Georgia farmers are still waiting for federal aid following Hurricane Helene, despite an announcement that $531 million will be allocated to support recovery efforts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper confirmed the funding on Tuesday. However, the state has not yet finalized an agreement with federal authorities regarding how the money will be distributed.
Matthew Agvent, spokesperson for Commissioner Harper, stated that Georgia officials are “ironing out administrative details in the agreement with USDA while we also finalize the state’s work plan.” He added that reaching consensus on the amount of aid was “the vast majority of the negotiation process.”
“This funding is absolutely essential to help our farm families bounce back from Hurricane Helene, and our team invested hundreds of hours into the negotiation process to secure the maximum possible amount of federal funding for our state and our producers,” Harper said in a statement, emphasizing the urgency facing local farmers.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins remarked that assistance was being delivered “in record time.”
Despite these assurances, some Georgia farmers remain frustrated by delays. Vann Wooten, a farmer and county commissioner in Jefferson Davis County, told WJCL-TV last week: “We still haven’t gotten nothing. We still haven’t even got a word. We got a promise. But nothing on paper.” Wooten reported $2 million in damages after his chicken houses were destroyed by the storm and has since shifted focus from poultry to cattle and produce.
Officials have identified significant damage to Georgia’s poultry industry as a major reason for additional aid requests.
The delay follows previous experiences after Hurricane Michael in 2018 when political disputes postponed relief distribution for months.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024, cutting across Florida’s Big Bend through eastern Georgia and upstate South Carolina before causing historic flooding further north. The storm resulted in approximately $78 billion in damages nationwide and 219 deaths. In Georgia alone, agricultural losses are estimated at $5.5 billion.
While other states such as South Carolina have announced finalized agreements for distributing disaster aid—South Carolina recently received an additional $38 million—Georgia continues to wait for its program’s final approval.
