Farmers in several mountain counties are eligible for the Western North Carolina Agricultural Crop Loss Program for damages and losses because of flooding and excessive rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred and an April 2021 freeze and frost.

“We offered a similar program in Western North Carolina with an April deadline. This effort expands the reach of that initial program, recognizing there was additional losses outside the first counties,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a news release Tuesday.

For Tropical Storm Fred damage, the program will cover losses of crops, feed, livestock, aquaculture and farm infrastructure for farmers in Cherokee, Clay, Jackson and Macon counties. The agricultural commodities must have been planted but not harvested, or for aquaculture commodities raised on or before, Aug. 17, 2021.

To be eligible for assistance for freeze damage under the program, a person must have experienced a verifiable loss of agricultural commodities as a result of the April 2021 freeze disaster and the person’s farm must be located in Alexander, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell, Mitchell, Wilkes and Yancey counties.

Commodities in this program include: apples, corn, forages, grapes, nursery crops, potatoes, soybeans, sweet corn, tobacco, tomatoes, wheat, specialty crops and other fruits and vegetables. Stored grain is not included in the program.

Livestock commodities include aquaculture, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, farmed cervids and bison.

The deadline to apply is Aug. 31. A total of $10 million is available.

Source - https://wlos.com