Tennessee to Manage USDA Grants for Farmers and Forest Landowners Hit by Hurricane Helene

Dec 15, 2025

Farmers and forest landowners in Tennessee who continue to recover from losses brought on by Hurricane Helene will soon have the opportunity to apply for block grants made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA).

USDA, Governor Bill Lee, and TDA have finalized a grant agreement to provide financial assistance for qualifying agricultural and timber losses caused by Hurricane Helene that were not addressed by other USDA disaster programs or covered by insurance.

Eligible producers must reside in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, or Washington counties, which were identified in Governor Lee’s Expedited Major Disaster Declaration.

“We’re grateful for Secretary Rollins’ leadership and USDA’s partnership in delivering meaningful relief to our farmers and forest landowners,” said Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt. “This funding recognizes the unique challenges faced by Tennessee’s agricultural producers in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation and will help cover a wide range of critical current needs as well as setbacks still to come.”

Affected farmers and forest landowners may apply for this grant program, with a maximum award of up to 90% of verified losses, depending on available funding and the number of applications received.

Source : tn.gov

Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.