Farmers in 44 counties across Upstate New York are eligible for federal disaster aid after suffering 2015 crop losses from extreme weather that included flash floods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The crop losses were the result of excessive rain, high winds, hail, lightning and tornadoes that occurred between May 1 and July 14, according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who authorized the disaster declaration. In Central New York, farmers in Onondaga, Cayuga, Oswego, Madison, Oneida and Cortland counties are eligible for the aid. The USDA also determined that farms in those counties are eligible for aid from production losses due to frost, freeze, and excessive snow that occurred from Jan. 1 through May 24. The disaster designation makes farmers eligible for federal emergency loans. Farmers in the eligible counties will have eight months to apply for emergency loan assistance, according to U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a Republican from Oneida County who advocated for the farmers. The other Upstate counties declared natural disaster areas from the heavy rain and associated spring and summer storms are Broome, Chautauqua and Clinton, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Monroe, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Genesee, Greene, Ontario, Orleans, Hamilton, Herkimer, Livingston, and Niagara. Schuyler, Seneca, Orange, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Sullivan, Ulster, Wayne, Wyoming, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, Washington and Yates. Farmers suffered crop losses due to extreme wet weather that included flash flooding from a storm that dumped 4 inches of rain on parts of the Finger Lakes in one day in June. The month was also the third-wettest on record in the Syracuse area. Source - http://www.syracuse.com/