Farmers ready for help as drought monitor hits extreme level

SHARP COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) - Farmers are ready for help as a new drought monitor shows portions of Northeast Arkansas to be included in a D3 category.

A D3 category is a level on the National Drought Monitor, which levels the severity of drought across the United States.

The D3 category is when government assistance programs are activated to help farmers financially.

While farmers do not know what they will be receiving the assistance, they should begin to hear more information in the coming days.

As farmers wait, the pressure is still on.

Due to the dry conditions, farmers have less hay, leading to some selling their cattle to survive.

Chance Battles of Sharp County said he’s ready for what assistance might come.

“I think anything you can receive like that would sure be a blessing at this point,” he said. “We would certainly be grateful for anything that we had the opportunity to get assistance from. Will it take the place of a good rain? Probably not.”

Battles said though he doesn’t know what the future holds, he trusts his community will stick together.

“Everybody is in it together though. That’s what you’ve got to keep in mind. All your neighbors are going through the same thing you are,” he explained. “I think one thing we’ve got in this community is people care about each other and we depend on each other.”

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