KINGSTON- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Ulster County farms and other Hudson Valley agricultural producers devastated by an April freeze, making affected farmers eligible for federal financial assistance.
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger welcomed the designation, saying it comes after months of advocacy by state and local officials.
“I am thrilled and relieved that USDA Secretary Rollins has responded to our call and issued a Disaster Designation for Ulster County farms and other New York farms devastated by April’s extreme weather,” Metzger said in a statement. “Our orchards and vineyards were hit particularly hard, with some farms losing as much as 90 percent of their crop.”
The designation allows eligible farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency and provides temporary relief on existing federal farm loan payments.
Governor Kathy Hochul formally requested the disaster declaration in a May 29 letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. On June 3, Metzger sent a separate letter supporting the request, co-signed by Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino and Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. The county executives detailed the severe crop losses caused by the late season freeze and urged the USDA to approve the governor’s request.
Metzger also toured orchards and vineyards throughout Ulster County following the freeze, where growers described significant damage to fruit crops and the financial strain the losses would place on their operations.
The April freeze struck after an unusually warm early spring, damaging blossoms on apples, grapes and other fruit crops across the Hudson Valley, leaving many farms facing sharply reduced harvests.
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