State Disaster Relief Block Grant for Hurricane Helene

State Disaster Relief Block Grant for Hurricane Helene is sponsored by South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Provides financial assistance to South Carolina agricultural producers and forest landowners affected by Hurricane Helene, covering infrastructure damage, market losses, future economic losses, and timber losses.

South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Helene | South Carolina Department of Agriculture With more than 22,600 farms and 4. 6 million acres of farmland, South Carolina is driven by agriculture. Agribusiness (agriculture + forestry) is the state’s No. 1 industry, accounting for nearly 260,000 jobs and $51.

8 billion in annual economic impact. The two-month application period for the South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Hurricane Helene (SDRBG) closed on Saturday, July 11, 2026. Applications that were in-process, but unsubmitted at the deadline, can no longer be submitted or completed.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) and the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) have begun reviewing applications that were successfully submitted and gathering any further documentation for those claims. If there are funds remaining after all applications have been reviewed and approved and claims paid, SCDA may consider reopening the application portal for eligible farmers and forest landowners.

This step-by-step guide details how to complete and submit an application. 1. Program Overview, Eligibility, and Agricultural Losses 2.

Timber Loss Information 3. Application, Documents, and Resources Virtual Application Demonstration Learn more about timber loss verification at scfc. gov/hurricane-helene-timber-block-grant .

For further assistance with timber losses, email blockgrant@scfc. gov . Agricultural Loss Assistance Clemson Cooperative Extension offices and Soil & Water Conservation District county offices are the first line of support for direct help with applying for this grant.

The staff at these offices are equipped to verify your losses and help with your application. Clemson Cooperative Extension county offices: clemson. edu/extension/co/ Soil & Water Conservation District offices: dnr.

sc. gov/conservation/ For further questions about agricultural losses or about the application itself, email disaster@scda. sc.

gov . Farmers and Forest Land Owners – An eligible producer is a producer located in an eligible locality that suffered an eligible loss as a direct result of Hurricane Helene and had an ownership share and a production risk in the crop, livestock, or timber (including timber rights).

In addition, an eligible producer is a person or legal entity that must be a: citizen of the United States; resident alien; for purposes of this part, resident alien means “lawful alien” as defined in 7 CFR part 1400; partnership consisting solely of citizens or resident aliens of the United States; corporation, limited liability corporation, or other farm organizational structure organized under State law consisting solely of citizens or resident aliens of the United States; or Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined in section 4(b) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.

5304). This grant program only provides assistance for South Carolina farmers and forest land owners with losses in the 33 counties and one tribal area that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene . They are: Eligible losses are necessary expenses related to the following: Eligible timber losses are limited to private forest land.

Applicant must be the owner of the property at the time of the storm. An application must be from an owner with a minimum of 10 contiguous forested acres, under the same ownership, on which there is a stand of at least 10 acres in which at least 15% of the trees suffered significant or greater timber damage from Hurricane Helene.

The land must have had tree cover immediately before Hurricane Helene occurred and is suitable for growing trees. Infrastructure Loss: On-Farm Building Structures Eligible on-farm building structures include, but are not limited to barns, silos, greenhouses, and poultry houses.

The structure is not required to have a commodity or livestock present at the time Hurricane Helene hit as long as there is evidence that commodities or livestock were present in the structure 12 months prior to Hurricane Helene. The eligible structures must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene.

Ineligible structures include, but are not limited to equipment buildings, repair shops, and movable equipment. Infrastructure Loss: Above Ground Irrigation Eligibility for lost above ground irrigation systems is limited to above ground features and where evidence is present that it was used in agriculture production within 12 months prior to the adverse weather event that damaged the irrigation system.

The eligible above ground irrigation system must have suffered at least a total of $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene per application. Ineligible structures include, but are not limited to pumps, wells, and irrigation infrastructure underground. Infrastructure Loss: Aquaculture Infrastructure Eligible infrastructure includes, but is not limited to tanks, docks, breeding houses, and cages.

The aquaculture infrastructure is not required to have aquaculture present at the time Hurricane Helene hit as long as there is evidence that aquaculture was present 12 months prior to Hurricane Helene. The eligible infrastructure must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene.

Ineligible infrastructure includes, but are not limited to, boats and any equipment that is portable and not fixed or is capable of being moved from one place to another with ease and without being damaged. The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years, as detailed in section F.

Infrastructure Loss: On-Farm Roads, Bridges, and Culverts Eligible roads, bridges, and culverts must provide direct access to farm production, be privately owned, and be located on the farm. The eligible roads, bridges, and culverts must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene. Roads, bridges, and culverts located on forest land are not eligible.

Future economic loss is a projection or prediction of the real economic losses that will be sustained for multiple years. Not all production or revenue losses due to Hurricane Helene will have occurred during 2024. Damages incurred during 2024 are projected to have an impact on expenses related to losses of revenue for several years into the future.

This category covers a loss of perennial crops, crops that take multiple years to mature, and shellfish that take multiple years to mature, due to Hurricane Helene that were expected to produce crops or mature shellfish and provide the Eligible Producer with revenue for multiple years.

These payments are for necessary expenses related to the projected losses of revenue due to ongoing maintenance of the perennial crops and crops that take multiple years to mature. Eligible losses include perennial crops, crops that take multiple years to mature, and shellfish that need multiple years to mature, such as the loss of young oyster “seeds” due to a freshwater flush.

Eligible loss is based on the years between planting and having a fully mature harvestable/sellable commodity which varies by commodity. The producer must have experienced a loss of at least 5% of their total eligible perennial crops (in aggregate) due to Hurricane Helene to be eligible. The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years, as detailed in section F.

This category covers a market loss due to the unavailability of markets off the farm, and the inability to market agricultural crop production direct to consumers on the farm as determined by the State due to Hurricane Helene. Eligibility is limited to markets tied directly to the eligible producer’s produced crops.

Eligibility includes loss of a market, loss of stored commodities — excluding wheat, oats, and barley (including wheat, oats, and barley used for hay), corn, grain sorghum, long grain rice, medium grain rice, seed cotton, pulse crops, soybeans, other oilseeds, peanuts, hemp, and tobacco — or the inability to market existing value-added products.

The crop must have been produced but could have spoiled before or after harvesting due to a lack of market availability. Losses tied to the producer’s operation that are not directly related to the sale of a crop (e.g., corn maze, hayride) are not eligible. Losses of sales of crops produced by other producers are not eligible, including if the producer purchased the products from another producer and intended to resell them.

Producers must demonstrate at least a 5% loss due to Hurricane Helene to be eligible. The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years. Document requirements will differ according to claim type and producer type.

Some potential documentation that may be required is listed in the file below. Acreage Certification Form Frequently Asked Questions Will I be required to buy USDA crop insurance? Certain producers must agree to acquire and maintain USDA Risk Management coverage for a period of two crop years for market loss, future economic loss, plasticulture, and aquaculture claims.

Will funds received through this state block grant program be taxable? Yes. Funds received from the South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Helene will be taxable.

Recipients will receive a 1099 for any funds paid under the grant program. Is the block grant available to farmers statewide? No. This grant program only provides assistance for South Carolina farmers and forest land owners with losses in the 33 counties that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene.

Can I claim timber losses under Future Market Loss? No. Timber losses can only be claimed under the Timber Loss category. I had fences damaged during the storm.

Is fencing eligible for reimbursement under this grant? No. Fencing is not eligible for reimbursement under this grant. Have a question not answered here?

Please email disaster@scda. sc. gov for assistance.