CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state emergency for all 55 counties because of drought conditions.

A Friday afternoon news release from the governor’s office said the proclamation was made in an effort to support West Virginia’s farming community.

“This drought has plagued West Virginia farmers, putting them at risk of losing everything,” Justice said. “We cannot and will not stand by and watch our hardworking farmers suffer from this severe lack of rain. We understand the immense stress and hardship this drought has caused. Right now, our Emergency Management Division is working tirelessly to secure disaster assistance for those in need. Until then, we are committed to doing everything we can to support our agricultural community during this challenging time.”

Justice, who himself has had a lot of experience with farming having owned and worked some of the largest farming operations east of the Mississippi River, has mentioned the dry conditions during several of his media briefings this summer. He has now activated the state’s Emergency Operations Plan.

MORE See current map of drought conditions

The activation instructs “personnel and resources to be ready to respond to any emergencies, and granted specific administrative powers to the Director of the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to ensure essential emergency services are provided efficiently.”

It is especially dry in the Eastern Panhandle, state Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt said last week.

“Right now the dryness in Jefferson County is the second worst in 130 years and Berkeley County and Morgan County it’s the third worst in 130 years,” Leonhardt said. “This is is a little more serious than we’re used to seeing.”

Leonhardt said if the drought conditions continue, it will continue to impact producing crops as well as those making hay for livestock.

“This is going to hurt second and third cutting of hay,” he said. “We’re going to end up with, maybe not as much volume. It’s one of those variables that we can’t control.”

According to the National Weather Service, Eastern Panhandle counties are considered to be under severe drought, the Northern Panhandle, Central West Virginia and the Greenbrier Valley are under moderate drought while the Huntington-Charleston corridor is considered abnormally dry.

Justice’s state of emergency proclamation for expire in 30 days unless Justice issues a new one.

WVU may not have everyone’s attention just yet, but former Mountaineer kicker and punter Pat McAfee is doing his best to get folks prepared for what WVU do in 2024.

During yesterday’s episode of the Pat McAfee Show, the crew was discussing the latest round of conference realignment with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who is leading his team into the Big Ten.

“When you talk about conveinence and everything, like people have a lot (of travel),” McAfee said. “Like the SEC, you come from the SEC, you know the SEC football well. And now, with the way the future is kind of looking – SEC, Big Ten, and obviously, West Virginia in the Big 12 and everything that’s cooking…”

Toward the end of Pat’s quote above, Lanning began to laugh because Pat found a way to insert WVU into the conversation and he jokingly warned him about the mighty Mountaineers.

“Listen, when Neal Brown and Garrett Greene come to town, you better f****** tighten up.”

“I haven’t done a summer scouting report on them yet. I know I need to look at them,” Lanning responded with a laugh.

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West Virginia will host a “Stripe the Stadium” promotion when Penn State visits Milan Puskar Stadium for the regular-season opener Aug. 31. Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said he expects much more from the Mountaineers.

“It’s a hornet’s nest,” Franklin told Big Ten Network at the Big Ten Football Media Days on Wednesday. “They take a lot of pride in their football team. They’ve got no pro team, so it’s all about West Virginia, all about Morgantown. So it will be a great environment to play in.”

Penn State is playing at West Virginia for the first time since 1992, and ticket prices reflect anticipation for the game. Secondary-market tickets top $200, and West Virginia has said that single-game tickets will not be available. Fans who want to attend must buy a three-game ticket package or venture into the resale market.

West Virginia recently announced its theme games for the season, designating Penn State as its “Stripe the Stadium” opponent. West Virginia is encouraging fans in alternating sections to wear blue and gold for the game, which kicks off at noon ET on FOX. West Virginia provided a Stripe the Stadium map for fans attending.

However, it appears that Penn State won’t see West Virginia’s new “Coal Rush” alternate uniform. The program announced that it will debut the “highly anticipated Coal Rush” uniforms in a Big 12 game against either Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State or Baylor.

Penn State has fared well at West Virginia, bringing a 17-6-1 road record to the game. West Virginia coach Neal Brown called the Penn State game huge for both his program and the Big 12.

“It’s not just a big game for West Virginia,” Brown said at Big 12 Football Media Days. “It’s a big game for our league, and it’s an opportunity for our league and this new Big 12, without a couple schools that have been a part of the Big 12 for a long time in that first weekend on a marquee stage, to show what kind of football that we play in this league.”

Penn State defeated West Virginia 38-15 last season at Beaver Stadium in the first game of the two-game rivalry renewal series.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.