Federal officials set timeline for Helene aid to farmers as Georgia enacts tax breaks

FORSYTH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's governor signed a law Thursday to exempt federal crop insurance and disaster payments following Hurricane Helene damage from Georgia state income taxes, but it could be months more before some federal money starts flowing to farmers in the hardest-hit states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a schedule Wednesday to start disbursing disaster aid, part of a $100 billion package passed by Congress in December.

The September storm cut a swath from Florida’s Big Bend across eastern Georgia and upstate South Carolina before causing historic flooding in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Helene is the seventh-most expensive disaster in the United States since 1980, causing an estimated $78 billion in damage and 219 deaths.

Officials have estimated that Helene caused billions in property and economic damage to agriculture, including $5.5 billion in Georgia and $4.9 billion in North Carolina.

Federal officials in March began handing out $10 billion designated in the bill for farmers nationwide harmed by low crop prices and high fertilizer prices. But billions more were set aside for farmers harmed by Helene and other natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was questioned about the timeframe Tuesday by lawmakers including Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia. He told Rollins that “Time is of the essence.”

“I’ve seen the devastation firsthand,” Rollins said. “It is heartbreaking to witness it.”

Some farmers have dipped into savings to pay for losses not covered by insurance. Others have unpaid debts from last year, restricting borrowing to plant 2025 crops. A few have sold equipment or land to generate cash.

The schedule shows federal officials will open applications for some aid in stages from May 30 through Sept. 15. But states have to negotiate plans to distribute other aid through block grants. If state and federal officials agree on a plan by May 28, block grants would be finalized by June 13, federal officials said. If agreements can be reached by June 13, they would be finalized by June 30. After that, states must give out the money.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said Thursday that he didn't know how much money Georgia would get in block grants. He said whether the state made the May 28 deadline “depends on how our negotiations go with USDA over the next couple of weeks.”

Kemp on Thursday signed into law tax breaks for farmers and timber owners harmed by Helene that could be worth nearly $300 million.

“Farmers operate on extremely tight margins, and to rebuild from a storm of this magnitude could be impossible for some to shoulder," Kemp said at Georgia Forestry Association headquarters in Forsyth, saying Helene was “a storm like no other in out state.”

The tax breaks come on top of $867 million in spending that Georgia lawmakers earlier allotted for Hurricane Helene relief .

The law exempts federal payments to farmers because of Helene from Georgia state income taxes. That could be worth $140 million.

Georgia’s law also lets private timberland owners claim a credit for damaged timber on state income taxes if they replant trees. The timberland tax break could be worth $83 million to $104 million through 2030, estimates show.

Another tax break waives state and local sales taxes on building materials to rebuild chicken houses, barns, and fences.

A fourth program lets counties waive taxes when timber owners cut down trees for 15 months. Any county that waives taxes would refund any taxes collected since Oct. 1. The state could spend $17.4 million to reimburse counties’ lost tax money.

Georgia lawmakers earlier approved $285 million for low-interest loans to farmers and to remove downed trees from private lands so they don’t become a fire hazard. There’s also $25 million in grants to nonprofits that are supposed to go to help individuals.

In South Carolina, Republican legislative leaders are discussing hundreds of millions in Helene relief as part of the state’s budget. North Carolina lawmakers agreed to a $524 million supplemental Helene relief in March, in part to provide more funds for agricultural needs. It was North Carolina’s fourth Helene aid package.