Farmers in 32 counties across New York state will now receive United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster funds after significant crop loss during the extreme spring weather, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday.
Growers have reported more than $30 million in losses to date, with apple, strawberry, stone fruit and grape crops the most impacted.
This disaster designation means affected farmers can apply for USDA low-interest emergency loans.
“New York’s growers experienced significant damage early this year with some losing an entire growing season and reporting tens of millions in economic loss,” Hochul said in a statement. “I would like to thank the USDA for taking this action to declare a disaster designation for the impacted counties and help our growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward. I also encourage New Yorkers to continue to support their local growers, whether it’s by buying fresh local products from the farm or purchasing the many products made from New York’s growers.”
The frost and freeze dates covered by the designation include April 7-8, April 19-21 and May 11-12.
It also covers the high winds and hail that happened May 13-14, as well as the excessive rain and flooding that happened on March 31-April 1.
Farmers have eight months to apply for the funding.
They can contact their local FSA office for more details.