MIKE CONLEY

This story was originally published in October 2025.

Buck Creek Trout Farm has been owned and operated by the Ross family for almost 50 years.

The farm is nestled in northwest McDowell County up N.C. Highway 80 — in an area hit hard by the remnants of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.

“The unimaginable happened,” a GoFundMe fundraiser page for the farm said. The farm was ravaged by the storm and the flooding it caused. Now, owners Bill and Beth Ross are faced with what to do next.

“Buck Creek Trout Farm has never suffered such total devastation,” the Rosses said in a statement. “Helene has left us reeling, as the only things left standing are our house (which had a huge tree on it until two days ago) and a small rental cabin. Everything else on the farm is unrecognizable.”

Th

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