State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced that the Department is issuing a crop loss determination to assist grape farmers impacted by the frost/freeze event in late April. The designation will allow duly licensed farm wineries to manufacture or sell wine produced from grapes grown outside of New York State.

The disaster declaration is based on reporting of crop loss from the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab at Cornell AgriTech, which found that over 40% of the Concord variety of grapes grown or produced for winemaking in New York State were destroyed during the 2024 crop year and was caused by frost/freeze event in April of 2024. The staff at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory have been working with the growers and processor representatives to assess the crop damage since early this spring. Cornell AgriTech projected a 60% crop loss to Concord vineyards in the New York portion of the Lake Erie production region, which translates to approximately 46-51% Concord crop loss in all of New York State.

Crop Loss Declaration for Farm Wineries

Farm Wineries licensed by the New York State Liquor Authority may file an application with the Department to be considered to manufacture or sell wine produced from out‐of‐state grapes or juice for the above varieties. Farmers must demonstrate that they have been unable to obtain the desired varietal(s) in the quantity needed from at least three New York State grape growers that grow the impacted varietal(s).

Farm wineries can apply for the exemption. The deadline to apply for the exemption is October 31, 2024. For the Department to consider your request, farmers must complete and return the application by October 31, 2024.   

The Department will be hosting an industry-wide webinar on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 1:00 pm, to provide information on the application process and to answer any questions farm wineries may have. 

Commissioner Ball said, “This latest freeze event left our grape growers and farm wineries struggling with the potential of not having enough New York-grown grapes to maintain their farm winery license and thereby maintain their markets.  By issuing this declaration, we’re taking immediate action to help our farm wineries recover from the freezing temperatures experienced in April and allow them to focus on preparing for next year’s growing season. We encourage any impacted farms to take advantage of this respite and to continue to report losses to lessen the impacts of this damaging severe weather event.”

State Liquor Authority Chair Lily M. Fan said, “A massive thanks to Governor Hochul and Commissioner Ball for taking immediate action to ensure our craft wineries can continue producing wine as they recover from freezing temperatures experienced in April. Farming and wine production are subject to the vagaries of the weather each year and winemakers take a risk every time they grow a new year’s crop. New York is committed to taking any actions available to help our vintners so that they don’t have to carry the burden of natural crop disasters on their shoulders.”

Sam Filler, Executive Director, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, said, “We appreciate Commissioner Ball’s commitment to our grape growers and farm wineries. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets responded quickly to this devastating weather event, visiting our vineyards this spring, advocating for disaster declaration funding, and issuing this exemption to the farm winery law.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also issued a disaster designation in response to the April frost/freeze event, declaring 11 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas and an additional 25 counties as contiguous disaster counties. Farmers in the counties included who were impacted by the severe weather event may be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, and should visit USDA’s Emergency Farm Loans webpage to learn more.

New York is the third largest grape producer and the third largest wine producer in the country.  According to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, these growers generate a $6.65 billion economic impact for New York State.  There are 471 wineries in New York, growing a variety of grapes on 35,000 acres.

Source - https://agriculture.ny.gov