Farmers and forest landowners in Tennessee who continue to recover from losses brought on by Hurricane Helene will soon have the opportunity to apply for block grants made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA).
USDA, Governor Bill Lee, and TDA have finalized a grant agreement to provide financial assistance for qualifying agricultural and timber losses caused by Hurricane Helene that were not addressed by other USDA disaster programs or covered by insurance.
Eligible producers must reside in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, or Washington counties, which were identified in Governor Lee’s Expedited Major Disaster Declaration.
“We’re grateful for Secretary Rollins’ leadership and USDA’s partnership in delivering meaningful relief to our farmers and forest landowners,” said Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt. “This funding recognizes the unique challenges faced by Tennessee’s agricultural producers in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation and will help cover a wide range of critical current needs as well as setbacks still to come.”