HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — Kevin Stump and his wife Alicia are hydroponic farmers. Their business was lit up, colorful, full of life and vegetables and herbs before Helene hit.

“In here we had where we sold our vegetables, merchandisers, we had all of our product. We also had racks and hydroponic systems to kind of show people what we grew and how we did,” Kevin Stump said.

What You Need To Know

  • Farmers in western North Carolina are dealing with the impacts of Helene on their crops
  • Hydroponic farmers lost everything but are determined to move forward
  • Hydroponic farming involves growing plants in water

Now that’s all gone.

“It was really traumatic. Everything we’ve ever worked for, our whole life we invested into this farm," Kevin Stump said.

Helene brought 7 feet of water to their farm, destroying years of hard work and food they’d grown. All they have left is a few canned goods.

“Hopefully we’re able to clean them off and relabel them and seal them. If the seals didn’t pop off on them, they’ll be fine,” Stump said.

This isn’t the first time their business has flooded, but he said this time, they’re moving off of this land.   

“It’s hard to think about rebuilding. I mean, we’re not going to do it here. Just trying to find another area to rebuild,” Stump said. 

Stump said hydroponic farming is a relatively new concept, which leaves them with few options for assistance.  

“USDA says they’re going to help us out a little bit with our seeds that we lost and some of the fertilizers and stuff like that. They don’t have programs for hydroponic farmers right now,” Stump said. 

The Stumps invested their world into this farm, and it’s all gone now. They’re not giving up on their dream though.

“This is our life goal and our passion and something that we want to continue doing. We’ll figure out a way,” Stump said.  

The Stumps also grew organic crops outdoors but say due to the flooding and potential contamination, all those crops were a total loss. But they say this is what they love to do, so they may not know how and when they’ll be back, but they are determined to continue feeding their community.

“It’s going to take a lot of community and a lot of support for us to rebuild, and I think it will happen. I think it will happen,” Kevin Stump said.