ATLANTA – Georgia House Majority Caucus Whip James Burchett (R-Waycross) applauds the recent announcement from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins that approximately $531 million in block grant funding will be made available to support eligible Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“I know much-needed relief has been long overdue. Nevertheless, since Hurricane Helene struck our communities, I’ve been in close conversations with state and federal leaders, including Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brook L. Rollins, to ensure Georgia farmers get the support they need,” said Whip Burchett. “I want to personally thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for understanding the critical need for financial relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene. I’m proud to say those efforts have delivered real results for our farmers.”
Whip Burchett is urging Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters in eligible counties who suffered losses from Hurricane Helene to apply for the block grant funding through the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Eligible losses would include timber, infrastructure, poultry, beef and dairy cattle, milk, dairy feed, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery crops and plasticulture or bare-ground practices. He notes that the block grant payments are designed to help farmers recover and reestablish operations and would cover everything from damaged timber and destroyed crops to reduced milk production and lost poultry production cycles. Applications will be accepted starting March 16, 2026, and the deadline to apply is April 27, 2026.
Whip Burchett encourages individuals seeking additional information or assistance with their applications to contact his office at (404) 656-5024 or james.burchett@house.ga.gov.
More information about the Georgia Hurricane Helene Block Grant may be found here.
Representative James Burchett represents the citizens of District 176, which includes all of Atkinson and Lanier counties as well as portions of Coffee, Lowndes and Ware counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and currently serves as the House Majority Whip. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Judicial, Ethics, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Judiciary Non-Civil, Public & Community Health, Rural Development, State Properties and Transportation committees, as well as an Ex-Officio member of the Rules Committee.
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