Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is set to disclose the commencement of the application period for the Crop Loss Disaster Program, aimed at assisting farmers who experienced agricultural crop losses in 2024. This announcement will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the Gov. Martin Building, located at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, 4285 Trinity Road.
The state has faced an agricultural disaster of unprecedented magnitude, with total losses nearing $5 billion. “Some $4.23 billion in ag losses were from Hurricane Helene, with another $696 million in crop losses from statewide drought conditions, Tropical Storm Debby, and other weather events,” according to the press release. Hurricane Helene alone accounted for over $907 million in losses.
On March 19, the N.C. General Assembly approved an allocation exceeding $300 million for agricultural crop losses for the year 2024. Out of this, $200 million is designated for Western N.C. and losses attributed to Hurricane Helene, while the remainder is distributed across the state for other weather-related events.
The Crop Loss Disaster Program, which will manage these funds, is to be overseen by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
