Since January 30 the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has sent out more than $54.8 million in Hurricane Florence Agricultural Disaster Program payments, Andrea Gibbs, Hyde-Tyrrell Agriculture Extension Agent, has announced.

The North Carolina General Assembly established the one-time assistance program for agricultural producers who suffered a production loss due to the 2018 storms, Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael. On Dec. 4, a $240 million bill was signed into law to provide direct assistance to farmers.

Approved applications will receive a payment amount based on information submitted, county ad-hoc committee loss estimates in eligible counties, average county yield data and state price averages provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“If you are unsure of the status of your application,” Gibbs advised, “you can check it by following this link to the NCDA&CS’s website. You will need your reference number to pull up your status. http://www.ncagr.gov/agriculturaldisasterprogram/CheckStatus/”

You can learn more about how the payments are calculated by visiting this website: http://www.ncagr.gov/agriculturaldisasterprogram/Payments.htm

The government website estimates that the average eligible applicant will be reimbursed about 20%