April 22 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday more than $300 million in relief to rural communities in southern states affected by weather-related or other disasters.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was in North Dakota and revealed the federal government will grant $340.6 million in critical disaster relief aid to farmers, ranchers and rural communities impacted by natural disasters in states such as North Carolina and Tennessee via USDA’s Disaster Assistance Fund.
Rollins says USDA was “fulfilling” President Donald Trump’s prior executive order and “ensuring we are doing everything we can to support state and local efforts to rebuild these communities to be even stronger than before,” according to a release.
On Tuesday, the secretary, 53, was in Fargo with Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., to meet with local officials, farmers, manufacturers, students and other local trade groups where the department delivered more than $5 million to aid the rebuild of local electric infrastructure following severe storms and wildfire damage.
Tune in today as we bring you our coverage of today’s visit from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in ND. She is joined by Senator John Hoeven, Representative Julie Fedorchak, and Governor Kelly Armstrong to meet with local commodity groups, students, and producers. pic.twitter.com/8TJj0uIyNY— Ag News 890 (@AgNews890) April 22, 2025
The North Dakota Corn Growers Association stated Thursday that NDCGA President Andrew Mauch wanted to meet with Rollins over federal ag policy and how it affected the corn production and profitability of its growers.
According to USDA officials, at least $25 million in relief will be earmarked to North Carolina and $18 million to communities in Tennessee affected by a number of hurricanes since 2022, including hurricanes Fiona, Ian, Idalia and Helene in which more than 230 people died last fall across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as it flooded small towns, destroyed bridges and roads and swept away homes.
More than $15 will go to rebuild key infrastructure projects in rural communities with $20 million going to other critical water, sanitary waste and electrical restoration projects and $2 for technical assistance to towns seeking aid.
The department’s disaster assistance fund was tailored to give direct financial relief to rural farms, families and small business owners in order to recover and rebuild after a disaster.
An Oct. 2023 Pew Research Center poll suggested a majority of the American public believe that climate change is harming the United States and that its effects will only worsen.
Climate change was directly linked by scientists to the series of deadly hurricanes in recent years which continue to spike insurance costs, and likewise connected to just as deadly “historic” flooding last year in Europe that devastated hamlets typically untouched by water.
