Concord Grape Farmers Impacted By Frost, Freeze Event in April Receive Disaster Declaration

Ice on grape vine in April 2024 (photo by Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab)

A disaster declaration has been made for grape farmers impacted by the frost and freeze event in late April.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said the designation will allow duly licensed farm wineries to manufacture or sell wine produced from grapes grown outside of New York State.

The disaster declaration is based on the reporting of crop loss from the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab at Cornell AgriTech, which found that over 40% of the Concord variety of grapes grown or produced for winemaking in New York State were destroyed during the 2024 crop year and was caused by frost/freeze event in April of 2024.

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. Cornell AgriTech projected a 60% crop loss to Concord vineyards in the New York portion of the Lake Erie production region, which translates to approximately 46-51% Concord crop loss in all of New York State.

Farm Wineries licensed by the New York State Liquor Authority may file an application with the Department 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).

The deadline to apply for the exemption is October 31, 2024.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also issued a disaster designation in response to the April frost/freeze event, declaring 11 counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas and an additional 25 counties as contiguous disaster counties. Farmers in the counties included who were impacted by the severe weather event may be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, and should visit USDA’s Emergency Farm Loans webpage to learn more.

New York is the third largest grape producer and the third largest wine producer in the country. According to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, these growers generate a $6.65 billion economic impact for New York State. There are 471 wineries in New York, growing a variety of grapes on 35,000 acres.