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The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday approved the state鈥檚 request for a disaster declaration after a late-April freeze devastated some orchards and vineyards in the state.
In to Gov. Wes Moore (D), Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department determined there had been 鈥渟ufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster declaration鈥� in 12 Maryland counties.
The declaration also declared eight Maryland counties and 16 counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, as 鈥渃ontiguous鈥� disaster counties. The declaration means farmers in all those counties can apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
Rollins said USDA could not determine if six counties 鈥� Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Kent, Prince George鈥檚 and St. Mary鈥檚 鈥� has incurred sufficient damage to qualify as primary disaster areas, but that they could be added at a later date. Anne Arundel, Kent and Prince George鈥檚 counties were included on the list of contiguous disaster areas in this first cut.
The news was welcomed by Moore, who asked for the declaration last month in response to 鈥渆xtensive鈥� crop damage after the April 27 cold snap.
鈥淭his disaster declaration provides a vital financial safety net to keep our hardworking family farms operational so they can continue to feed Maryland families while putting food on their own tables,鈥� Moore said in a statement released by his office.
After submitting the federal request, Moore directed state agencies to take steps to help state farmers, by waiving that winemakers in the state own or have under contract at least 20 acres of grapes, or that at least 51% of the ingredients in their wine come from Maryland; by creating task forces on irrigation and on boosting existing risk management programs; and by working to 鈥渆nhance opportunities鈥� for farmers and watermen affected by natural disasters to access Maryland Agriculture and Resource-Based Industry Development Corp. programs.
He also ordered the Maryland Agriculture Department to聽encourage the purchase of local farm products by food banks, consumers and others; the Department of the Environment to prioritize 鈥渨ater appropriation permits鈥� for agriculture; and the Governor鈥檚 Intergovernmental Commission on Agriculture is to assess how state and local agencies 鈥渃an better support affected agricultural sectors.鈥�
The April 21 freeze came after an unusually warm spring that encouraged early growth and left some crops particularly vulnerable to a cold snap.
The Maryland Farm Bureau also for a disaster declaration, saying that a survey of its members found that farmers expected production losses of just over two-thirds of the harvest for some crops, with farms in the hardest-hit counties reporting near total losses.
Officials with the Maryland Wineries Association also reported heavy losses, with one longtime vintner saying he had not seen anything like it in the business. The wineries association reported a total loss over 36% of the state鈥檚 grape acreage, leading to an estimated $24.4 million deficit in projected wine sales for the 2026 vintage.
Preliminary reports from the Maryland Farm Service Agency indicated the loss of up to 94% of the apple crop, 99% of the peach crop and 98% of the barley crop, Moore said at the time of his request to Rollins.
State officials said data confirmed that crop losses far exceeded the 30% threshold required for a federal declaration. Compounding the crisis, the governor鈥檚 office said Monday, the late spring freeze came as the state suffers prolonged, severe drought conditions.
鈥淭his federal designation provides an important safety net to support what will be a multi-year recovery process,鈥� Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks said in the statement from the governor鈥檚 office.
鈥淥ur producers are facing millions of dollars in ongoing maintenance costs without the crop income they rely on,鈥� Atticks said. 鈥淢oving forward, the state will continue to work side-by-side with federal agencies and our congressional delegation to deploy every tool at our disposal to navigate this environmental volatility and preserve marketplace stability.鈥�
Affected farmers and growers are strongly encouraged to contact their county USDA Farm Service Agency office to review eligible disaster assistance programs and begin the application process.
