Tennessee – Farmers and forest landowners in Tennessee recovering from losses caused by Hurricane Helene will soon be able to apply for block grants aimed at addressing damage not covered by insurance or existing federal disaster programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Governor Bill Lee, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture have finalized a grant agreement to provide financial assistance for qualifying agricultural and timber losses linked to the storm. The program will be administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Eligible producers must live in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, or Washington counties. Those counties were included in Governor Lee’s Expedited Major Disaster Declaration following Hurricane Helene.
According to state officials, the grants are intended to help cover losses that were not addressed through other USDA disaster relief efforts. Awards may cover up to 90 percent of verified losses, depending on available funding and the number of applications received.
Eligible losses fall into four categories: infrastructure loss involving physical structures and equipment, future economic loss related to long-term production recovery, market loss tied to disrupted sales, and farm production loss involving damaged or destroyed crops.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will oversee $34 million in federal funding for the program. The funding is part of the $30 billion disaster relief package authorized under the American Relief Act of 2025 and is expected to support infrastructure and timber recovery, as well as offset future economic and market losses.
State officials said application details and guidance will be released in the coming weeks through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s website and social media platforms.