Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is urging the USDA to provide emergency relief after devastating late-season freezes wiped out millions of dollars in crops across the Commonwealth, leaving many farmers struggling to recover.
The March and April freezes cost Virginia farmers between $32.4 million and $105.3 million, according to preliminary estimates.
Her request comes a few weeks after some farmers in Winchester, Virginia, saw a "complete wipeout for apples and peaches," according to one horticulture expert. Other farmers growing grapes, berries, cherries more have also been affected.
The governor is calling for expedited federal disaster assistance for farmers financially affected by the crop devastation.
Unseasonably warm weather in early March across Virginia caused "shoots, buds and blossoms on fruits, vines and ornamental trees, and promoted development in small grain crops," a statement from Spanberger's office reads.
But the growing season took a turn for the worse in late March and early April, when "widespread freezing temperatures" hit. Some areas dipped into the 20s overnight — far too cold for those blossoms and blooms to survive.
It only takes a 30% crop loss to reach the level that triggers a disaster declaration. The Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), a partnership between Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, says this season brought losses much higher than that.
Some growers will see a total loss, the VCE said.
The March and April freezes cost Virginia farmers between $32.4 million and $105.3 million, according to preliminary VCE estimates.
"When future income and ripple effect losses are eventually incorporated, total losses are expected to be exponentially higher," Spanberger's statement said.
Those future losses include the business effects for the "processors, packers, retailers and agritourism operations" that rely on crops that aren't coming.
"While we continue to identify state resources at our disposal to assist our farmers and growers, I've called on USDA to declare a Secretarial Disaster Designation to make sure farmers receive the assistance and support they need to recover and keep their operations viable until the next crop year," Spanberger said in the statement.
Any federal assistance provided by the USDA would accompany the state resources Spanberger plans to use for farm relief, her statement says.
In the meantime, the state is helping farmers document the damage, share resources and guidance and plan ways to get thro
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