Republicans in the state House want to help farmers recover from last year's natural disasters with a new crop loss grant program.
The bill would allocate nearly a half-billion dollars from the state's reserves to compensate farmers for their losses. They'd be eligible for up to 20 percent of their uninsured losses in 2024.
A Helene recovery bill that passed the House earlier this week also includes crop loss funding. But Representative Jimmy Dixon of Duplin County says there's a need for a statewide program to help farmers recover from natural disasters. [
"This year for the row crop farmer, we've faced drought, a severe drought, then we've faced severe flooding, and then we had some wind, and so it's been an extraordinary year," he said, "And then when you add the situation in the western part of the state, it is unprecedented."
Dixon says his bill would only apply to 2024, and the state assistance wouldn't become an annual expense.
The bill passed the House agriculture committee on Wednesday.