Rollins signs disaster declaration to provide relief for Pa. fruit growers following freeze

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed a federal disaster declaration for 17 Pennsylvania counties to assist growers affected by last month’s spring freeze that decimated fruit blossoms.

The catastrophic late freeze from April 19-21 caused widespread damage to blooming crops including apple, peach and pear orchards.

“Our farmers cannot control the weather, but Washington can make sure they are not left to shoulder these losses alone,” U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-8th District) said. Bresnahan spoke at a news conference Tuesday in Lackawanna County.

The secretarial disaster declaration will help get relief to farmers who keep communities fed and the commonwealth’s agricultural economy strong, Bresnahan said. 

The U.S.Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will make available emergency credit to producers recovering from the natural disaster. The loans may be used for recovery needs, including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. 

The agency will review the loans based on the extent of the losses, security availability and the ability to repay.

“This designation is a first step forward to help agricultural producers access emergency loans and programs in the aftermath of freezing temperatures. Under President Trump, USDA will continue to put farmers first and make sure they have the resources they need,” Rollins said at a roundtable with farmers, community leaders, and agricultural stakeholders in Bresnahan’s district.

Fruit growers in Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming, and York Counties have until Jan. 26, 2027, to apply for loans. The USDA is reviewing disaster designations for the remaining counties in Pennsylvania and is gathering data.

In addition to emergency loans, the USDA offers programs to farmers and ranchers recovering from disasters such as additional loan programs, loan servicing options, risk management tools such as crop insurance and financial assistance and conservation.

The declaration comes more than two weeks after state officials called on the federal government to provide assistance. Early estimates then put the economic losses for the commonwealth’s special crop industry between $150 million and $200 million. Some growers and fruit varieties will experience total losses.

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by winter weather.