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Late April freeze wipes out Hudson Valley fruit crops causing over 30 million dollars in losses as farmers seek federal aid
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball has requested that the USDA declare the Hudson Valley and several upstate counties as agricultural disaster areas after a devastating late April freeze destroyed apple, peach, plum and pear crops. Losses are estimated at well over 30 million dollars, with five northeastern states making similar requests.
Fruit farmers across New York's Hudson Valley are facing a season of near-total loss after a punishing late April freeze swept through the region and wiped out blossoms on apple, peach, plum and pear trees just as they were beginning to set fruit. At Meadowbrook Farm in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, grower Danny Deasing surveyed trees that normally yield six hundred apples apiece and found barely a handful clinging to each branch, the rest having fallen away after the cold snap destroyed the flowers before they could develop.
The scale of the devastation has prompted New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball to formally request that the United States Department of Agriculture designate the Hudson Valley and several upstate counties as agricultural disaster areas. Such a declaration would unlock federal grants and emergency loans to help growers cover their costs and remain in operation through what promises to be a catastrophically lean harvest season.
Commissioner Ball estimates that the freeze has inflicted losses exceeding thirty million dollars on New York farmers alone. The state is not suffering in isolation, however. Agricultural officials in five other northeastern states that experienced comparable crop damage are making parallel requests to the USDA, presenting a united front in seeking the fastest possible release of federal relief funds for affected farming communities across the region.
For growers like Deasing, the financial blow extends beyond lost revenue. The orchards still require year-round care regardless of whether they produce a harvest, meaning farmers must absorb the full cost of labour, equipment and maintenance with little to no income to show for it. Some operators attempted to protect their trees during the freeze using fire pits and wind machines, but these measures proved insufficient against the severity and duration of the cold snap.
Governor Kathy Hochul has added her voice to the push for swift action, publicly urging the USDA to expedite the disaster designation process so that impacted growers can access assistance as quickly as possible. The USDA is expected to reach a decision on the request in the coming weeks, while Ball confirmed he is also in contact with members of Congress to explore additional avenues of emergency aid for the farming sector.