New York has asked the federal government to declare a disaster across multiple regions after an April frost caused widespread damage to fruit and vegetable crops, with losses already estimated at more than $30 million.
The state requested a USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation for counties in the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, Central New York, Southern Tier and Western New York. If approved, the designation would make affected farmers eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans and other federal assistance programs.
State officials said unusually warm temperatures earlier this spring caused many fruit crops to bloom ahead of schedule. When temperatures later dropped below 23 degrees, fruiting buds and shoots on apples, grapes, peaches, plums, cherries, pears and strawberries sustained significant damage. Some early vegetable crops, including onions, were also affected.
According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, reported losses range from 15% to 100% depending on location and crop type. Some growers have reported complete crop failures. The state’s survey of affected farms estimates economic losses have already surpassed $30 million.
Counties included in the request are Albany, Chautauqua, Columbia, Dutchess, Erie, Greene, Niagara, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Schuyler, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and Yates. Farmers in those counties, along with producers in neighboring counties, would become eligible for federal emergency loan programs if the request is approved.
Agriculture remains a major part of New York’s economy. The state ranks second nationally in apple production and third in grape production, with the apple industry alone generating an estimated $574 million in economic impact. State officials said federal assistance would help growers recover from a weather event that damaged crops across several of New York’s most productive fruit-growing regions.
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