Eagle Times Staff
Vermont governor Phil Scott is petitioning the U.S Agriculture Department for disaster relief for the state’s farmers.
On May 17 and 18 Vermont farmers suffered a damaging frost as temperatures dipped below freezing statewide, with some communities hitting 20 degrees.
“The hard frost destroyed fruit blossoms and damaged vines throughout the state. We anticipate severe crop losses,” Scott wrote In his letter to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack.
While cold temperatures are not a new event for the region’s farmers, Terence Bradshaw, director of the University of Vermont’s Horticulture Research and Education Center, said the May cold snap was the worst freeze damage he has observed in more than 25 years in the industry.
“The damage is extensive and pervasive, and we anticipate small pick-your-own farms may be particularly impacted,” Scott wrote. “Unfortunately, most of Vermont’s orchards and vineyards do not have crop insurance.”
Scott notes the freezing temperatures went beyond Vermont’s borders with frost reported in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and throughout New England.
In addition to Scott asking for the disaster declaration, agriculture secretaries, commissioners and directors around the northeast, including Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts and New Hampshire Agriculture, Markets and Food Commissioner Shawn Jasper, have written to the U.S. Agriculture Department asking for additional aid.
“Collectively, we sit at a critical crossroad with our growers,” the officials wrote. “Right now, growers are assessing their ability to stay in this industry. Unfortunately, many orchards, produce operations, and vineyards are either uninsured or under insured and insurance claims are unlikely to cover the total business loss from crop damage and reduced revenue from value-added products. Without aid, we will see devastating blows to local economies because of downsizing and closing businesses.”
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets encourages all those who sustained losses to report their damages to their local USDA Farm Services Agency office.
A Secretarial Disaster Designation would open the availability of financial assistance, including low-interest USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans for eligible producers in the approved counties.
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