Recovery from Hurricane Helene is well underway in the Southeast, and many farmers are struggling with decisions on what to do with damaged crops and livestock facilities. The Category 4 storm impacted farms in the states of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas, where fast winds and flooding washed out fields and ripped through buildings.
In a statement from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at a press conference Saturday, he noted that every commodity in the state has been damaged, with cotton farmers anticipating hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Additionally, more than 100 poultry facilities were damaged by the storm. Cotton farmers in Georgia are reporting yield losses ranging from 35% to total loss, according to the state’s cotton commission.
“As painful as it is, the only real action farmers can take right now is to document the devastation,” says Phil Newendyke, Pinion Farm Program Services Leader.
“Photographs, third-party witness statements, rendering receipts; the more non-related person verification a farmer can have the better in these cases. Anything is better than nothing, but third-party documents are the strongest evidence. Digging a hole and burying deceased stock without additional evidence would be the worst thing someone could do.”
Newendyke encourages farmers to use U.S. Department of Agriculture’s disaster tool to assess how they can find aid. The website for the tool is: www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool.
“While we cannot guarantee that USDA accepts evidence that we think is sufficient, we can ensure they are getting good advice and taking proper steps to be eligible for benefits when resources are available – verifiable and reliable evidence is defined by USDA in these cases,” Newendyke says.
Producers should also make sure to talk to their crop insurance providers right away, says Thomas Eatherly, Farm Business Advisor with Pinion.
“All producers need to be getting their Market Value Balance Sheet in order to get a clear picture of their farm’s financial health,” Eatherly says. “This will let them know if they can weather the storm or not. It may also reduce stress knowing they have the equity or liquidity to get through this disaster.”
For help on creating a Market Value Balance Sheet (MVBS), please contact Thomas Eatherly at Thomas.eatherly@pinionglobal.com.
For additional support on disaster aid or Farm Program Services, contact Phil Newendyke at phil.newendyke@pinionglobal.com.
