HILLSDALE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Governor Kathy Hochul is asking for federal aid following an April frost that is costing farms millions in damage. Weeks after the frost, some local farmers are now starting to get an idea how much of their crop is gone.
In Columbia County, Co-owner Ron Bixby of the Little Apple Cidery in Hillsdale said one of his locations lost 30% of his apples, and his orchard in nearby Ancram was a total loss.
“This freeze got down to below 26 degrees and in most areas in the Hudson Valley,” said Bixby. “That means a total loss for some places.”
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During the frost on April 21, Fishkill Farms in the lower Hudson Valley tried some tactics to mitigate the temperatures by bringing in a helicopter and burning fires near its crops to keep them warm. Weeks later, the farm’s owner Josh Morgenthau tells NEWS10’s Dan Passante that he’s still going to see significant losses…