In the region supported by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture project, including Western North Carolina, more than 900 farms sustained direct damage from flooding, landslides, and wind, as well as economic ripple effects on agritourism and restaurant sales.

For many farms, the plethora of restaurants in Downtown Asheville forms the economic center for their sales. With no restaurants open for weeks, and no visitors to dine at these restaurants during what is typically the busiest season, farm businesses had to pivot, according to ASAP’s Communications and Engagement Director Sarah Hart.

“In that sense, there was a similarity to what we saw with COVID,” Hart said. “With agritourism, particularly in the fall with apple picking, hayrides, and pumpkin patches, there was a big question if things were happening or not happening, and if so, were they happening at the same level.”

Structural damage to high tunnels will play a big part in the overall impact of Helene on local farms. Particularly in the last five to 10 years, high tunnels, a type of greenhouse, allow farmers to maintain production throughout the winter and provide apples for winter markets and restaurants. Many farms lost their last harvest of the summer season, and many of those preparing for the winter season will no longer be able to have that harvest, either.

“Our role has been to spend as much time as we can being a resource to our area farms,” Hart said. “We’re collecting resources of different markets to sell to, different food relief organizations, and finding available federal programs and helping farmers apply for federal aid. It can be really difficult for small farms to figure out what even applies to them, because most of those programs were created with large commercial farms in mind.”

ASAP has also been working with agricultural support agencies to determine what next steps local farm businesses should be taking. These will vary from farm to farm – some suffered landslides which took out everything and must start their business over from scratch, while others may not have lost anything, but are still in economic peril because their sales have plummeted.

Federal organizations have representatives in WNC who are helping farmers with these programs. There have been disaster relief information meetings with participation from organizations like Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, NC Cooperative Extension, the USDA Farm Service Agency, Rural Advancement Foundation International, and more. ASAP is working with these organizations and local farmers to help them navigate federal support without duplicating efforts.

While some agencies are able to provide loans, that may be a longer-term approach for agricultural businesses. Immediate needs grants may be available, though these are often a much smaller dollar amount. Determining which grants and loans may be available can be frustrating, and Hart is concerned that over time, farmers may stop asking for support. ASAP continues to encourage qualifying businesses to follow up, visit the offices of these organizations, and maintain both stamina and patience while moving through the process of seeking assistance.

Surveys have shown ASAP that within their network of farmers, only 4% of farms in Western North Carolina are covered by crop insurance, as many of those plans apply to large, commodity farmers rather than farms growing diverse crops. While not an advocacy organization, ASAP is working to discuss why small farmers fall through the cracks, and Hart is hopeful this is a moment some of that advocacy may be heard.

As farmers determine how to restructure and rebuild, many have pivoted in the early days following the storm. Facilitating connections between farmers and food relief agencies has supported the purchase of local products, similar to programs put in place during COVID.

“There are a lot of ripple effects throughout the impact and recovery,” Hart said. “We know some things about how farmers are doing. We certainly have experience with helping, and farmers have experience with that kind of pivot — what do you do when all restaurants close because that happened during COVID. While it’s a little bit of returning trauma for many of us, some of those same lessons apply. I think there are some new partnerships or new projects that could come out of this, but I think we’re all still in the ‘figuring it out’ phase.”

Helping individual farms determine their pivot plan has been vital in late 2024, and will continue to be in early 2025. Pivot plans involve language learned during COVID, and will vary from farm to farm. As some farms continue producing through the winter, others may be able to leverage the winter slow season to plan for the upcoming spring and summer seasons and determine in what direction they need to move forward.

ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference in February typically features a grower-buyer meeting — an event likened to speed dating for local food relationships. This year, there will be extra emphasis placed on this opportunity to help encourage connections between farmers and buyers that have capacity to help farmers continue to sell their goods through vendors outside the region.

“Farmers are, by nature, resilient and innovative,” Hart said. “This is a wide-scale regional setback, but farmers tend to have a way of surviving. The viability of the land is going to vary from farm to farm, and some may get through on thin, thin margins. My gut says we may lose some restaurants first, and then some smaller, newer farms, but the older farms and the farmers are going to find a way to survive.”

Diversifying field uses and income streams will continue to be part of the resiliency conversation for WNC’s agriculture industry. Whether it involves risk management or climate considerations, experts from ASAP’s partner agencies host local workshops discussing necessary shifts and how farming businesses can manage them. 

“This goes beyond natural disasters,” Hart said. “It doesn't rain in the same patterns it used to. Temperatures have different patterns. We get bugs and pests in different ways than we did before. What do we need to change? Farmers have been talking about this with us and with each other, and I imagine more of the same will continue, but this is not new.”