To be eligible for assistance under the program expansion, a person must have experienced a verifiable loss of agricultural commodities as a result of this freeze disaster and the person’s farm must be located in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties.

“A late season hard freeze can be particularly damaging for young plants. I was thankful when the USDA declared a freeze disaster that recognized damages and losses in several counties,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Farmers who have applied for assistance through this program for Tropical Storm Fred must demonstrate a separate and distinct loss for the freeze disaster. We encourage farmers to submit their application for assistance quickly to ensure they meet the April 15 deadline.”

Farmers who suffered a loss due to Tropical Storm Fred also have until the April 15 deadline to apply. Farmers in 11 western NC counties are eligible to apply for losses incurred due to Tropical Storm Fred. Commodities in this program include: apples, corn, forages, grapes, nursery crops, potatoes, soybeans, sweet corn, tobacco, tomatoes, wheat, specialty crops and other fruits and vegetables. Stored grain is not included in the program. Livestock commodities include aquaculture, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, farmed cervids and bison. 

The application and required forms can be downloaded from the NCDA&CS website at www.ncagr.gov.  For questions about the program in general, call 866-747-9823. Applicants may also reach out to their local cooperative extension or Farm Service Agency offices for application support.