State Senator Patty Ritchie is asking Governor Cuomo to help New York farmers who "suffered near total crop loss as a result of this spring's early thaw and devastating late frost."

Ritchie, who chairs the Senate's Agriculture Committee, wants Cuomo to request a federal disaster declaration for impacted farmers, which include apple, grape and other fruit producers across upstate New York.

Ritchie (R. - 48th District) says the apple growing regions of central and western New York and the grape growers along the Great Lakes and in northern New York were heavily affected.

"As you know, our State's farmers have been subjected to a very severe frost event which has produced widespread damage across New York state," Senator Ritchie said in a letter to the Governor.

Ritchie asked Cuomo to to contact US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to request the declaration, which sets in motion a series of relief measures including low-interest loans and payments for damaged crops.

Senator Ritchie said that 80 degree weather in March caused many fruit trees and vines to bud far earlier than usual, making them especially vulnerable to the deep freeze of the past few weeks.

"While many of us welcomed the early start to Spring and Summer, I heard from farmers across Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties, as well as throughout the state, that they had serious concerns about the weather's impact on their crops. Unfortunately, in many cases, their worst fears are now being realized as some producers are seeing crop losses that could reach 100 percent," Senator Ritchie said.

See Ritchie's news release