Pennsylvania set to open grant applications for fruit farmers affected by spring freeze

According to Penn State Extension, around 53,000 farms operate in Pennsylvania, nearly 3,000 of which produced fruit or berries in 2017.

“There’s plenty of fruit around, but it’s really about a quarter of what we’d expect,” said Ben Wenk, the owner of Three Springs and a seventh generation farmer.

He added that’s affected sales and required the farm to reduce their H-2A visa contracts for workers from 15 to four this season.

“This is going to have a ripple effect across the whole of our community, including all the nascent industries that depend on that flux of workers — all the restaurants and services that those workers help survive,” he said.

On Thursday, Shapiro announced the Pa. Department of Agriculture is set to open applications for a $10 million state assistance program. During budget negotiations, Shapiro and state lawmakers agreed to set those funds aside to provide some relief for farmers affected by the freeze.

The move comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture made disaster declarations in 14 additional Pennsylvania counties scattered throughout the state after urging from the Shapiro administration.

“This is how government is supposed to work,” Shapiro said, praising USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “Not just in a bipartisan way, but working together at the state and federal level.”

USDA had previously offered relief to some farmers in Pennsylvania, authorizing disaster declarations in a number of counties, providing emergency loans and expediting insurance claims for qualified apple growers.

However, Shapiro also noted that he would continue to push federal officials for additional disaster relief.

While 58 Pennsylvania counties have received disaster declarations so far, his administration is arguing for a statewide disaster declaration. 

The Shapiro administration has also pressed for crop insurance flexibility to be expanded to growers of fruits besides apples and for the USDA to establish a crop insurance program for processors and packers. 

Pennsylvania is also part of a multistate effort pushing for Congress to provide funding for USDA block grants that would allow states to create relief programs for affected fruit farmers.

“We’re still in partnership and discussions with USDA, and we feel very strongly that Congress and USDA can still help as they’ve done with other disasters across the country,” he said. “We’re going to keep making that request, and we’re certainly hopeful that they’ll respond, especially with the Senate Farm Bill still being in open discussion.”

A spokesperson for the USDA did not immediately respond to questions from the Capital-Star.

The state Dept. of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for the $10 million in grants Monday, and affected farmers can submit them through September 21. 

To receive funds, farmers must have lost at least 30% of their crops due to the April freeze. Eligible crops include pome fruits, stone fruits, grapes and berries. In their applications, farmers will have to include maps of where their affected crops were and the total acreage.

How much farmers receive will depend on the type of fruit and number of acres affected. And with a finite pool of money, it will also depend on how many successful applications are received.

“This money’s going out immediately,” Shapiro said. “We’ve got a very short window for the application period. We want farmers, growers and others to get their applications in quickly and then the secretary will be driving these dollars out by the end of September.”

According to Redding, the $10 million is far from enough to cover total losses expected by fruit farmers, but he said he hopes it can help cover out of pocket costs like care for affected trees, while other programs like federal crop insurance help fill the gap. 

Sarah Zost, a 4th generation apple grower in Pennsylvania and president of the State Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania, said numerous growers have had to slash their own pay, lay off employees, or cut costs. But she called the state funding a “lifeline.”

“Orchards are perennial crops and require special care year round,” she said. “It’s impossible to walk away from an orchard … And that care requires money, regardless of whether we have a crop or not.”