Top Agriculture News

In the midst of the turmoil following Hurricane Helene, farmers and others continue to display resiliency and camaraderie. Sofia Lilly is a fruit grower and winemaker at Overmountain Vineyards in Polk County, North Carolina, and says her farm was simply overwhelmed by water. “At our farm, we received over 12 inches in the course of […]

Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm in America since 2017, with over 225 lives lost and many others still missing. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says agriculture is an important part of the Southeast and has a long road to recovery. “When we overlay the counties that were impacted and […]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators have approved an initial $273 million relief package to help address Hurricane Helene’s devastation and recovery in the mountains. The unanimous House and Senate passage on Wednesday came less than two weeks after Helene’s historical rainfall caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. Repubilcan legislative leaders who helped craft the measure described it as a down payment on aid. The bill also mostly follows rule alterations for conducting elections and turning in ballots that were approved unanimously Monday by the State Board of Elections for 13 western counties. But it would now cover 25 counties. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the board offered input for the bill.

October is National Farm to School month, when schools and farmers alike can celebrate the fresh foods grown by local farmers and served to local students. Jenny Lester Moffitt is Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and said a recent grant by USDA will expand the program even more. “We’re excited that […]

RALEIGH – The application period for county governments and conservation nonprofit groups to apply for farmland preservation grants from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund opens Oct. 14. Applicants have until Jan. 17, 2025, to apply. “A growing population and increased development continue to put pressure on family farms,” said Agriculture Commissioner […]

Harry Ott, president of the South Carolina Farm Bureau, saw Hurricane Helene’s fury firsthand on his farm. He estimates that South Carolina’s agriculture industry will lose millions of dollars during a year that’s already been hard on farmers. “My farm was right at the beginning of where the storm came into South Carolina. We got […]

Getting into Fall means the time is coming when we spend more time indoors than outside. Now is the right time to protect yourself and your loved ones from respiratory viruses. Dr. Richard Vetter, chief medical officer at Essentia Health, talks about what people in rural America need to know about respiratory illnesses like flu, […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago. The false claims are being fueled by former President Donald Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election, and are coming as the agency is gearing up to respond to a second major disaster. Hurricane Milton is set to strike Florida on Wednesday. The FEMA administrator told reporters Tuesday that she’s never seen the disinformation problem as bad as it’s been with Helene. A county official in North Carolina says part of the problem is that affected regions have been largely without phone lines and internet, so outside voices have an easier time setting the narrative.

LAKE LURE, N.C. (AP) — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is again forcefully pushing back against false claims and conspiracy theories about how her agency is responding to Hurricane Helene. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell appeared Monday in Asheville, North Carolina, to assure residents that the government is ready to help. Misinformation has spread over the past week in communities hit the hardest. Former President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have questioned FEMA’s response and falsely claimed that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars. The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 230.

“Waiting till next year would be a mistake.” That’s the prognosis from Dr. Rob Johansson of the American Sugar Alliance regarding the next farm bill. “Two years’ worth of hearings have documented a brewing financial crisis caused by falling commodity prices, high input costs, and tightening farm credit,” he said. “It’s time for Congress to […]