The first round of disaster relief checks has been mailed to farmers in North Carolina who applied for assistance through the 2024 Agriculture Disaster Crop Loss Program.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said producers in Western North Carolina were the first to receive payments, and additional checks will be distributed statewide in the coming weeks.
“Getting disaster relief out to our devastated ag community has been a priority for the department, and I appreciate farmers’ patience as we have worked through the process,” Commissioner Troxler said. “We received over 8,500 applications, and verifying damage and processing claims has been a major undertaking.”
The relief funds are part of a $478 million disaster recovery package approved by the N.C. General Assembly earlier this year after $5 billion in agricultural losses in 2024.
Troxler also thanked the General Assembly for acting quickly to approve the disaster assistance package. “This was the worst agricultural disaster in our state’s history,” he said, “I thank lawmakers for recognizing the urgency and standing behind our farming communities during this critical time.”
The losses were attributed to a series of severe weather events, including Hurricane Helene, a statewide drought, Tropical Storm Debby, and Potential Cyclone 8.
An additional $25 million was allocated for infrastructure losses through a separate bill.
