Agriculture secretary joins Bresnahan for roundtable, signs disaster declaration following April freeze
SCOTT TWP. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins joined Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan for a roundtable discussion with local farmers Tuesday before signing a disaster declaration to support Pennsylvania growers impacted by a devastating April freeze.
The Secretarial Disaster Declaration that Rollins signed in the shadow of a cattle barn at Applewood Farm in Scott Twp. will make affected farms “eligible for low-interest emergency loans and additional USDA disaster relief resources needed to manage ongoing operational costs and mitigate losses,” per Bresnahan’s office. The declaration covers 17 counties, including most of Northeast Pennsylvania, where below-freezing temperatures between April 19 and April 21 caused crop losses and damage.
Producers in Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming and York counties have until Jan. 26 to apply for the emergency loans, according to the USDA.
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Despite estimating apple and peach losses of 30-35% as a result of the freeze, Brace doesn’t expect the orchard to take a USDA emergency loan.
“But I know people that are definitely going to have to,” he said. “It’s nice to have on the table.”
Both Gould and Brace were among the farmers who joined Rollins and Bresnahan at Tuesday’s event in Scott Twp.
“We are here because of the April freeze that hit our district hard right in the middle of peak bloom, and our growers are paying the price,” Bresnahan said, noting the “devastating” impact locally and elsewhere in the state. “There are family farms that keep our rural economy moving and right now they are facing real hardships.”
The disaster declaration is “not just symbolic,” he said. “It’s truly a lifeline. It unlocks USDA disaster assistance and emergency loan support so our farmers can stay afloat, cover costs and prepare for next season.”
Bresnahan and other members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation sent Rollins a bipartisan letter earlier this month voicing “strong support” for the disaster declaration while urging her to “take swift action” to support specialty crop growers across the state.
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