In April 2021, two freezes devastated Henderson County, wiping out 70 percent of its apple crop. At the time, the issue was viewed as a local one by the state legislature until another major weather event hit Western North Carolina.
After that, the state of North Carolina decided to help its farmers recover from what was one of the worse apple crops to date, so Henderson County's apple industry would continue to function. It put together relief funds for North Carolinian growers, packing $14 million away for Henderson County farmers to break even and make it to this year's harvest.
Source: wyff4.com