Disaster Designation To Help New York Produce Growers Hit by Late Spring Freeze
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced 31 counties have been designated as a primary natural disaster area by USDA following a frost/freeze event that occurred in late May. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets requested the disaster designation from USDA through a joint letter with other states that are a part of the Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
“In the days following the unseasonable frost, we visited and spoke with a number of our growers across the state to understand the extent of the damage facing the industry,” Ball says.
“Many of them hadn’t seen frost conditions that late in the season in decades. We have been working with many partners since May to put together our request for a disaster designation and to secure the assistance needed to help our growers overcome this challenging time. We encourage our farms to take advantage of the emergency loans and to continue to report losses to lessen the impacts of this damaging severe weather event.”
USDA declared 31 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas and an additional 24 counties as contiguous disaster counties.
Farmers in the following counties who were impacted by the severe weather event may be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Primary Counties
Albany Onondaga Schuyler
Broome Ontario Seneca
Cattaraugus Orleans Steuben
Cayuga Oswego Tioga
Chautauqua Otsego Tompkins
Chemung Putnam Ulster
Columbia Rensselaer Washington
Cortland Saratoga Wayne
Dutchess Schenectady Westchester
Greene Schoharie Yates
Jefferson
Contiguous Counties
Allegany Fulton Madison Orange
Bronx Genesee Monroe Rockland
Chenango Hamilton Montgomery St. Lawrence
Delaware Herkimer Nassau Sullivan
Erie Lewis Niagara Warren
Essex Livingston Oneida Wyoming
This is in addition to the following counties that were named contiguous counties as part of the USDA’s disaster designations in neighboring Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut:
- Columbia County (contiguous to counties in Massachusetts)
- Dutchess County (contiguous to counties in Connecticut and Massachusetts)
- Suffolk County (contiguous to counties in Connecticut)
- Clinton (contiguous to counties in Vermont)
- Essex (contiguous to counties in Vermont)
- Rensselaer (contiguous to counties in Vermont and Massachusetts)
- Washington (contiguous to counties in Vermont)
- Farmers will have eight months to apply for emergency loans and can do so with their local FSA office.
Crop Loss Declaration for Farm Wineries
In addition to the USDA disaster designation, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets also issued a crop loss declaration to help farm wineries impacted by the May freeze event sustain their business operations. The emergency declaration allows farm winery owners, licensed by the New York State Liquor Authority, to temporarily source grapes or juice from outside of New York through Dec. 31, 2023, while still maintaining their New York farm winery status and enabling them to continue to manufacture or sell wine produced from out‐of‐state grapes or juice for the impacted varietals.
“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,” Ball adds. “By issuing this declaration, we can provide our farm wineries with a respite, allowing them to focus on making and selling their product this year, and preparing for next year’s growing season.”
Farm wineries can apply for the exemption here, and instructions for the application, including the mailing address, can be found here. The deadline to apply for the exemption is Oct. 31, 2023, and the deadline to purchase out-of-state grapes or juice is Dec. 31, 2023.
USDA FSA recommends farmers affected by the freeze should document their conditions (pictures and video) and any losses. Farmers can file a CCC- 576 (Notice of Loss) with their local USDA FSA. Contact information for the offices can be found here.
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