Grape and apple growers in Central New York and the Finger Lakes regions might be breathing a sigh of relief after federal officials approved an agriculture disaster designation. This means they’ll be able to seek financial relief for crops devastated by a late-May frost and freeze.
New York Wine and Grape Foundation Executive Director Sam Filler says it’ll be at least another two weeks before growers know the true impact.
“The primary shoots were the ones that were affected by the frost. And they do have the capacity to put out second or third shoots if necessary," Filler said. "It's a little bit more questionable about what that fruit quality is going to be once they're harvested. Fortunately, the summer has been good for grape growing.”
Farmers in 31 counties are eligible to apply for federal relief. Damage was widespread and severe, though Filler says the vines are resilient. He says crop insurance only goes so far.
“There's really not a program that's going to 100 percent make them whole," Filler said. "Fortunately, this disaster declaration gives more credence to that. There are low interest loan programs that just now unlocks for the farmers to engage in, to help them cover those fixed costs that they may not be able to recoup because they're not going to have the grapes to sell.”
Filler says while grapes are looking plentiful, certain varieties may be more impacted than others. The US department of agriculture could announce today that they may suspend local fruit sourcing requirements for farmers.
“If you normally rely on buying Merlot to make your wine, and we know that there's a 40 percent loss of Merlot in the state, you can look outside the state to purchase those grapes.”
Filler says not to worry, though. Wineries still have plenty of wine to sell. New York is the third largest producer of grapes, grape juice, and wine in the US. The industry employs nearly 100,000 people and has a $7 billion annual economic impact.
