.png)
GUEST OPINION
Farmers face lower yields, higher costs and family stress as disaster aid leaves many behind
Pend Oreille County is no stranger to dry summers, but in recent years drought has shifted from a seasonal challenge to a defining reality. For farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, the strain is not just weather-related—it is financial, emotional, and generational.
Over the past four growing seasons, Pend Oreille County has been in drought every single year. Since 2022, the numbers have been especially stark: 100% of the county has been classified under drought conditions every week of every growing season.
In 2025, the county endured 22 consecutive weeks of drought from April through early September. The Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI) peaked at 286, underscoring the severity and persistence of the problem.
Farmers describe the season’s cruel turn: “The winter was very wet, then the rain stopped,” one grower explained. Another was even more blunt: “We were so optimistic coming into this season because of the wet winter and then we froze, and the rain stopped. We essentially had a complete crop failure, again.”
Drought is not only a production problem—it is also a mental health challenge. Consecutive years of low yields and rising costs pile pressure on farm families. Around kitchen tables, conversations increasingly focus on debt, whether crop insurance payouts will cover losses, and if the bank will extend the line of credit for another season.
The stress is cumulative. It wears down relationships, keeps farmers awake at night, and leaves families questioning whether the farm has a future. Rural mental health experts warn that prolonged financial strain in agriculture is closely tied to depression and suicide. In Pend Oreille County, where farming is identity as much as livelihood, that toll is heavy.
Farmers here are caught in a three-way squeeze: Higher costs. Fuel, fertilizer, and labor remain expensive, and interest rates have climbed since 2022. Each percentage point increase adds thousands to annual financing costs.
Lower yields. Drought has weakened pastures and hay stands. Some fields are thinning beyond recovery, requiring costly replanting.
Weaker markets. Since 2022, export hay sales to Asia have slumped due to shipping bottlenecks and softer demand, undercutting prices.
The result is fewer tons per acre, sold into a weaker market, at higher cost of production.
Farmers are adapting as best they can. Some are planting more alfalfa, which—with its deep root system—can still produce modest yields under drought. By contrast, shallow-rooted grasses wither quickly when the rain stops. Where soils and water supply allow, producers are upgrading irrigation systems and planting grasses under irrigation to stabilize forage.
But these strategies expose another inequity: alfalfa is sometimes eligible for federal disaster support, while grass hay—the most common crop in Pend Oreille County—is never eligible. For a county built on grass hay production, that leaves most farmers without a safety net.
Wildfire risk makes matters worse. Heavy smoke during 2025 further limited photosynthesis, weakening forage stands. Livestock exposed to smoke ate less and grew more slowly, raising veterinary costs.
Insurance premiums have climbed as fire risk rises, yet federal disaster programs treat wildfire causes differently: lightning-caused fires may trigger aid, while arson does not—even though the result for a hay grower is the same, a barn reduced to ashes.
Despite the clear trend, federal support has not kept pace with reality. Many disaster programs still exclude hay growers, even as drought and fire cut production year after year. Insurance programs such as Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) provide some relief, but payouts are based on rainfall indices, not actual field conditions, leaving mismatches between losses and compensation.
Pend Oreille farmers are not asking for special treatment—just equal footing. Policies must reflect the reality that hay and forage are as critical to agricultural stability as cattle or grain.
Drought is no longer a bad year; it is the new normal. Forage producers, livestock operators, and rural communities are asking for more inclusive disaster programs, investment in water and fire resilience infrastructure, and recognition of the mental health toll this crisis carries.
Pend Oreille County’s farmers have long been resilient. But resilience has limits. Without meaningful change, the costs will not only be measured in lost yields and dollars—they will be measured in families, communities, and futures.
JON PAUL DRIVER IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE WASHINGTON STATE HAY GROWERS ASSOCIATION.
