Rain plagues farmers

Designation as agricultural disaster areas is being sought by Gov. David Paterson from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 17 New York counties, including Dutchess and Ulster, due to the long run of wet weather.

“Weather conditions have made this an extremely difficult season for New York’s farmer families,” Paterson said. “Too much rain has washed away crops, which have also been damaged by hail stones, and now the harvest is suffering from the effects of late blight.”

In New Paltz, the Mohonk Preserve”™s Smiley Research Center weather station reported that in June the area received almost 14 inches of rain, two and a half times the normal rainfall amount.

In his letter to the USDA, Paterson reported that Dutchess, Ulster, Albany, Broome, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Oneida, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan and Westchester counties all experienced poor weather conditions ranging from excessive rain and flash flooding to devastating hail storms and, early in the season, freezing temperatures.

 

Excessive rain creates an array of trouble, from difficulty sowing or working in the muddy fields to the spread of pests, fungus and rot associated with wet growing conditions, to the loss of quality and quantity of crops harvested.

 

According to farmers and Cornell Cooperative Extension agents, among the most heavily affected by the rain this season are hay and field crops and annual vegetable crops.

This season, the rain has contributed particularly to the early and widespread detection of late blight, affecting tomatoes and potatoes. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets has received confirmation of the fungus in all but 19 of New York”™s counties that are outside of the five boroughs.

If the 17 counties are declared federal agricultural disaster areas, farmers will be eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency. The agency will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available, repayment ability and other eligibility requirements.