U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Alexander Vaden in North Carolina met with agricultural leaders and producers and announced additional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene. Deputy Secretary Vaden signed a block grant agreement with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) that provides recovery assistance to eligible North Carolina farmers. In July, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced additional disaster assistance for farmers and producers for Virginia and Florida.
In this agreement, NCDA&CS will receive $221.2 million in funding to administer a program that will cover eligible infrastructure and timber losses in addition to eligible market losses and eligible future year revenue losses. This funding is part of the $30 billion disaster assistance relief effort authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025. USDA is working with 14 different states, including North Carolina, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
“America’s farmers and ranchers across the Southeast and in North Carolina have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during 2024. USDA has worked closely with the State of North Carolina to ensure those impacted have the relief they need,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Source : usda.gov