Following a cold snap in May and a wet summer in the Empire State, the USDA designated four counties in the state as natural disaster areas, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release. The governor’s office said the USDA bases this disaster designation on crop loss reporting to local Farm Service Agencies in the state.
“This past July was one of the wettest on record in some areas of our state, which was devasting for our farmers who experienced crop losses as a result,” Richard Ball, New York State agriculture commissioner, said in the release. “The extreme weather events we have been seeing as a result of climate change are causing a significant amount of stress for our agricultural industry — from the May frost event in the Finger Lakes to the tornado and excessive rain across the North Country and Central New York region in July.”
The governor’s office said primary counties covered under the disaster designation are Clinton, Franklin, Lewis and Onondaga.
The USDA also declared 10 counties as contiguous disaster counties, which means farmers in the contiguous counties could be eligible for assistance and emergency loans from the USDA’s FSA. Those counties include Cayuga, Cortland, Essex, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence, according to the release.
The governor’s office said farmers have eight months to apply for emergency loans at their local FSA office.
“As climate change continues to drive more frequent and extreme weather events in our state, New Yorkers faced unprecedented levels of rain in July that flooded our communities and devastated cropland,” Hochul said in the release. “This designation will help ensure New York farmers significantly impacted by this summer’s severe weather have access to the resources they need to help rebuild and recover.”
“The importance of our agriculture economy and community cannot be understated,” said Ryan McMahon, Onondaga county executive. “The severe weather experienced this summer resulted in significant losses to our local farmers. With this designation, the local agriculture community will have access to critical funding and assistance to aid in their recovery.”
The governor’s office said the Small Business Administration offers low-interest loans through a new program that provides additional financial assistance to those in rural areas impacted by disasters. The SBA said farmers in Clinton County are eligible for this program.
