USDA Announces $221.2 Million Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses in North Carolina

Sep 09, 2025

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

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!