North Carolina farmers will be able to apply for a $221 million block grant for the recovery of Tropical Storm Helene. The application for the aid, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will open on March 30. The block grant is intended to provide relief to farmers who lost infrastructure, timber crops and economic opportunity due to Helene's storm. The grant will be specifically targeted to cover losses that were not eligible for other USDA programs or other state programs. It will also cover the cost of lost business and the opportunity cost of waiting years before newly replanted trees bear fruit. The applications for infrastructure and economic losses will close May 15.