AIKEN, SC (WCSC) – State leaders consider agriculture the lifeblood of South Carolina, and 2024 has been a tough year for farmers in the Palmetto State.

Between Helene, Debby and the summer drought, the state estimates that South Carolina farmers have suffered a loss of more than $600 million this year alone.

Officials said it will take a combination of federal, state and local resources, as well as help from nonprofits and the private sector, for South Carolinians to recover.

They aim to bring together stakeholders from the agricultural sector for a series of events which began on Friday and which are called “Resource Days for the Recovery of Farms and Forests”.

“If you’re looking for help and you don’t know where to go, then you don’t know where to go. But a lot of times you have to go to this side of town, then another town, then somewhere else, if you know where to go,” Gov. Henry McMaster said Friday.

It’s a difficult situation that the governor said he doesn’t want South Carolina’s farmers to find themselves in, especially right now.

The state’s agriculture commissioner says no farmer has been spared losses this year in the Palmetto State, between drought and two devastating storms.

In response, the state launched Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days, the first of which McMaster participated in Aiken.

“It’s about answering their questions, and having a human person who knows the answers give them the answers,” McMaster said.

Among the roughly two dozen organizations with representatives on hand Friday at USC Aiken, where the event was held, was FEMA.

The federal agency said there is still time for South Carolinians who suffered damage from Helene — farmers and non-farmers alike — to seek help if they live in one of the 28 approved counties , alongside the Catawba Nation.

“This assistance may be able to be used for basic home repairs, a temporary place to stay. If you are a farmer and your equipment has been damaged, you may be able to get help that way, also for possible fuel,” said Nikki Gaskins Campbell, FEMA media relations specialist.

On Thursday, FEMA said it approved more than $221 million in aid following Helene to more than 216,000 South Carolina households.

“FEMA assistance was never intended to return someone to their pre-disaster state or to cure them,” Gaskins Campbell said. “But we can help them get back on their feet.” »

McMaster is optimistic that additional help will be available soon.

Last week, he wrote a letter to South Carolina’s congressional delegation, requesting additional aid specifically for the critical agricultural sector.

“Requesting, I think, a $631 million appropriation to do the same thing for farmers and the forest that FEMA did on the domestic and commercial side of the equation,” McMaster said.

Two other resource days will take place in the coming weeks in Greenville and Myrtle Beach:

• Greenville: Thursday, November 21, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Greenville Technical College, Student Success Center, 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC
• Myrtle Beach: Friday, December 6, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., SC Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting at Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation, 9800 Queensway Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC

The following agencies and organizations will have representatives available to explain support options at events:

• AgSouth – Provides information on loans, crop insurance and leases for farms, equipment, timber and agribusiness.

• Clemson University Extension – Helping people find resources to support agriculture-related business decisions during storm recovery.

• Farmer Veteran Coalition of SC – Connecting veteran farmers to technical resources, grants and training opportunities.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency – Provides information on registering for storm-related financial assistance.

• Internal Revenue Service – Provides information on the disaster relief provisions of federal tax law.

• Small Business Administration – Provide assistance with business start-ups, SBA loans and federal contracts.

• SC Conservation Bank – Provides information on agricultural land grants.

• SC Department of Agriculture – Will be on hand to provide support and discussion.

• SC Department of Commerce – Providing businesses with information on services such as small business resources, innovation, trade, recycling, industry support and emergency management.

• SC Department of Employment and Workforce – Provide information on inspections of any storm-damaged employer-owned housing prior to Foreign Labor Application Gateway applications and unemployment benefits, including disaster unemployment assistance and employer services.

• SC Department of Environmental Services – Helping farms and tree growers with options for storm debris management, well water sampling and regulated dam issues.

• SC Department of Insurance – Provide information on insurance claims, coverage and fraud prevention.

• SC Department of Mental Health – Provide information on available mental health services.

• SC Department of Natural Resources – supports local soil and water conservation districts that provide conservation technical assistance to South Carolina farmers and tree growers and help identify funding opportunities.

• SC Department of Veterans Affairs – Provides referrals to identified veterans and their families, available through the South Carolina Veterans Coalition.

• SC Emergency Management Division – Provide information on state level planning for recovery and the availability and eligibility of grant and assistance programs.

• SC Forestry Commission – Provide management support to forest owners, including timber damage assessment, salvage harvesting, replanting advice, information on financial assistance for repairs and paid services such as firebreak plowing and prescribed burning.

• SC Office of Resilience – Provide case managers to assist eligible citizens with unmet needs caused by a disaster.

• SC Small Business Development Centers – Provides free private consulting to assist small and medium-sized agricultural businesses affected by disasters with recovery planning, financing, damage assessment and other recovery needs.

• SC State University – Provides technical services, support and recovery guidance in areas including agriculture, forestry, health, families, natural resources, youth development and more.

• USDA Farm Service Agency – Provides information on disaster programs providing cost-shared assistance and emergency loans to help farmers and producers recover from losses of land, crops and of livestock due to a natural disaster.

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Provides information on financial and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners.

• Other federal, state and local nonprofit organizations.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.