Hurricane Helene’s Impact on the Agriculture Industry in Western North Carolina

Nov 27, 2024

By Shelby Carroll

Hurricane Helene has significantly impacted agriculture in western North Carolina, causing extensive damage to various farms, including Christmas trees, livestock, and row crops. North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree producer in the U.S., with most farms located in the affected areas of western North Carolina. Damage to these farms may affect holiday supply and prices, but local sales can support farmers during this challenging time. Flooding from the hurricane left many fields with eroded soil and lots of cleanup, and farmers are advised to conduct soil testing to manage nutrient loss and possible contamination. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture is recommending that farmers carefully document recovery costs and consider soil conservation measures.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension is actively supporting farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina through a variety of recovery solutions such as:

Soil and crop management: Extension is advising farmers on soil recovery methods, such as removing debris, assessing nutrient loss, and testing soil fertility. Additionally, farmers are encouraged to keep detailed records of expenses related to repairs and recovery for insurance claims and government assistance.

Livestock support: Extension offices are coordinating relief efforts for livestock farmers by providing access to clean feed and advising on animal health. The floodwaters left many pastures unusable, which disrupted feed for animals. Livestock experts from extension are advising farmers on the disposal of any feed affected by floodwaters and monitoring livestock health for issues like infections

Community and financial support: Local extension agriculture centers are helping connect farmers with financial resources, including USDA disaster assistance programs, and organizing donation drives for supplies. Farmers are encouraged to seek aid for specific needs, such as infrastructure repair, which may be covered under certain programs.

By addressing both immediate and long-term recovery, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension plays a crucial role in helping western North Carolina’s agricultural community bounce back from Hurricane Helene’s severe impacts. If you are interested in donating any supplies please contact your local extension office or go to NC State Extension – NC Disaster

Source : ncsu.edu

Video: Why Your Food Future Could be Trapped in a Seed Morgue

In a world of PowerPoint overload, Rex Bernardo stands out. No bullet points. No charts. No jargon. Just stories and photographs. At this year’s National Association for Plant Breeding conference on the Big Island of Hawaii, he stood before a room of peers — all experts in the science of seeds — and did something radical: he showed them images. He told them stories. And he asked them to remember not what they saw, but how they felt.

Bernardo, recipient of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, has spent his career searching for the genetic treasures tucked inside what plant breeders call exotic germplasm — ancient, often wild genetic lines that hold secrets to resilience, taste, and traits we've forgotten to value.

But Bernardo didn’t always think this way.

“I worked in private industry for nearly a decade,” he recalls. “I remember one breeder saying, ‘We’re making new hybrids, but they’re basically the same genetics.’ That stuck with me. Where is the new diversity going to come from?”

For Bernardo, part of the answer lies in the world’s gene banks — vast vaults of seed samples collected from every corner of the globe. Yet, he says, many of these vaults have quietly become “seed morgues.” “Something goes in, but it never comes out,” he explains. “We need to start treating these collections like living investments, not museums of dead potential.”

That potential — and the barriers to unlocking it — are deeply personal for Bernardo. He’s wrestled with international policies that prevent access to valuable lines (like North Korean corn) and with the slow, painstaking science of transferring useful traits from wild relatives into elite lines that farmers can actually grow. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But he’s convinced that success starts not in the lab, but in the way we communicate.

“The fact sheet model isn’t cutting it anymore,” he says. “We hand out a paper about a new variety and think that’s enough. But stories? Plants you can see and touch? That’s what stays with people.”

Bernardo practices what he preaches. At the University of Minnesota, he helped launch a student-led breeding program that’s working to adapt leafy African vegetables for the Twin Cities’ African diaspora. The goal? Culturally relevant crops that mature in Minnesota’s shorter growing season — and can be regrown year after year.

“That’s real impact,” he says. “Helping people grow food that’s meaningful to them, not just what's commercially viable.”

He’s also brewed plant breeding into something more relatable — literally. Coffee and beer have become unexpected tools in his mission to make science accessible. His undergraduate course on coffee, for instance, connects the dots between genetics, geography, and culture. “Everyone drinks coffee,” he says. “It’s a conversation starter. It’s a gateway into plant science.”

Hurricane Helene’s Impact on the Agriculture Industry in Western North Carolina

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Video: Why Your Food Future Could be Trapped in a Seed Morgue

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