SHELBURNE, Vt. — Vineyards and apple orchards throughout the Northeast are still assessing damage from a late-season frost in May that cleaned out a 3rd to most of the crop for some growers who state it’s the worst frost damage they have ever seen.
Some states are lookingfor federal catastrophe statements, which would make low-interest loans and other programs readilyavailable to impacted growers, while farming authorities throughout the area are considering together asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture for direct help to farmers.
In southern Vermont, Scott Farm Orchard lost up to 90% of its apple crop when the temperaturelevel dipped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3 degrees Celsius) for 5 hours on May18 At the northern end of the state, Shelburne Vineyards in Shelburne, Vermont, lost about 50% of its grape crop, which is possibly a half-million dollar profits loss, according to head redwine grower and vineyard supervisor Ethan Joseph.
To make up for lost production, Shelburne Vineyards prepares to buy extra grapes at a time when its total expenses this year will be greater due to the frost, Joseph informed The Associated Press. The vineyard has redwine in stock to sell and it’s not off the table that it might raise costs, he stated.
“We’ve neverever seen this kind of freeze occasion, definitely in the history of the vineyard,” Joseph stated. “I’ve been here for 16 years. We’ve neverever seen anything like it.”
The prevalent frost hit the big wine-producing area of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York where it’s approximated about half of the grape crop was lost regionwide, according to Kyle Anne Pallischeck, executive director of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. Depending on their area, some vineyards were struck difficult and others had little to no damage. Vineyard owners state it’s still too early to inform what the last monetary effect will be.
“I’ve been in this nearly 40 years, doing it full-time and this is by far and a