Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper Announces Two-Week Extension on Hurricane Helene Block Grant Applications Due to Wildfires

Thu, Apr 23 2026

ATLANTA, GA - Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced that the deadline for impacted producers to submit applications to the Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program has been extended by two weeks to May 11, 2026, at midnight due to the current state of emergency.

"We will always do everything in our power to support Georgia farm families when disaster strikes. In response to the wildfires across Georgia, we are extending the deadline for Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program applications to May 11th at midnight," said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. "We would never put Georgia farmers in a situation where they would be forced to choose between responding to this current natural disaster or submitting their application to get relief from the last."

About Georgia's Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program:
Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters in eligible counties that have suffered losses in timber, infrastructure, poultry, beef cattle, dairy cattle, milk loss, dairy feed loss, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery, plasticulture and bare ground practices due to Hurricane Helene may apply for assistance to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Georgia is covering more commodities and loss types than any other state.

In general, timber payments are based on pre-hurricane values of damaged timber stands; infrastructure losses cover on-farm physical structures needed for agricultural production; poultry losses are based on lost production cycles; beef and dairy cattle losses cover drops in conception rates; milk losses are for lower milk production; pecan, blueberry and citrus losses are for future production losses due to destroyed bushes and trees; nursery losses cover future production losses due to destruction of nursery crops; and compensation is provided to reestablish plasticulture and bare-ground practices damaged by the Hurricane. Minimum loss requirements apply.

More information is available at www.farmrecovery.com.

• Category
• Disaster Relief

Media contacts

• Matthew Agvent, Communications Director
• Liz Rivera-Brown, Deputy Communications Director

About the GDA
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is the voice of the state's agriculture community. The department's mission is to provide excellence in services and regulatory functions, to protect and promote agriculture and consumer interests, and to ensure an abundance of safe food and fiber for Georgia, America, and the world by using state-of-the-art technology and a professional workforce.

Find us on Facebook • Follow on Twitter: @GDAFoodSafety •@GeorgiaGrown

For more information, visit https://www.agr.georgia.gov.

Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334