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Hurricane Helene Block Grant applications to open March 16

Hurricane Helene destroyed about 1.47 million acres of Georgia timber, including this tract in Treutlen County. The storm caused about $1.28 billion in losses to Georgia's timber sector according to a report issued by the Georgia Forestry Commission and the UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources. /Photo by Jennifer Whittaker

 

From Monday, March 16 to midnight Monday, April 27, Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters in eligible counties hit by Hurricane Helene with eligible losses not covered under pre-existing USDA programs, may apply for relief funds under the Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper announced today, March 2. 

Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters who have suffered losses in timber, infrastructure, poultry, beef cattle, dairy cattle, milk loss, dairy feed loss, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery, plasticulture and bare ground practices due to Hurricane Helene may apply for assistance through the Georgia Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program starting March 16. The application will remain open for six weeks, closing at midnight on April 27. Visit www.farmrecovery.com for the application, eligibility requirements and more information.

“I’m incredibly proud to announce that Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for relief beginning on March 16,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “While this relief will not make impacted producers 100% 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.”

In September 2025, Secretary Rollins announced the USDA was allocating  $531,236,000 million to Georgia to provide relief for commodities and losses not covered under pre-existing USDA programs. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), which is administering the program, Georgia is covering more commodities and loss types than any other state. 

According to GDA, timber payments will be based on pre-hurricane values of damaged timber stands; infrastructure losses will cover on-farm physical structures needed for ag production; poultry losses will be based on lost production cycles; beef and dairy cattle losses cover drops in conception rates; milk losses are for lower milk production; pecan, blueberry and citrus losses are for future production losses due to destroyed bushes and trees; nursery losses cover future production losses due to destruction of nursery crops. Compensation will be provided to reestablish plasticulture and bare-ground practices damaged by Helene. Minimum loss requirements for all above categories will apply.

Producers in the following counties are eligible for loss repayment from the Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Grady, Hancock, Houston, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, Marion, McDuffie, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Oglethorpe, Pierce, Pulaski, Quitman, Rabun, Randolph, Richmond, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth.

In addition to visiting www.farmrecovery.com for the latest information on the block grant program, questions may be asked via phone at 404-656-3630 or by email at hbg@agr.georgia.gov.

Documents: 
General HBG Flyer
Frequently Asked Questions 
Info Sheet: Blueberry Bushes
Info Sheet: Citrus Trees
Info Sheet: Dairy – Milk
Info Sheet: Dairy – Structures
Info Sheet: General Infrastructure
Info Sheet: Green House Structures
Info Sheet: Irrigation
Info Sheet: Pecans
Info Sheet: Plastic Mulch
Info Sheet: Poultry Houses
Info Sheet: Timber
Info Sheet: Beef Conception Losses

 

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