USDA announces $38.1 million to cover agricultural losses due to Hurricane Helene in Tennessee
On Friday, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen A. Vaden announced additional assistance to help producers in Tennessee recover from Hurricane Helene.
Deputy Secretary Vaden signed a block grant agreement with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) that provides $38.1 million in recovery assistance to eligible farmers in the southern state.
Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt thanked Secretary Brooke Rollins' leadership in this matter.
“This block grant funding recognizes the unique challenges faced by Tennessee’s agricultural producers in the wake of Hurricane Helene and will help cover a wide range of critical current needs as well as setbacks still to come,” he said.
USDA disaster relief for Tennessee—the details
Under the agreement for the state of Tennessee, TDA is receiving $38.1 million in funding to administer a program that will cover infrastructure and timber losses, as well as future economic losses and market losses.
This funding is part of the $30 billion disaster assistance relief effort authorized by the American Relief Act of 2025. The bill includes $9.3 billion through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, over $1 billion through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program, with an additional $1 billion in expected ELRP payments and, to date, more than $5.7 billion in SDRP Stage One payments.
Visit the 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance webpage to track the status of USDA disaster assistance. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov.
*All images are referential and courtesy of the USDA.
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