Thirty-One Counties in New York State Ask For Disaster Relief

Thirty-one counties across New York state, including ones in the Hudson Valley, are asking for federal assistance. State lawmakers and other agencies have reached out seeking a disaster declaration for a large number of crops that were destroyed by the weather.

*** UPDATE: According to The Citizen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the State Farm Service Agency's request for an agricultural disaster designation. ***

As harvest season is underway, many of these crops are a vital part of New York's economy, and any outside help could provide farmers with the financial assistance they need to recover.

New York State Asks For Federal Assistance Due to Heavy Crop Loss 

According to WETM, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and the NY State Farm Service Agency are asking the USDA to approve emergency federal funds to help farmers who suffered severe crop loss during a late spring freeze.

See Also: What's the Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded In the Hudson Valley?

Schumer said that the freeze greatly affected many of the state's orchards and vineyards and that farmers suffered major losses. According to Schumer's Office, the areas that experienced the late season frost and freeze between May 14 and May 25 damaged fruit, "resulting In as much as 95% crop loss in most heavily impacted regions."

New York State is the second-largest producer of apples in the country and the third-largest producer of grapes, according to an annual report from 2019.

The following counties are among the 31 asking for relief:

• Dutchess
• Ulster
• Westchester
• Putnam
• Columbia
• Greene
• Albany
• Broome
• Cattaraugus
• Cayuga
• Chautauqua
• Chemung,
• Cortland,
• Jefferson
• Onondaga
• Ontario
• Orleans
• Oswego
• Otsego
• Rensselaer
• Saratoga
• Schenectady,
• Schoharie,
• Schuyler,
• Seneca,
• Steuben,
• Tioga,
• Tompkins
• Washington
• Wayne
• Yates