GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Pender County farmer Burton Lanier says the flooding from Hurricane Florence killed all the grass in his pastures that his 150 head of cattle graze on through the winter.

• The N.C. Farm Bureau Convention was held in Greensboro Monday.
• Sixty percent of the state's 100 counties were under a disaster declaration during Florence.
• Only about 25 percent of an estimated 10,000 farmers with losses have signed up for the program as of Monday morning.

He thought about getting out of farming.

“The first thing you think of is we're going to have to sell out, we're going to have to sell the animals, we surely don't want them to starve," said Lanier.

He was among those attending the N.C. Farm Bureau Convention in Greensboro Monday.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler spoke about the devastation from Hurricane Florence, saying that 60 percent of the state's 100 counties were under a disaster declaration.

"I can tell you I have seen tears in more farmers eyes this year than I have ever seen, all put together in my life,” said Troxler.

Gov. Roy Cooper also spoke of the unprecedented flooding to hit the state.

"Eight trillion gallons of water fell, enough to fill Jordan Lake 530 times,” said Cooper.

Cooper thinks that this major segment of the North Carolina economy, that brings in billions of dollars every year, could be in its most precarious situation ever.

"Many of our farmers are on the verge of insolvency, bankruptcy, not planting crops for next year,” said Cooper.

Cooper said the direct payments approved for farmers by the General Assembly would be key to recovery.

"I believe that this is going to be something that will work, that will be necessary for the survival of agriculture in North Carolina,” said Cooper.

Lanier says he plans to sell some cattle now, others in the spring, and then regroup.

“We have cool season and warm season perennial grasses that takes quite a long time for those to re-establish, so it's going to take about two years to do that," Lanier said.

Troxler said only about 25 percent of an estimated 10,000 farmers with losses have signed up for the program as of Monday morning.

The deadline for that is Monday, December 10.