Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding visited Cherry Hill Orchards in Lancaster County to meet with local growers impacted by the devastating freeze in April and call on the federal government to quickly deploy more support for Pennsylvania farmers. Earlier today, the Governor sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins(opens in a new tab) requesting a Secretarial Disaster Designation and urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expedite disaster assistance for Pennsylvania farmers affected by the April freeze, including faster damage assessments that will help growers begin filing crop insurance claims.
As the Shapiro Administration continues to assess widespread crop damage and push for federal assistance for Pennsylvania growers, Governor Shapiro is calling on the federal government for their support in helping growers recover financially and maintain long-term market stability. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is exploring additional flexibility with appropriated state funds to respond to this situation and working with Penn State Extension to collect early industry assessments.
Since the freeze event, the Shapiro Administration has directly engaged with more than 200 growers and agricultural stakeholders across the Commonwealth to gather firsthand damage reports and identify immediate needs facing the industry. While the Department of Agriculture expects a clearer understanding of long-term impacts in the coming weeks, early estimates indicate Pennsylvania’s specialty crop industry could face between $150 million and $200 million in economic losses.
“This freeze didn’t just damage crops – it jeopardized years of hard work and the future stability of family farms across Pennsylvania,” said Secretary Redding.
Source : pa.gov