The snow dumped by the Blizzard of ’26 may be gone, but the damage caused by the historic storm will linger into the spring and beyond, especially for the region’s small farms.

Businesses such as Wild Harmony Farm in Exeter, which raises and sells organic, pasture-raised beef, heritage pork, and chicken, and where the roof of the hog barn collapsed during the storm, killing a pregnant sow, said Ben Coerper, co-owner of the farm with his wife, Rachael Slattery.

Coerper said he isn’t sure whether it was the wind or the weight of the snow that collapsed the roof.

“I suspect snow, but it may have been a combination,” he wrote in an email to ecoRI News.
“We had about three feet of snow, which we’ve never had before.  We have had that strong of winds before with no damage.”

Coerper said the damages will cost the farm about $20,000.

Moonrose Farm in Rehoboth, Mass., which grows flowers and vegetables and has a farm stand, saw two of its four hoop houses — plastic-covered greenhouses, also called seasonal high tunnels — destroyed by the blizzard, according to a post by the farm on social media.

“That snow was no joke! Record breaking snowfall caused damage on 2/4 of our tunnels,” according to the post.

Candace Clavin, of Water Way Lavender Farm in Barrington, said some of her farm’s plants were damaged. “In our case, it’ll be our perennial lavender plant, some 10 years old or older, that will have the snow load damage.”

In Rhode Island, total damage from the storm, which saw wind gusts of up to 75 mph and dumped up to 3 feet of snow in some areas, wasn’t available. Across the Northeast, damage costs were estimated at between $34 billion and $38 billion.

Evan LaCross, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), said the agency’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Management is surveying farm owners in the state to assess the damage from the storm. So far, of the 27 responses to the survey as of March 16, five respondents said they are still assessing the damage; six reported damage estimates of $5,000 or less; six reported costs between $5,000-$10,000; seven farms reported damages between $10,000-$25,000; and three respondents estimated the damage at more than $25,000.

The types of damage reported included animal shelters; livestock deaths; fence damage; 17 high tunnels/greenhouses; and perennial and/or crop damage, among others, LaCross said.

Some farms may be eligible for state or federal aid to help pay for repairs.

The Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment also organized a Zoom call with representatives from the state’s Small Business Association, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, the Rhode Island Farm Bureau, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explain what types of financial assistance are available.

Rob Sullivan, director of the USDA Farm Service Agency for Rhode Island and Connecticut, said his agency offers low-interest loans to farmers who may not qualify for a bank loan.

“I know some people that are in greenhouses and glass structures have already started your beginner plants and put them in the ground or even in pots. Some of that can definitely be covered” by his agency, he said.

And, if Gov. Dan McKee is successful in his request for a presidential disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more programs will open up, Sullivan said.

“With the disaster declaration, it definitely opens up the door to many more programs, both on the loan side and on farm programs for disasters that exist today,” he said, “for non-insurable crop insurance, which covers many value-loss stuff like fresh-cut flowers and orchard stock, but also specialty crops.”

The Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is part of the USDA, also has financial assistance available, according to Tom Morgart, acting state conservationist for Rhode Island.

“So, if your seasonal high tunnel [collapsed], or you lost fences, our staff are going to be reaching out to everyone we’re aware of right now to evaluate the loss on your property, see if it’s something we can assist with,” he said. “We also have some other smaller programs that we could utilize, [such as ] the Agricultural Management Assistance Program. We’ve funded a lot of high tunnels through that in the past.”

That program, overseen by the NRCS, helps farmers get assistance in states, including Rhode Island, where they may not have access to federal crop insurance or other initiatives.

Morgart also mentioned the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, overseen by the USDA, which he said has roughly $6.4 million available, compared to about $100,000 in the management assistance program.

Coerper, of Wild Harmony Farm, said he’s already filed an insurance claim for his barn and is waiting to hear whether that will cover all the damage. If not, he said, “then we’ll look for other funding sources.”

Coerper said his pigs were temporarily relocated to another barn on the property.

“Fortunately, we had some extra space in our hay storage barn, so they are in there now,” he said, “but they are due to start giving birth next weekend, and will need more space for all the piglets, so we’re hoping to have the new structure up by the end of next week.”

Coerper noted a number of people have reached out to him since the storm with offers of help.

“There’s something about a disaster that makes people want to come to the rescue,” he said.

But more help is needed in the long run, he said.

“We don’t need disaster relief. We can rebuild the barn,” he said. “What we need is for more people to prioritize local food as a staple in their diet, not just a luxury that they occasionally buy when it’s convenient. My hope is that this blizzard damage can be a wake-up call for a lot of people that if they don’t start prioritizing local food, then local farms will disappear.”