USDA Announces $38.3 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses due to Hurricane Helene in South Carolina

(Washington, D.C., September 30, 2025) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $38.3 million in Congressionally mandated recovery assistance to South Carolina agricultural producers through a block grant agreement with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene.

"Farmers and ranchers across the Southeast are still recovering from Hurricane Helene and our team at USDA is working closely with states like South Carolina to quickly provide relief for farmers who have taken a financial hit due to no fault of their own," said Secretary Brooke Rollins. "President Trump will not leave our farmers behind, and he has directed me and our team to ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable, and most abundant food supply in the world."

"South Carolina's farmers and forest landowners have worked tirelessly to recover from Helene's devastation, and this funding will close crucial gaps to assure a future for their businesses. A strong agriculture and forestry sector is essential to our state's economy and security, and we're committed to distributing this funding quickly. I'd like to thank South Carolina's farmers and forest landowners who offered information and feedback, and Secretary Rollins and her staff for their collaboration as we work to get this critical aid into the right hands," said South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

Under this agreement, SCDA will administer a program covering infrastructure and timber losses in addition to future economic losses and market losses. This funding is part of the $30 billion disaster assistance relief effort authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025. USDA is working with 14 different states, including South Carolina, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.

USDA and SCDA have finalized a grant agreement that will cover qualifying losses not addressed by other USDA disaster programs. Producers should look for additional program information available through the SCDA.

Additional USDA Supplemental Disaster Assistance

USDA remains committed to implementing the remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Relief Act, 2025 (The Act). On July 10, Secretary Rollins launched Stage 1 of the two-stage Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to assist producers who incurred losses of revenue, quality, or production of crops due to weather related events in 2023 and 2024. USDA has issued more than $1 billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) assistance to livestock producers impacted by drought and federally managed lands wildfires in 2023 and 2024 with an additional $1 billion in expected payments for livestock producers impacted by floods and non-federally managed land wildfires in 2023 and 2024 (ELRP 2023/2023 FW). Livestock producers have until Oct. 31, 2025, to apply for ELRP 2023/2023 FW assistance. USDA has also announced the second tranche of the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), which has provided over $9 billion to help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices. 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.

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