Schumer calls for disaster assistance for bud and vine damage to upstate wine crop

[hrmjustin]

PORTLAND - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D, NY) visited 21 Brix Winery in Portland to call on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide swift relief to vineyards who have suffered major crop damage from the extreme cold weather this winter through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and be ready to approve a crop disaster declaration so emergency loans can be made available.

Following crop losses due to inclement weather and other natural disaster, growers often suffer from cash flow problems that impact their ability to replant quickly and also impact wine production for several years into the future. Schumer explained that the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) was just passed as part of the Farm Bill and can provide reimbursements to growers who suffer extensive damage to the trunks of their grape vines as a result of extreme weather events, such as the Polar Vortex-induced freezing temperatures earlier this winter. Already, as a result of the cold snap, scientists at Cornell are finding damaged buds in test studies, suggesting that over 50% of buds could be damaged this winter, which suggests that vine damage is also highly likely. Schumer also urged the USDA to be prepared to approve a disaster declaration if bud damage is widespread and severe, so that emergency low-interest loans can be made available to growers who suffer extensive bud damage but not trunk damage.

Upstate New York vineyards are beginning to assess damage now and will know the true extent of the damage in the Spring, at which point they will need a rapid turnaround of cash because growing season will already have begun. Schumer is calling on the USDA to mobilize resources well in advance of the final damage assessment, and to assist farmers and growers in readying the necessary documentation to report losses, so the USDA can have a rapid processing turnaround and deliver quick relief to impacted growers.

http://www.empirestatenews.net/News2014/20140218-2.htm

[msongs]

1. unemployed workers can freeze their buds to get assistance, like the elitist wine growers do nt