The fierce hail storms June 16 that damaged crops in the Hudson Valley have prompted Gov. David Paterson to seek declaration of a federal agricultural disaster area in 23 counties statewide.
Despite the losses, however, there should be no impact on the price of fresh fruit and vegetables for consumers.
“There were some individual farms which had severe damage, perhaps 100 percent crop loss,” said Mike Fargione, a fruit-tree crop specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Highland. “Hailstorms tend to be scattered in nature. They may hit one farm and not the next farm. So there are parts of the area where damage is great and some where damage is minimal. But certainly there is going to be more than enough fruit and other type of vegetables for consumers. It”™s not that we”™re not going to have a crop but it will be a very dramatic loss for some growers.”
The widespread nature of the storms is clear in the broad scope of Paterson”™s request for disaster designation that could allow some farmers to apply for federal assistance.
Twenty-three counties across the state were hit with large chunks of hail, high winds and excessive rain. Among those counties included in the governor”™s disaster assistance request are: Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester.
The storms damaged strawberries, which have just come into season locally, and cherries that are near ripening. Immature fruits, such as apples, peaches, pears and plums, were damaged by pockmarks and no longer have value on the fresh market, according to Fargione. He said such crops might go to market as pulp for juice. “Our farmers (in the Hudson Valley) grow fruit for the fresh market,” he said. “So if that fruit cannot go to the fresh market, the farmers are likely to take a significant loss.”
In most cases, June is too late to replant if the crop is destroyed. If the crop is able to recover, it is still unlikely to be ready for an early season harvest and farmers will lose that market opportunity as well.
“The hard-working farm families of New York state who suffered severe losses last week need this assistance,” said Paterson. “While it is still not clear just how much damage this storm caused, or what the total losses will be for these families, it is clear that they will need federal assistance to sustain their businesses this year.”
State Agricultural Commissioner Patrick Hooker traveled the state to asses the damage. “I saw devastation, not only in the fields, but on the faces of many farmers who had high hopes of a successful growing season this year,” said Hooker. “With such serious damage and the potential for significant crop losses ”¦ farmers are going to need as much help financially as they can get.”
If the requested counties receive a disaster designation, farmers within those counties, and the counties contiguous to them, will be eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
