North Carolina Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler says that a clearer picture is emerging about the damage to the state’s ag industry. This comes after a summer full of drought and fall flooding.
“The estimated impacts of agriculture have topped $4 billion, that includes $4.23 billion from Hurricane Helene and about $700 million from the rest of the state,” he explains. “It is going to take over a billion dollars, with a ‘b’ again, just to get our farmers back to the point that they can go again and build a bridge to the future, and it’s a big ask. There is no question.”
Troxler says that he is also looking to see how much aid may be coming from the federal government.
“We’ll keep working and see what Washington comes up with. Hopefully design a program that plugs the holes that normally are in federal disaster programs, particularly in the mountains,” he adds.
Troxler says that the impacts of Hurricane Helene are still being felt across the state, leaving many farmers in a bind.
