A damaging freeze struck farms across New York state in April after unusually warm weather caused many fruit crops to bud early, leaving them vulnerable when temperatures fell below 23 degrees. Apples, grapes, peaches, plums, cherries, pears, strawberries, and some early vegetable crops were damaged.
In Ancram, Ron Bixby of Little Apple Cidery said the freeze wiped out the entire crop at his 5-acre orchard. Another 5-acre orchard he owns in Hillsdale sustained damage of about 30%, he said. Bixby may now qualify for a federal emergency loan to help offset his losses.
Columbia and Dutchess were among 29 New York counties designated as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 23. The designation allows affected farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans.
“We will have to see how much fruit we get out of the Hillsdale [orchard] before we can really determine the value of the total loss,” Bixby said.
He expects to have an estimate in September or October, when apples are typically harvested.
The designation covers losses from the frost and freeze that struck from April 19 through 21. Farmers in 24 adjoining New York counties may also apply, along with farmers in 16 adjoining counties across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The April freeze declaration was one of five USDA disaster designations covering separate spring weather events across 32 counties in New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul sought the federal designations in a letter dated May 19. The request followed a May 7 tour of affected Hudson Valley farms by state Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. The USDA approved the request on July 23.
In the Hudson Valley, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester were designated as primary disaster areas for the April freeze. Sullivan was included as a contiguous county, making farmers there eligible to apply as well.
A survey by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets estimated that affected growers sustained losses ranging from 15% to 100%, with reported economic damage exceeding $30 million.
“New York’s growers experienced significant damage early this year with some losing an entire growing season and reporting tens of millions in economic loss,” Hochul said in a statement. “I would like to thank the USDA for taking this action to declare a disaster designation for the impacted counties and help our growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward.”
The disaster designation does not automatically provide farmers with money. Applicants must be established farmers who operated the affected farm when the disaster occurred, intend to continue farming, and demonstrate a qualifying production or physical loss.
For a crop-production loan, the Farm Service Agency must determine that the disaster reduced the yield below the crop’s normal yield and that the crop represents a basic part of the farming operation.
Applicants must also show that they cannot obtain sufficient commercial credit at reasonable rates and terms. The FSA reviews each application individually, considering the extent of the losses, the security available, and the farmer’s ability to repay the loan.
Federal regulations generally require one written credit denial for loans of $300,000 or less and two denials for loans exceeding $300,000. For loans of $100,000 or less, the FSA may waive that requirement if obtaining a denial would create an undue burden and commercial credit is unlikely to be available.
Farmers may borrow up to the value of their actual production or physical losses, with a maximum emergency loan of $500,000. Crop insurance payments and other compensation received for the same losses are subtracted when the FSA calculates the amount available to a borrower.
The emergency-loan interest rate in effect for July is 3.75%. Borrowers receive whichever rate is lower: the rate in effect when the loan is approved or the rate in effect when it closes.
The money may be used to cover production costs, replace lost working capital, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation, or refinance certain farm-related debts. It may also be used to repair or replace essential property damaged in a disaster.
Repayment periods depend on the loss and how the money is used. Loans for annual farm operating and family living expenses generally must be repaid within 12 months, although the FSA may extend the term to 24 months to accommodate a farm’s production cycle.
Loans for production losses or damaged property other than real estate generally carry terms of up to seven years, although they may be extended to as long as 20 years when adequate security is available. Loans for physical damage to real estate may run as long as 40 years.
Bixby said he received an email from his local FSA office but had not decided whether to apply.
“We have to see how much paperwork is involved,” he said. “It might take more effort than it’s worth to apply for the loan.”
Affected farmers have until March 23, 2027, to submit applications.