UPDATE: Governor Hochul requests USDA Disaster Designation for Herkimer, Lewis & Oneida Counties in wake of winter storm related barn damage, livestock loss

ALBANY, NY- New York State is requesting a United States Department of Agriculture Secretarial Disaster Designation for Oneida County and the contiguous counties of Lewis, Herkimer, Oswego and Madison as a result of several farm families losing their barns, livestock and livelihood from a heavy snowpack this winter.

“This damage has upended the futures of farms as they face tens of millions of dollars in economic impact,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.

“I urge the USDA to take swift action to declare these counties a disaster area and help our farmers get the assistance they need to move forward.”

For a period of several weeks, there were almost countless structural collapses throughout the North Country because of an incredibly heavy snowpack.

With the ongoing legislative session at the State Capitol, a group of North Country lawmakers and agriculture officials have been calling for this process to initiate.

“Shortly after the last round of heavy snow and ice, I was able to visit a number of farms in Oneida County and see firsthand the damage that these farms sustained," said New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. 

"Typically, we are concerned about crop loss when we face severe weather, but this winter storm impacted infrastructure and livestock that will make it extremely difficult to look toward this year’s planting season. I am thankful to the Governor for this request and appreciate the USDA’s consideration to move ahead with a disaster declaration to provide some financial relief to area farmers.”

Though the Governor's Office and National Weather Service both say the Central and Northern New York Regions endured 'extreme' winter weather events from early January through most of February, many are calling the winter of 2024 - 2025 "what it used to be like." 

In fact, Boonville, NY has accumulated over 227-inches of snow for the season as of early March, according to Edy O'Rourke, a trained NWS spotter.

When you take that number and compare it to George Capron's snow chart, this winter season certainly used to be a regular occurrence.

Despite that, the heavy snow loads caused structural damage and collapse, loss of livestock, damage to feedstocks and equipment and the destruction of agricultural equipment storage facilities.

Based on consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Oneida County’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, more than 60 agricultural locations sustained an estimated $15 to $20 million in damage.

Many diverse agricultural operations were impacted by these extreme weather events, including dairy farms, beef farms, hay operations, nursery and greenhouse businesses and crop farms. These events and the resulting damage have had a significant impact on the local farm economy.

A disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous eligible to be considered for emergency loans from the FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for relief programs.

In addition, the Governor is requesting any disaster assistance appropriated by Congress be made available to assist the impacted farmers and encourages USDA to highlight additional assistance programs that these farmers may opt to use.

Image via the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.