2026-06-02
New York state has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue a disaster declaration after April frost damaged fruit crops across the state, including grapes, and left growers facing more than $30 million in losses, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The request, submitted May 20, follows a stretch of unusually warm weather that pushed many orchards and vineyards into early bloom before temperatures dropped below 23 degrees in April. State officials said the freeze hit apples, peaches, plums, cherries, grapes and strawberries, with some farms reporting losses ranging from 15% to 100% of their crop.
If the USDA approves the declaration, affected farmers in eligible counties would be able to apply for low-interest emergency loans. They would have eight months from the date of the declaration to seek relief. The state said the loans are intended to help growers recover from damage that arrived just as buds and shoots were already vulnerable.
Hochul said in a statement that New York’s growers had taken a significant hit and urged federal officials to act quickly. She also encouraged residents to keep buying local fruit and products made from New York crops.
The state identified Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Erie, Greene, Niagara, Chautauqua, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Schuyler, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and Yates counties as affected. It also listed nearby counties that could qualify as contiguous areas under the federal aid process.
For wine producers, the frost comes at a sensitive point in the growing season. Grapes that were already budding can be especially exposed to sudden cold snaps, and losses at this stage can reduce the amount of fruit available for harvest later in the year. That can tighten supply for wineries and raise costs tied to replanting, pruning and other recovery work.
State agriculture officials said their survey found damage spread widely across fruit operations after the temperature swing. The office described the event as part of a pattern of weather extremes that farmers are increasingly confronting as seasons shift more sharply between warmth and cold.
The USDA has not yet announced whether it will grant the disaster designation.