ALBANY - Governor David Paterson Friday urged the federal government to declare 23 New York counties agricultural disaster areas. In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, Governor Paterson requested disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for farms that experienced crop damage from severe hail storms on June 16th.

If the requested counties receive a disaster designation from the USDA, farmers within those counties, and the counties contiguous to them, will be eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency. FSA considers each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available, repayment ability, and other eligibility requirements.

Twenty-three counties across New York State were hit with large sized hail, high winds and excessive rain. Counties included in the Governor’s disaster assistance request are: Albany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Columbia, Dutchess, Erie, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Ulster, Wayne and Westchester Counties.

The storms damaged strawberries, which have just come into season, and cherries that are near ripening. Immature tree fruits – such as apples, peaches, pears and plums – were permanently damaged by puck marks and no longer have value on the fresh market. Fruit is also more susceptible to disease when hail breaks through its skin. More time will be required to assess damage to vegetables such as onions, cabbage and squash because of their variable stages of growth. Most vegetables in the field were shredded from the hail and then lay in excess water, exposing them to rot.