GRAYSON COUNTY, Va. – One year after Hurricane Helene, Virginia’s agriculture sector is still recovering.
Farmers in Grayson County bore the brunt of the damage, with an estimated $61 million in losses in that county alone.
At Cresthaven Farms in the Baywood area of Grayson County, some visible signs of Helene’s impact remain. But the biggest damage is less visible: the health of the cows.
“Honestly, our biggest struggle with Helene is we’re still in it right now, and we didn’t really expect that,” said Sarah Torres of Cresthaven Farms.
When 10 News last visited Cresthaven Farms in April, Torres thought they had moved past the worst of Helene’s effects. But one last blow emerged.
“We lost a lot of acreage, and then we had a lot of mold from all the rain during the hurricane,” Torres said. “That mold allowed a lot of mycotoxins to grow in the feed, and that has really impacted the cows’ health. With their bodies already being stressed from that, when we came into the dog days of summer, we really started seeing some mastitis and other health impacts on the cows.”
This has also meant a financial impact on the farm meaning they haven’t fixed some of the cosmetic
“This year, milk prices have taken a downward turn, and at the same time, we’ve lost production. So that has hit us, and that’s a reason we haven’t been able to do some cosmetic repairs that we would otherwise like to do,” Torres said.
Grant programs have helped this farm and others affected by Helene, but Torres said that assistance only goes so far.
“I know that people are still in need of financial assistance and there is still a lot to be done. So I don’t think we’re alone in still feeling the effect,” she said.
Despite all that’s happened, Torres said she is grateful and optimistic that next year will be better.