Amelia County officials are asking the state to declare the county an agricultural disaster area and make it eligible for federal drought assistance.

During its meeting last night, the Amelia Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution making the request, which will be sent to the governor's office.

The Amelia County Food and Agriculture Committee estimates the county's crop losses at $5.6 million for the year.

"From what we can tell, nobody [in Virginia] is as dry; nobody has the crop failure" that Amelia does, said Robyn Whittington, a former Amelia cooperative extension agent who helped the county prepare the resolution. "It's worse than anybody I've talked to can remember."

The county is seeking assistance for its farmers to use to reseed pastures and hay fields and feed livestock. The Amelia board also asked that low-interest loans be made available as soon as possible.

Whittington said a late spring freeze and extensive heat during the summer hurt the county's crops, but the lack of rainfall has been the most damaging.

"Everything has been affected," she said.

The county's corn crop is "a complete failure," much of the soybean crop is "going to be a failure" and the pastures and hay "are completely devastated," Whittington said.

There was only one hay cutting instead of the usual three; and while it was good, farmers are already using hay they had hoped to save until winter, she said.

Amelia's tobacco crop will not be hurt as badly, and the yield of wheat and barley crops was good.

"But it's not enough of a trade off," Whittington said.
Contact Jamie C. Ruff at (434) 392-6605 or jruff@timesdispatch.com.