A year ago, Helene swept through the mountains of western North Carolina, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Farmers were among those hit, especially hard, including apple farmers in Henderson County.
Danielle McCall is a third generation farmer who helps run Stepps Hillcrest Orchard, her family's U-pick apple farm. Last year, the farm itself suffered very little damage from the storm, but Helene washed out the road to get there. She spoke with WUNC's Celeste Gracia.
This conversation has been edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
McCall: Pace Road, the state road that we're located on, washed out in four different places. It really limited the ability of customers to come and visit us. So we stayed closed for four weeks until one side of the road was fixed.
Gracia: It's my understanding that those four weeks that you were closed is usually the busiest time of year.
McCall: Exactly. Our season is 11 weeks and we were closed for at least three or four of the busiest weeks. It was a big loss for sure.
Gracia: You lost about 45% of your annual revenue last year because you were closed during those weeks. Is that correct?
McCall: That's correct. As compared to 2023, we were down about 45%.
Gracia: But to make up the difference after the storm, your family did receive several local grants. What else did you and your family have to do to make ends meet?
McCall: Immediately after the storm, we pivoted to taking apples and donuts off the farm. A couple of other farms in the Charlotte area or even east of Charlotte let us come and sell donuts, pumpkins and apples. We just hustled for those four weeks going anywhere that would let us set up a temporary apple stand.
Gracia: Over the winter, your husband also had to take on some odd jobs.
McCall: Yeah, he decided the season wasn't as busy. That's normally when we rest a little bit after a really busy season. He was able to work for another local farm that needed some help with some deliveries driving a big truck. He did that to ease up on the payroll here for us.
Gracia: You also had a good tulip season earlier this spring. That helped as well.
McCall: It did. We've been doing pick-your-own tulips for a few years. We're trying to grow that business. We had a great tulip season and so we're thankful for that.
Gracia: What's it been like over the past year to watch your community recover?
McCall: Lots of emotions. We live in one of the best places in the world. It's not only beautiful, but it's just such great people. While it's been hard - to see the way people have pulled together, the way our local county government and workers have just stepped up... it's been amazing to see. While it's been difficult, it's been encouraging too.
Gracia: And like so many other parts of the region that you live in, your family business relies heavily on the fall tourism season, which is now underway. What are you hoping for this year?
McCall: We're hoping for a really busy fall apple season and we're off to a good start. We're thankful for longtime customers who have come out to see us. We're thankful for new customers that have made it out our way. We're just hoping for a really big 2025 apple season.
Gracia: You're also doing something special this year to help raise money for your fellow western North Carolina farmers. Can you tell me about that?
McCall: We knew with our corn maze this year, we wanted to do something really special. We wanted to point to the hope and resilience of western North Carolina farmers. We worked with Precision Mazes, a business that's cut our mazes for the last few years, to come up with a really great corn maze design. We're partnering with ASAP, which is Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. We're giving a portion of our corn maze proceeds back to ASAP to support other farmers in western North Carolina.
