Spring Freeze: USDA Opens Disaster Loans for Saratoga County 

The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a Secretarial Disaster Designation for several New York counties — including Saratoga — after a late-April freeze damaged crops across the state. 

The declaration opens up Emergency Farm Loans for impacted farmers who have experienced significant damage or losses from the disaster and can’t obtain funding from other sources to meet their needs.

Saratoga was one of 28 counties listed as a primary disaster area for the freeze with farmers in an additional 24 counties eligible for aid should their lands touch one of the impacted counties. The freeze occurred April 19-21 and cost the state $30 million in crop losses, according to a release from New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

New York wasn’t the only stater impacted by this freeze. Areas of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey, which touch the impacted counties in New York were also included in the declaration. A separate disaster declaration for 17 counties in Pennsylvania for a freeze at the same time was issued back in May.

In addition to the April freeze, Saratoga County farmers and ranchers whose lands touch Fulton and Montogomery Counties are available for aid due to a freeze that occurred in mid-May. The primary counties for this weather event were Fulton, Montgomery, Onondaga, Otsego, and St. Lawrence counties. 

In Saratoga County, the month of April saw major temperature fluctuations. According to daily temperature data from the Stillwater Reservoir Station, the days leading up to the freeze saw temperatures peak in the high 60s before dropping below freezing on April 19 and coming within 10 degrees of the lowest recorded temperature for that day during the freeze. 

While it’s far from the largest sector in the county, the agricultural sector still has a significant impact in the county. 

According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, a report published by the USDA every five years, Saratoga County has 604 farms accounting for nearly 74,000 acres and nearly $29 million in revenue. In terms of total sales, it ranks 26 out of 62 in New York and 1,292 out of 3,078 nationwide. 

In terms of specific products, Saratoga County ranks 11 out of 59 counties statewide and for fruits, nuts and berries and 10 out of 60 statewide for specialty crops like Christmas Trees and nursery produced plants.

Saratoga County farmers impacted by the freeze are encouraged to contact the Washington County Farm Service Agency for information on how to obtain emergency loans.