Riley took growers’ case directly to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and pushed USDA to deliver relief
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Josh Riley (NY-19) today announced that he secured a U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster declaration for Upstate New York growers devastated by this spring’s extreme weather.
The declaration allows eligible growers to apply for low-interest emergency loans and other disaster assistance through the USDA Farm Service Agency. New York growers reported more than $30 million in losses, with some farms losing nearly their entire crop.
“After April’s freeze, growers across Upstate New York told me they were facing catastrophic losses. I took Saunderskill Farms’ story straight to Secretary Rollins because when a farm loses nearly half its crop, it still has workers to pay, equipment loans to cover, and another growing season to finance—with half the income to do it,” said Congressman Riley. “These growers deserve support to recover, rebuild, and stay afloat until the next growing season. I worked with Secretary Rollins to get this disaster declaration approved, and we got it done.”
Following April’s freeze, Riley’s office heard directly from farms across Upstate New York about severe damage to apples, grapes, strawberries, stone fruits, and other specialty crops.
One of those farms was Saunderskill Farms in Accord, where the family was facing the loss of nearly half its apple crop.
During a June 4 hearing of the House Agriculture Committee, Riley brought Saunderskill’s story directly to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and called on her to work with him to approve New York’s disaster declaration as quickly as possible.
After the hearing, Riley visited Saunderskill Farms to meet with the family, inspect the damage firsthand, and discuss what federal relief would mean for the farm’s recovery.
Less than eight weeks after Riley took the issue directly to Rollins, USDA approved the disaster declaration.
The designation gives eligible producers eight months to apply for emergency loans through their local Farm Service Agency office. The loans can help growers restore or replace essential property, cover production costs, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize farming operations, and refinance certain debts.
Riley is also fighting to make sure Upstate growers are better protected before the next disaster. He secured provisions in the House-passed Farm Bill to improve crop insurance and strengthen disaster assistance for apple growers and other specialty-crop producers.
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