Vermont’s harshest droughts. Senator Welch heard from farmers about how the historic drought has impacted soil, crop yields, farmers’ livelihoods, and efforts to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather.
As the growing season in Vermont ends, farms across the state are facing the driest August on record, with nearly 94% of the state experiencing a severe drought. The most recent National Integrated Drought Information System map shows almost 24% of Vermont is experiencing extreme drought, and nearly 70% of the state is experiencing severe drought.
“No one works harder than our farmers, and their work is made more challenging as a result of extreme weather. After this brutal drought, farms like Lazy Dog are finding new solutions to keep farming day in and day out. Vermont farmers should be able to depend on the federal government to lend a hand when extreme weather hits, and while a disaster declaration from USDA won’t solve all of farmers’ problems, it will go a long way toward helping them recover,” said Senator Welch. “I’ll keep pushing for vital disaster aid to repair lives and livelihoods in Orwell and across Vermont.”
Senator Welch recently joined the Vermont Congressional Delegation in calling on the Trump Administration to help drought-impacted Vermont farmers access urgently-needed disaster assistance. The Delegation recently called on USDA to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the entire State of Vermont due to the mounting impacts of the pervasive and severe drought that has struck the state in recent weeks.