LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to issue a disaster declaration in the state after a late April freeze devastated its specialty crops.
A disaster declaration would speed up damage assessments and give farmers access to more resources sooner, Shapiro said. The governor made the request in a letter to Rollins.
While visiting Cherry Hill Orchard in Lancaster County on Friday, Shapiro said the freeze could cost Pennsylvania farmers as much as $200 million, affecting peaches, cherries, apples, strawberries, apricots, pears and grapes. Christmas tree crops also reported damage…