Gabrielle Russon
Florida’s new program to help farmers recover from natural disasters is getting money out quickly, providing a $110,000 interest-free loan to a cattle ranch where Hurricane Helene damaged a barn roof and knocked over trees.
“Swift and meaningful action is crucial in aiding our farmers, ranchers, and growers in their recovery from Hurricane Helene, especially in a region that is still recovering from Idalia and Debby,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson in a press release
“We are very proud to have been able to get our first loan fully approved through the department’s Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program just 8 days after the storm made landfall.”
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program is meant to help farmers and producers fix fences, equipment, greenhouses and other buildings. The program can also assist with the cleanup process by removing vegetative debris.
The Department is giving out interest-free loans up to $500,000. The application process launched Sept. 27.
Simpson’s agency said those who previously got loans following Hurricane Debby may be eligible to apply for damage sustained from Hurricane Helene.
“An applicant may not receive more than one loan per storm, more than two loans per year, or more than five loans in any three-year period,” the agency said in the press release.
Hurricane Helene struck Florida as a Category 4 storm, causing serious damage with its high winds and devastating storm surge.
During a Special Session last year, the Legislature passed HB 1-C, which gave $75 million to establish the revolving loan fund to help farmers recover from hurricanes and national disasters.
“Y’all are the first Legislature in my lifetime to recognize any importance of agriculture to the state of Florida,” Rod Land, a fifth-generation farmer from Lafayette County, told the House Appropriations Committee. “I thank you for it, I commend you for it. I ask you to give us the help we need to survive and to thrive in agriculture in the state of Florida.”
You can apply for a loan via the program online.
