ATLANTA — After almost a year and a half post-hurricane, Georgia farmers are finally getting the federal relief needed to rebuild their farms and businesses after Hurricane Helene destroyed parts of the Southeast.
On March 2, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced that Georgia farmers and ranchers in eligible counties that have suffered losses due to Hurricane Helene may apply for assistance through the Georgia Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program beginning March 16. The application will stay open until April 27, giving farmers six weeks to submit their applications.
“I’m incredibly proud to announce that Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for relief beginning on March 16, 2026,” Harper said in a statement. “While this relief will not make impacted producers 100 percent whole, it will go a long way to help farm families get back on their feet after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.”
“We invested thousands of hours into this process to ensure we brought the maximum amount of funding to Georgia while covering as many commodities and loss types as possible, and I want to thank the Trump administration and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins for understanding the critical need for financial relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene,” Harper added.
In Sept. 2025, Harper originally announced that the state would receive $531,236,000 to cover losses not previously included in pre-existing USDA programs, but there was never a set timeline for when the money would be available for farmers to use.
Georgia Senators Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff add that they have been working tirelessly to secure this funding for Georgia’s farmers. In March 2025, Warnock led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a letter to USDA to expedite disaster assistance to Georgia farmers, Warnock’s team said in a release about the relief grant.
“This announcement is welcome news for the Georgia producers and farmers that have been forced to wait far too long for this desperately needed relief,” Sen. Warnock said. “I’m glad to see that the application for these block grants will open in the coming weeks.”
“Less than 90 days after Hurricane Helene devastated Georgia agriculture, Senator Warnock and I passed disaster funding for Georgia farmers,” Sen. Ossoff added. “Now, over a year later, USDA is finally getting those funds to Georgia farmers. I am glad Georgia farmers are getting the help they’ve long deserved.”
Georgia’s agriculture industry was in disarray after Helene swept through, with more than 100 poultry houses damaged or destroyed and one-third of the state’s pecan and cotton crops destroyed, leaving the agricultural economy to face an estimated $5.5 billion in damages, according to data from UGA Extension.
The grant program will cover losses in poultry, infrastructure, beef cattle, dairy cattle, bare ground practices, and more caused by the hurricane. For poultry specifically, the grant will cover losses based on production cycles, the
Georgia Department of Agriculture said in the grant announcement. However, there are minimum cost requirements to apply.
For more information about the Georgia Hurricane Helene Block Grant, visit https://agr.georgia.gov/hurricane-helene-block-grant.
