Late Spring Frost Event Takes a Toll on New York State Vineyards
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball recently joined state and local leaders, representatives from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, New York Farm Bureau, USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Empire State Development, and Cornell Cooperative Extension to tour several vineyards in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions impacted by a recent freeze. The group visited with grape growers in Steuben, Schuyler, and Seneca counties to assess the damage in the region and better understand the outlook and plan for recovery.
“Our grape growers haven’t seen frost conditions this late in the season in decades, particularly in the counties we visited,” Ball says. “The situation has been compounded by the fact that our growers also faced weather-related challenges last year. We will continue to work closely with our partners to advocate for assistance to help alleviate the current burden and any long-term economic effects of this damaging severe weather event.”
According to the Department’s Division of Emergency Management and Cornell Cooperative Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), during the reporting period of May 15-25, New York State experienced extremely low temperatures, which resulted in frost damage to a number of crops throughout many regions of New York State. In addition to the reports of damage to vineyards in the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley, there are reports of crop damage to other commodities in several other regions, including the North Country, Central New York, Capital Region, and Hudson Valley areas.
While Cornell Cooperative Extension continues to survey vineyards and other farms in the area to get a complete picture of the extent of the damage, the USDA FSA offices are standing by to assist growers. FSA staff across the area are already working with partners and producers to document the damage and prepare a disaster declaration request.
The FSA recommends that farmers affected by the freeze should continue to document their conditions (pictures and video) and any losses. Farmers can file a CCC- 576 (Notice of Loss) with their local USDA FSA. Contact information for the offices can be found at offices.sc.egov.
Hans Walter-Peterson, Senior Viticulture Extension Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension, says, “While isolated frost or freeze events are not uncommon here, this freeze event in the Finger Lakes impacted the majority of vineyards in the region. Damage estimates are anywhere from 5% to 100%, so the impacts vary significantly depending on location. At this point, we have to wait and see what kind of crop might emerge from secondary shoots that emerge after this damage in order to assess how much of an impact this freeze will have on growers’ yields.”
New York is the third largest grape producer and the third largest wine producer in the country. According to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, these growers generate a $6.65 billion economic impact for New York State. There are 471 wineries in New York, growing a variety of grapes on 35,000 acres.
For more, continue reading at agriculture.ny.gov.
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