Pictured are grape vineyards in Chautauqua County. P-J file photo

The state Agriculture Department is issuing a crop loss determination to assist grape farmers impacted by the frost/freeze event in late April. The designation will allow licensed farm wineries to manufacture or sell wine produced from grapes grown outside of New York.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball made the announcement this week.

The disaster declaration is based on reporting of crop loss from the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab, which found that up to 51% of the Concord variety of grapes grown or produced for winemaking in New York State were destroyed during the 2024 crop year.

A frost/freeze event in April did major damage in Chautauqua County. Some grape growers east of Westfield saw a complete, 100% loss of primary bud shoots. Cornell had declared “official bud break” on April 22, three days before the freeze.

According to a document prepared by the Cornell lab in May, projected crop loss ranges from around 15-20% at the state border in Ripley, to 50-75% in Westfield, to 80-100% near Silver Creek. By comparison, 0-5% of the grape crop near North East, Pa. may have been affected by the freeze.

Cornell staff have been working with the growers and processor representatives to assess the crop damage since early this spring. Cornell projected an overall 60% crop loss to Concord vineyards in the New York portion of the Lake Erie production region, which translates to approximately 46-51% Concord crop loss in all of New York State.

Farm wineries licensed by the New York State Liquor Authority may file an application with the Agriculture Department to be considered to manufacture or sell wine produced from out‐of‐state grapes or juice for the above varieties. Farmers must demonstrate that they have been unable to obtain the desired varietal(s) in the quantity needed from at least three New York State grape growers that grow the impacted varietal(s).

The deadline to apply for the exemption is Oct. 31.

The Agriculture Department plans an industrywide webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. to provide information on the application process and to answer any questions farm wineries may have.

Ball said, “This latest freeze event left our grape growers and farm wineries struggling with the potential of not having enough New York-grown grapes to maintain their farm winery license and thereby maintain their markets. By issuing this declaration, we’re taking immediate action to help our farm wineries recover from the freezing temperatures experienced in April and allow them to focus on preparing for next year’s growing season. We encourage any impacted farms to take advantage of this respite and to continue to report losses to lessen the impacts of this damaging severe weather event.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also issued a disaster designation in response to the April frost/freeze event, declaring 11 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas and an additional 25 counties as contiguous disaster counties. Farmers in the counties included who were impacted by the severe weather event may be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, and should visit USDA’s Emergency Farm Loans webpage to learn more.

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.