Dec 12, 2024
Virginia Cooperative Extension helps communities rebuild after Hurricane Helene
Brantley Ivey thought his farm was ready for the coming storm.
Days before Hurricane Helene, Ivey and his crew at River Ridge Farm in Grayson County moved equipment and cattle to high ground on the 2,000-acre cattle and berry farm nestled along the New River.
But when the river surged to record levels on Friday, Sept. 27, it took with it the 12-acre organic berry farm, 500 bales of hay, 12 miles of fencing, and numerous pieces of farm equipment. Wading into chest-deep water, Ivey and his cattle foreman narrowly saved several cows from being whisked downriver.
“It was a sad thing to watch everything we’ve worked on and built wash down the river,” he said, surveying the damage.
Though the floodwaters have receded, the recovery for farmers like Ivey will last for months and even years. As of Oct. 17, Virginia Cooperative Extension had reported that 3,672 farms in 21 counties and cities faced almost $160 million in losses – including crops, livestock, fencing, equipment, buildings, timber, and hay and feed to sustain their animals through the winter.
Damage assessments are critical in informing state and federal disaster and relief response – and one of the many ways Extension supports the commonwealth and its No. 1 private industry as the outreach arm of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University
“The Extension agents have led the effort,” Brantley Ivey of River Ridge Farm, said in a news release. Ivey is also chairman of Grayson County’s Board of Supervisors. “They know and care about everybody and bring everyone together in a crisis.”
Like the majority of the rural Virginia counties hit hardest by the storm, Grayson County is predominantly dependent on agriculture, which constitutes 67% of its revenue.
“Agriculture is the lifeblood of these little counties,” Ivey said. “It’s absolutely crucial to keep these small rural communities with healthy, thriving agriculture. It’s not just saving the family farms, you’re saving the whole county.”
From the onset of the storm, Extension agents have led community and statewide efforts to help farms recover and rebuild – conducting damage assessments, marshalling vitally needed resources, and preserving agriculture as a key driver of Virginia’s economy.
“We have a long journey forward, but it’s going to be our honor to do everything we can to support our communities,” said Mike Gutter, director of Virginia Cooperative Extension and associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Neighbors helping neighbors is what Extension has done for over 100 years.”
“In Extension, we do it together with our community”
Read more about the Extension agent’s disaster recovery efforts here.
