Today, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Ag Commissioner Gary Black announced that Georgia will receive $347 million in block grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for farmers and forest landowners affected by Hurricane Michael. The online application period for the Georgia Farm Recovery Block Grant will start on March 18 and last through April 8. To find out if you are eligible, visit www.farmrecovery.com.
To watch the announcement from the Governor’s office on Facebook, click the image below. To read the press release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, click here.
GDA, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and partnering agencies will promote preparation for the Georgia Farm Recovery enrollment process for three weeks: February 26 – March 17, 2020. Following the promotional period, the application enrollment will remain available for a three-week period March 18 – April 8, 2020.
According to the initial application guide, the application will be entirely online, and only farmers and landowners within the 95 county-area are eligible to apply (see map below). All applicants will be required to submit:
- Addresses of the physical locations of damage including GPS (latitude and longitude) coordinates
- Itemized losses by commodity for each location
Landowners with timber losses will be required to submit a 2018 Property Tax Assessment. And, the following is recommended but not required:
- IRS 4684 casualty loss form (If you do not have this form, you may use a third-party certification of damage form)
- Forest Damage Assessment Property Appraisal
GFC is currently evaluating the application and will provide additional guidance for forest landowners. GFA will continue to monitor this issue and provide information as it becomes available.
