Governor Requests Federal Disaster Assistance for Michigan Farmers
Late frosts and an unusually cold spring have damaged fruit and vegetable crops all across Michigan. Yesterday, the Governor Granholm requested federal assistance for farmers in 55 counties in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today officially requested federal disaster assistance from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer for farmers in 55 Michigan counties who are facing fruit, vegetable, and other frost-sensitive crop losses because of several severe frosts and freezes this spring. The requests were based upon 30 percent or more in loss estimates calculated locally in each county.
“Michigan agriculture is a multi-billion dollar, job-creating industry that is critical to Michigan’s economy,” said Granholm. “This disaster declaration is a vital first step to ensuring that Michigan farmers have the additional resources they need to overcome these natural disasters.”
From March 1 to May 31, 2008, 55 counties experienced frost/freeze conditions that particularly affected fruit and vegetable production such as apples and cherries. The impacted counties are in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Some Traverse City fruit growers have experienced a severe loss from the cold weather; not only did frost/freeze cycles damage trees, the cold kept an already declining bee population in their hives and pollination suffered as a result.
Fruit growers throughout the Grand Traverse region continue to asses damage from a late May frost, and many believe poor pollination could compound crop losses, said Nikki Rothwell, station coordinator and district horticulturist.
“We have done day-after-day of walks and very few things were flying. There was not much to see and it has been pretty cold,” Rothwell said. “The pollination is more of a concern with sweet and tart cherries. I think the apples really got the brunt of the freeze.”
One cherry farmer expects that he will lose half his crop from the frost damage.
Cherry grower Ron Rhoads said weather damage will cut his tart cherry crop short by 50 to 65 percent. Some of his 80 acres of cherries in Elmwood Township suffered frost damage in the spring, and then trees were pelted by the same Sunday hail storm that left Williams’ orchard in tatters.
Damage from the recent series of thunderstorms that hit the state will be assessed at a later date and a separate request for assistance will be required – this covers the frost and freeze damage only. Experts are predicting that we might yield less than half of last year’s total of our tart cherry crop.
Crops must experience a loss of more than 30 percent to qualify for federal assistance, and officials are touring farms to assess the damage.
Federal, state, and local agencies are working together to quickly and effectively assess crop losses and expedite the process to obtain a federal agricultural disaster declaration. The Michigan Department of Agriculture is working with the USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA) to compile crop damage estimates due to Michigan’s current extreme weather conditions. USDA-FSA is the agency responsible for compiling the official crop loss statistics and administering the federal emergency farm loan programs.
In order for Michigan to receive federal disaster status, the original crop loss estimates must be verified from harvest yield data. If losses of 30 percent or more are confirmed, and the disaster request is granted, eligible state producers will have access to USDA-FSA’s low-interest emergency loan program for up to 100 percent of their weather-related agriculture production losses.
For more information on the federal emergency farm loan programs, visit the USDA-FSA Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
