Natural Disaster Resources for Oregon's Agricultural Community
ODA knows that farming and ranching are a way of life, not just a day job... and one deeply affected by the forces of nature. From drought and flood to frost and wildfire, we're committed to helping Oregon's agricultural community navigate available resources and assistance, even though ODA does not operate standing disaster relief programs itself. Federal disaster programs depend on USDA Secretarial disaster designations – current and historical designations can be found
here.
Want to know how you can support communities affected by wildfire? Visit Oregon Volunteers in Disaster (ORVID).
Drought
Drought is designated on a scale from D0 to D4. A Secretarial disaster designation is issued nearly automatic when any portion of a county reaches D2 (Severe Drought) for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season, or a higher drought intensity value for any length of time, as reported in the U.S. Drought Monitor. The monitor updates every Thursday. Check Oregon’s current drought conditions. Use the USDA
Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool to find what applies to your operation.
Fire
Wildfire can affect agricultural operations directly, through crop, livestock, or structure loss, and indirectly, through smoke exposure and grazing land closures.
Flood
ODA does not provide direct flood recovery assistance, but our partners at
USDA FSA and NRCS offer programs that may help.
Mental Health & Stress
The Oregon
AgriStress Helpline serves farming, ranching, fisheries, and forestry communities.
- Available 24/7 by call or text to 833-897-2474.
- Calls are answered within 30 seconds.
- Callers screened, with intervention for those at imminent risk and referrals for others.
- 24-hour follow-up calls offered to all callers