$200 million in farm recovery and crop loss funding is included in the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part 1, a bill signed by Governor Josh Stein last week after NC House and Senate leaders came to consensus on this first funding action with requests for additional money underway. This influx of state dollars now available to western North Carolina farmers comes just in time as costs related to spring planting add to the economic burden accumulated from farm losses and recovery expenses. Haywood County’s Ferguson Farm is one of many across the region working to rebuild in difficult conditions.
The Ferguson family dairy farm sits alongside the Pigeon River in Haywood County, where multiple generations have invested their time and treasure in milk production. When Hurricane Helene hit, flood waters carried away their milking barn, a new milk storage tank, and computer equipment, and much more, leaving their only holding pin filled from ground to roof with debris. With fences down across pastures, grazing areas were no longer secure. The farm felt immediately unrecognizable.
Forty of the Ferguson’s Holstein steer were lost to Helene, despite moving the herd to higher ground. Immediately following the storm, still processing the disaster, the family had to take quick action to save the remaining cattle. They had only 24-48 hours to find farm space and move their 250 dairy cows so they could be milked and then sold. The work before them felt like an insurmountable task until friends and neighbors began arriving to ask how they could help.
In what they describe as a miracle, the family got permission to move the cows to Jonathan Creek dairy farm, which had gone out of business years before. Community members got word of their needs and started showing up with cattle trailers to help move the herd up the Interstate to the new location. The majority of the cows were ultimately sold, with around a dozen going to a farming program at N.C. State University.
The family was astounded by the outpouring of support offered by their friends and neighbors. Some people delivered hay for the cows and others arrived with equipment for carrying off the truckloads of debris. “They just started showing up with earth movers and shovels ready to scoop mud, haul off branches, and find a way forward,” said Marla Ferguson Morris. “Others showed up with food to keep the volunteers going. I will never forget the urgency of the situation we faced after Helene and the incredible generosity of our community.”
Once the cows were safe, the next hurdle became access to the farm itself. The storm had washed the road away from the bridge connecting the farm to the rest of their land needed for grazing. With their full attention on the farm, the Fergusons were immensely thankful for the crew whose hard work got the road reconnected in a matter of days.
The Fergusons economic loss is in the millions, including the loss of the milking barn, feed barn, silos, a nitrogen tank, cattle tracking equipment, and hay, as well as the new milk storage tank that flood waters destroyed and washed away with 18,000 pounds of milk inside. They await funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the calendar turns to spring and plans for planting cannot be postponed. Governor Josh Stein recently visited the farm to hear their stories and offer support.
Track recovery progress by visiting the WNC Recovery data dashboard, updated weekly by the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC).