The Southern Tier and Finger Lakes is among half of New York currently applying for a federal Agriculture Disaster Designation from the USDA. New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are pushing for the designation, saying that early season frost in May has caused a massive burden for growers across the Empire State.
"Upstate New York’s vineyards and orchards are the beating heart of our agricultural and tourism economy, but now as harvest season begins we are beginning to see the severe impacts of this past May’s deep freeze. From the Finger Lakes to the Hudson Valley, Capital Region to the Southern Tier, many of our family owned farms lost a majority of their crop for grapes, apples, blueberries, and other fruits that are vital to our agricultural and tourist economy and they need relief now,” said Schumer in a prepared statement.
According to Schumer's Office, May's frost resulted in up to a 95 percent crop loss for some areas. While many crops like strawberries and blueberries were impacted, the heaviest impact crops were apples and grapes, with some grape growers reporting a total loss.
Under guidelines set by the USDA, if they are approved emergency loan funds could be used to by growers to restore or replace essential property, pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, or reorganize the farming
“With farmers still suffering from the staggering crop losses from the May freeze, it is imperative USDA expeditiously approve a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for the 31 impacted counties,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I will continue to fight for our farmers to get the assistance they need.”
Schumer said he was told by several farmers in the Finger Lakes region that this year’s frost was the worst they had ever seen, with almost every single vineyard in the region sustaining at least some damage.
The early frost forced farmers to get creative, with some wineries ran tractors through the vineyards and few used wind turbines to increase airflow over the grapes, others burned hay for heat, or mowed the grass short in the vineyard to help keep the cold air away from the fruiting wire.
According to Empire State Development, New York State is the third-largest producer of grapes, grape juice and wine in the entire United States. On top of grapes, New York is a top level producer of over 30 commodities, employing close to 100,000 New Yorkers and generating an estimated $11.5 billion worth of economic impact on an annual basis.
“With New York’s disaster application now submitted for 31 counties – exactly half of the counties in the state – I am urging the USDA to swiftly provide the vineyards, orchards, and farms now facing detrimental damage with a Secretarial Disaster Designation to unlock emergency relief funds. We can’t leave New York’s beautiful orchards and renowned wine country out in the cold right as harvest season begins. The USDA must do everything in their power to provide swift relief to our hardworking growers and I will keep fighting to deliver that support," said Schumer in a prepared statement.
Source - https://www.weny.com
