In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has compiled the
following list for individuals seeking assistance and those wanting to join the
relief effort.
If you have been affected by Hurricane Helene, please notify Virginia Cooperative Extension of your agricultural needs (hay, fencing, feed, etc.) so that they may be able to connect you with the proper donors. Complete the form at https://tinyurl.com/SWVAAGNEEDS or call your local Extension office.
Be sure to document damages and losses, including gathering farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. Farmers seeking assistance with debris cleanup are encouraged to reach out to their local USDA Farm Services Agency office and make an appointment.
The U.S. Small Business Administration provides several types of low-interest disaster loans for homeowners and renters, businesses that suffered physical damage, and small businesses (like agricultural cooperatives, aquaculture, and non-profits) that cannot meet financial obligations as a direct result of the disaster. Their website explains which counties are eligible.
Learn about the USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for you by completing five steps on the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool.
If you have Federal crop insurance, contact your crop insurance agent as soon as crop or livestock losses are apparent. Additional crop insurance information is available on the Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet.
The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where applicable, rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines lost by natural disasters.
The USDA Farm Service Agency has issued guidance to their county committees and local staff to exercise maximum flexibility in determining acceptable loss documentation for the Livestock Indemnity Program and to ensure applications are acted on in a timely manner.
The Farm Service Agency also administers the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program to assist owners of livestock, and producers of honeybees and farm-raised fish for feed and death losses due to an eligible natural disaster event.
The Farm Service Agency administers the Livestock Forage Disaster Program which provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses for covered livestock and who are also producers of grazed forage crop acreage of native and improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or acreage planted specifically for grazing.
Additional USDA disaster assistance information is available on the Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also offers recovery options for producers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and for communities through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). Learn more on the NRCS Disaster Recovery webpage.
A full list of FSA disaster assistance programs is available on the Hurricane webpage on farmers.gov.
For food and nutrition assistance, please visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service webpage.
If you would like to join in the Hurricane Helene relief effort, there are several ways to help.
The Virginia Cooperative Extension is accepting hay donations on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at multiple locations throughout Southwest Virginia. Please complete the form at https://tinyurl.com/HELPSWVAFARMERS or contact Amy Byington at (276) 698-4506.
Virginia Cooperative Extension is receiving agriculture and forestry related supplies as well as hay and feed at the following locations:
Giles County:
Giles Farm Bureau Cooperative (supplies primarily), 3745 Virginia Ave, Pearisburg, Va.
Giles Land Lab (hay only), 1827 Wenonah Avenue, Pearisburg, Va.
Wythe County:
Southern States Coop (supplies only), 1055 Industry Rd, Wytheville, Va.
G and G Livestock LLC (hay only), 169 Fort Chiswell Rd, Max Meadows, Va.
Washington County:
Southwest Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center (supplies and some hay) - 12326 VPI Farm Rd, Glade Spring, Va.
Smyth County:
SuperGro (primarily supplies), 701 Lee Hwy, Marion, Va.
Utility Trailer (hay only), 124 Mountain Empire Rd, Atkins, Va.
Carroll/Grayson Counties:
Old Vaughn Furniture Factory Warehouse (hay and supplies), 100 T George Vaughan Jr Rd., Galax, Va.
Tazewell County:
Fairgrounds (hay and supplies), 610 Fieldcrest Circle, Tazewell, Va.
To facilitate coordination, donors are asked to complete this donation form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6uj8VW0T1jl3cNVUh4vT2iGxntGa43yh3t4jH64MbXYPqkw/viewform. If donors are not able to complete the form, they should call Amy Byington at (276) 698-4506. Extension agents are working to connect donations with producers in need.
Farm Credit of the Virginia's offices are also collecting supplies. Visit https://www.farmcreditofvirginias.com/about/news/farm-credit-branches-collect-supplies-hurricane-relief for more information.
For additional information on how you can help, please visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension Hurricane Helene Resource webpage.