Fruit growers across the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier could soon receive federal disaster assistance after Governor Kathy Hochul requested a USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation for counties hit hard by damaging spring frosts.
The request follows a stretch of unusually warm weather that caused fruit crops to bloom early before freezing temperatures swept across New York in April. State officials say the frost damaged fruiting buds and shoots on a wide range of crops, including apples, grapes, peaches, plums, cherries, pears, and strawberries.
Among the counties included in the disaster request are Yates and Schuyler counties. Several neighboring Finger Lakes and Southern Tier counties — including Cayuga, Chemung, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins, and Wayne — were identified as contiguous counties that would also be eligible for certain assistance programs if the designation is approved.
According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, growers in the affected regions have reported crop losses ranging from 15 percent to as much as 100 percent. Estimated economic losses have already surpassed $30 million statewide.
“New York’s growers are second to none and many have taken a significant hit, with some reporting upwards of a 100 percent loss of their crop and millions in economic loss,” Hochul said. “I urge the USDA to take swift action to declare a disaster designation for the impacted counties and help our growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward.”
New York is one of the nation’s leading producers of apples and grapes, ranking second nationally in apple production and third in grape production. The apple industry alone generates an estimated $574 million in economic activity annually.
If approved by the USDA, the disaster designation would allow eligible farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans to help recover from crop losses and related financial impacts.
The state submitted its request to the USDA on May 20. A decision from federal officials is pending.
