The USDA has designated Washington, Allegany, Fulton, and Morgan counties as natural disaster areas due to ongoing drought conditions.
According to a release from the Washington County’s Office of Emergency Management, the USDA designated the four counties due to prolonged drought conditions and its effect on farm operations. 
Also included in the designation are Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Howard, Kent, and Montgomery counties in Maryland; Adams, Franklin, Lancaster, and York counties in Pennsylvania; Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia; and Loudoun County in Virginia.
The designation of those counties allows the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to provide emergency credit through low-interest loans to help farmers recover from losses related to the drought.
Famers in these affected areas may apply for USDA emergency loans to help with recovery efforts such as replacing livestock or equipment, restructuring operations, or refinancing certain debts.
Load applications will be reviewed based on the severity of losses, available collateral, and repayment ability.
To learn about eligibility and available resources, producers are encouraged to visit farmers.gov where they can access various tools such as Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance Fact Sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool.
To file a Notice of Loss or speak directly with a representative, contact a local USDA Service Center.
For Morgan County, call the Martinsburg Service Center at (304) 263-7547.
In Washington County, call the Hagerstown Service Center at 301-797-0500.
In Allegany County, call the Cumberland Service Center at 301-777-1494.
In Fulton County, call the McConnellsburg Service Center at 717-325-6095.