By Blake Jackson
New York elected officials, agricultural leaders, and farmers are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation following devastating crop losses caused by an unusually severe late-April freeze.
The request is being led by State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Congressman Pat Ryan, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, members of the Ulster County Legislature, and growers from across the state.
The freeze caused significant damage to fruit, vegetable, and specialty crops throughout the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, Central New York, Southern Tier, and Western New York. Farmers have reported crop losses ranging from 15% to complete crop failure, with total economic losses estimated to exceed $30 million.
At a press conference held at Borchert Orchards in Marlboro, where approximately 70% to 90% of orchard crops were damaged, more than 20 Hudson Valley farmers joined public officials to highlight the urgent need for federal assistance.
If approved, the USDA Disaster Designation would allow eligible producers to apply for low-interest emergency loans to help sustain their farming operations.
In addition to requesting immediate federal relief, Senator Hinchey continues to advocate for the Farm Security Resiliency Grant program.
The proposed legislation would establish New York’s first statewide grant program dedicated to helping farmers recover from crop losses caused by extreme weather events. The initiative is intended to support small and mid-sized farms that often lack adequate federal crop insurance coverage.
“Hudson Valley farms were hit hardest by April’s catastrophic spring freeze, with some losing as much as 90 to 100% of their harvests. These businesses feed our communities and power our economy, which is why we need the USDA to declare a Disaster Designation immediately to help ensure they survive one of the worst growing seasons our region has faced in decades," Senator Michelle Hinchey said.
"For many small and mid-size specialty growers, the challenge is even greater because they either don’t have crop insurance or have limited coverage that was designed for much larger farms in other parts of the country, leaving them with virtually nothing when disasters like this strike. That’s why, months before this whiplash weather event, I introduced legislation to create the Farm Security Resiliency Grant program to help our family farms and provide a reliable lifeline in situations like this. This must be a call to action for our federal and state partners to deliver both immediate relief from the USDA and the long-term solutions needed to protect our economy and our family farms.”
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: New York, Government & Policy