The Virginia Farm Recovery Block Grant Program has reopened to agricultural producers and timber owners whose operations were impacted by Hurricane Helene, according to an April 30 announcement from Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
This reopening gives another chance for farmers and landowners who missed the initial application period to apply for assistance. The move is important because many eligible individuals did not apply during the first round, despite widespread losses across farms and forestland caused by the storm.
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in northern Florida before moving through six states in late September 2024. Southwest Virginia was heavily affected, with damages estimated at $159 million. Farms experienced toppled trees, destroyed fences, submerged cropland, and loss of livestock and equipment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided nearly $61 million in federal disaster aid funding to help Virginia farmers recover from infrastructure, timber, or income losses related to the hurricane.
The grant application portal reopened on April 27 and will close on July 1. Producers across the 21 counties and six independent cities under a federal disaster declaration can apply for relief funds during this period.
“I would encourage any farmer who is negatively impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for the recovery block grant funds if they haven’t already,” said Tony Banks, senior assistant director of agriculture, development and innovation at Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.
The program is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), working with the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension. “Agriculture and forestry are major economic drivers for the Virginia communities impacted by Helene,” said secretary of agriculture and forestry Katie Frazier. “The Virginia Farm Recovery Block grant provides direct funding for losses not covered by other federal disaster assistance programs. Reopening the Virginia Farm Recovery Block Grant is vital to the rebuilding process by ensuring all eligible producers have ample opportunity to apply for this valuable assistance.”
Farmers or timber owners with verifiable agricultural or forest losses can find more information on VDACS’s website or contact DisasterRecoveryGrants@vdacs.virginia.gov with questions about eligibility or applications.
To assist applicants further, VDACS will hold an in-person training session at 10 a.m., May 1 at Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon; registration details are available online as well.
Virginia Farm Bureau Foundation AGPAC relies on an annual membership fee of $40 for funding according to its official website. The organization promotes agricultural prosperity as a way to enhance lives throughout the state according to its official website. It focuses on enhancing member success through resources that benefit agriculture according to its official website while supporting residents statewide according to its official website. The group also advocates for agriculture within the General Assembly according to its official website and partners with companies such as Case IH and John Deere so members can save on farm equipment purchases according to its official website.
