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.
More than 15 state, local and federal agencies will co-host Agriculture Recovery Resource Days in Southwest Virginia to help farmers, foresters, and agribusinesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. These daylong resource fairs provide information about programs and resources that can support agricultural and forestry recovery. No need to register in advance, attend any time during the event hours.
Scheduled Agriculture Recovery Resource Days:
- Oct. 29: Grayson County. Mountain View Baptist Church, 112 Mountain View Rd., Independence, Va., 24348. The event will be held 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Nov. 7: Washington County. Highland Fellowship Church, 22417 Watuga Road, Abingdon, Va., 24211. The event will be held 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Nov. 9: Wythe County. Wytheville Meeting Center, 333 Community Boulevard, Wytheville, Va., 24382. The event will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Further dates to be announced for Smyth County, and a location central to Lee, Scott, and Wise counties.
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.
Virginia Cooperative Extension agents are working to assess farmer needs and the availability of donations. If you are interested in donating specific supplies, such as hay, fencing, etc. Please complete this donation detail form or contact Amy Byington at (276) 698-4506.
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.