Ohio Rep. Don Jones discusses impact of drought on farmers

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) - Farmers in Ohio continue to struggle with a drought that’s drawn on for months, and 95th District State Representative Don Jones said he’s very aware of what that struggle is like.

Jones, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, raises cattle himself and has recently met with other farmers throughout his district.

He said he’s seen the impact the drought has had on all parts of the agricultural community in southeast Ohio, causing smaller yields for crop farmers and making it harder for livestock farmers to keep their herds fed.

While Jones encourages farmers to take advantage of federal programs that can provide some disaster relief, he said those programs can’t address every issue farmers are facing.

For that reason, he said he wants the legislature and the rest of the state government to take a look at how they can help farmers more.

“We’re not going to be able to fix everything and take care of every problem that every farmer has in regards to this, but if we can maybe help fill the gap to some degree,” Jones said. “And you know, this is really uncharted territory, because again, we haven’t been here for 36 years. And we don’t have a drought assistance program.”

Jones said a lesson to take from the drought is that there need to be more measures in place at the state level to respond to similar events in the future.

He also encouraged farmers and others in the agricultural community to remember that they aren’t in this struggle alone and can look to each other for support.