USDA approves disaster declaration for Maryland farms over late spring freeze

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday approved the state’s request for a disaster declaration after a late-April freeze devastated some orchards and vineyards in the state.

In a letter to Gov. Wes Moore (D), Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department determined there had been “sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster declaration” in 12 Maryland counties.

The declaration also declared eight Maryland counties and 16 counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, as “contiguous” disaster counties. The declaration means farmers in all those counties can apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

Rollins said USDA could not determine if six counties — Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Kent, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s — has incurred sufficient damage to qualify as primary disaster areas, but that they could be added at a later date. Anne Arundel, Kent and Prince George’s counties were included on the list of contiguous disaster areas in this first cut.

The news was welcomed by Moore, who asked for the declaration last month in response to “extensive” crop damage after the April 27 cold snap.

“This disaster declaration provides a vital financial safety net to keep our hardworking family farms operational so they can continue to feed Maryland families while putting food on th...