Source: NCDA&CS, 3/11/19

Farmers with damage from Hurricane Florence or Tropical Storm Michael in Iredell and Wilkes counties are now eligible for disaster assistance from the Hurricane Florence Agricultural Disaster Program of 2018. The N.C. General Assembly re-opened the filing period for farmers in these counties. Farmers will have until midnight on Monday, March 23, to complete their applications. These counties received either a Presidential or Secretarial disaster declaration after the original deadline to apply for assistance had passed.

The program will directly assist farmers who suffered losses to commodities planted, but not harvested before Sept. 13, and livestock. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services administers the program with funding. The N.C. General Assembly approved $240 million for the disaster fund last year.

“This program has already dispersed nearly $90 million to farmers that greatly need assistance after the damage caused by the storms last year,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The application process takes about 30 minutes per farm and assistance is available through N.C. Cooperative Extension and the NCDA&CS disaster hotline at 1-866-645-9403.”

Estimates for crop damage and livestock losses to North Carolina’s agriculture industry from Hurricane Florence are estimated at $1.1 billion. Seventy-two of the state’s 100 counties received disaster declarations due to the storms.

For more information, visit www.ncagr.gov/agriculturaldisasterprogram.