With a persistent drought on, many Loudoun County farmers are preparing to take a financial hit. A local extension agent said the county’s annual gross agricultural revenue could be half the typical $50 million to $70 million if the drought continues.

Loudoun farmers are reporting up to a 50 percent decline in the production of forages and feed grain, and the year’s first hay cutting has supplied only 55 to 60 percent of the usual yield. Hay is the county’s principal crop.

Farmers are dipping into their hay supply — harvested in May and June and typically reserved as winter feed for animals — a move that could lead to financial strain later in the year.

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