The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is issuing a crop-loss determination to help grape farmers impacted by the frost/freeze event in late April. The designation will allow duly licensed farm wineries to manufacture or sell wine produced from grapes grown outside of New York state, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball announced Aug. […]
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is issuing a crop-loss determination to help grape farmers impacted by the frost/freeze event in late April. The designation will allow duly licensed farm wineries to manufacture or sell wine produced from grapes grown outside of New York state, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball announced Aug. 20. The disaster declaration is based on reporting of crop loss from the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab at Cornell AgriTech. It found that more than 40 percent of the Concord variety of grapes grown or produced for winemaking in New York were destroyed during the 2024 crop year and was caused by the frost/freeze event back in April. The staff at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory have been working with the growers and processor representatives to assess the crop damage since early this spring, the department said. Cornell AgriTech projected a 60 percent crop loss to Concord vineyards in the New York portion of the Lake Erie production region, which translates to about 46 percent to 51 percent Concord crop loss in all of New York state, per the department’s announcement. Farm wineries licensed by the New York State Liquor Authority may file an application with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to be considered to manufacture or sell wine produced from out‐of‐state grapes or juice for the above varieties. Farmers must demonstrate that they have been unable to obtain the desired varietal(s) in the quantity needed from at least three New York State grape growers that grow the impacted varietal(s). Farm wineries can apply for the exemption at the department’s website. The deadline to apply for the exemption is Oct. 31. For the department to consider your request, farmers must complete and return the application by Oct. 31, it noted. The Department of Agriculture and Markets will be hosting an industry-wide webinar on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. to provide information on the application process and to answer any questions farm wineries may have. The link to the webinar is also available on the department’s website. “This latest freeze event left our grape growers and farm wineries struggling with the potential of not having enough New York-grown grapes to maintain their farm winery license and thereby maintain their markets,” Ball, commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, said in the announcement. “By issuing this declaration, we’re taking immediate action to help our farm wineries recover from the freezing temperatures experienced in April and allow them to focus on preparing for next year’s growing season. We encourage any impacted farms to take advantage of this respite and to continue to report losses to lessen the impacts of this damaging severe weather event.” New York is the third-largest grape producer and the third-biggest wine producer in the country, the Department of Agriculture and Markets said. It cites the New York Wine & Grape Foundation as indicating these growers generate a $6.65 billion economic impact for New York state. The state has 471 wineries, growing a variety of grapes on 35,000 acres.