Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper has announced that agricultural producers impacted by Hurricane Helene will be able to apply for relief through the Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program. Commissioner Harper said, “I’m proud to announce that applications for Georgia’s Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program will open on March 16, 2026 for a period of six weeks. We have invested thousands of hours into this process to secure the maximum amount of federal relief for Georgia producers and to cover as many farmers, commodities, and loss types as possible. While this relief will not make our farmers 100% whole, it will go a long way to help them get back on their feet and back to doing what they do best – providing the food, fiber, and shelter we all rely on.” According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, those that may apply for assistance include “Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters in eligible counties that have suffered losses in timber, infrastructure, poultry, beef cattle, dairy cattle, milk loss, dairy feed loss, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery, plasticulture and bare ground practices due to Hurricane Helene” Signups will begin on March 16th and will be open for 6 weeks. More details can be found at farmrecovery.com.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.