RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly House has filed a bill to address crop losses due to the impact of Hurricane Helene and other factors.
House Bill 130 aims to establish the 2024 Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program, citing the importance of the state’s $111.1 billion agricultural and agribusiness economic impact.
The bill notes that every county in the state was included in at least one U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster declaration in 2024 due to events like drought, excessive rainfall and tropical storms.
The program would provide financial assistance to farmers who experienced verifiable crop losses in 2024, with eligibility requiring crops to have been planted but not harvested by Jan. 1, 2024.
Farmers must submit documentation within 30 days of the bill’s passage, with a possible 30-day extension for certain specialty crops. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services would administer the program, calculating assistance using county and state averages for yields and prices. The program would expire 30 months after becoming law.
Spending Allocations in the bill include $200 million transferred from the Stabilization and Inflation Reserve, $200 million transferred from the Information Technology Reserve and $75 million transferred from the Economic Development Project Reserve.
The total appropriation comes in at $475 million, which would be transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, with up to 1% allowed for administrative purposes. Any unused funds would revert to the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund after the program’s expiration.
Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin), who is a farmer, is the bill’s primary sponsor. The bill has gained wide bipartisan support, with 45 House Democrats and Republicans signing on as sponsors as of Feb. 19.
