Widespread destruction to farm crops wrought by Hurricane Helene could trigger up to $7 billion in crop insurance payouts covering the worst-impacted commodities as bipartisan lawmakers call for more emergency aid.
The Category 4 storm’s devastation comes at the start of harvest season for many farmers with Congress set to be on recess through the November elections. Robert Bonnie, the Agriculture Department’s under secretary for farm production and conservation, outlined crop insurance payment estimates in a call with reporters Tuesday, amid calls for agricultural disaster relief from members, including several senior agriculture lawmakers.
“Typically in a storm like this, Congress ...