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Despite a federal disaster designation from a mid-May freeze, local farmers say their growing seasons haven't been a total loss.
The New York State Farm Service Agency has officially requested a federal Agricultural Disaster Designation for grape, apple and berry producers that lost their crops following a deep freeze back in mid-May.
State senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand have called on the United States Department of Agriculture to quickly approve emergency federal funds for 31 counties across Upstate New York as harvest season approaches. The list of counties is made up of; Albany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Columbia, Cortland, Dutchess, Greene, Jefferson, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Washington, Wayne, Westchester and Yates.
Schumer and Gillibrand said that these counties were most affected by extreme cold weather, specifically on the night of May 17 to May 18, which resulted in loss or major crop damage in grapes, apples and other berries.
While Chautauqua is included on the list, many local grape and apple farmers have not been affected by this freeze too much.
The Finger Lakes Grape Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension sent out a survey to local producers which was to be filled out by Aug. 17, to gather information for the Department of Agriculture and Markets. The survey focused on determining if there has been sufficient yield loss in New York to warrant a temporary waiver of the requirement for NY farm wineries to use 100% New York grapes for certain varieties. The program received reports of spotty damage in the region, but not as much as the Finger Lakes region.
Some producers in Chautauqua County reported not being affected or not even knowing that there was a freeze, while others said they were affected but not heavily.
"We were affected by it, but not badly," Bill Meadows of Meadows Farm in Forestville said. "We've had a good crop this year."
Kay Barlow, owner of Barlow's Mill in Fredonia, said that while she only has a ten acre vineyard and would be considered a hobby farm, she tends to be affected any time there are large winds.
"I don't have a huge produce, but I send my grapes to Welch's," Barlow said. "I've learned winds come in fierce force and they can do damage. Just last night the wind did some damage and my raspberry posts were on the ground."
Barlow said, while she leases her land to another farm that has 250 acres, she has experienced damage even in July with the rain and the wind. She also reported having her vegetables affected by a virus that came with the rain in July the year before, saying that the weather does often affect her crops.
Fred Farms in Dunkirk also reports not being affected badly.
"We only have Concord and Niagara grapes," Roberto Fred, owner of the farm, said. "Some fields were hit a bit but we were not affected big time."
The New York Farm Service Agency reports that for Chautauqua, the crops with 30% or more damage from the May freeze were grapes and strawberries. They have officially requested a Secretarial Disaster Declaration which will provide relief for any farmers in the area that were affected by the freeze.