What They’re Saying: Md. Farm Bureau Pens Letter to USDA on Frost Damage

DAVIDSONVILLE, MD – Following a devastating late-April freeze, the Maryland Farm Bureau penned a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins on May 14th, requesting an expedited Secretarial Disaster Declaration to unlock critical federal assistance for affected farmers across the state.

An internal survey conducted by the Maryland Farm Bureau revealed that growers face an average estimated production loss of 67.5% across surveyed crops, with many operations in the hardest-hit counties reporting near-total losses.

The urgent call for aid has sparked widespread media coverage. Earned broadcast news coverage reached over 300,000 viewers, while the Maryland Farm Bureau’s social media post on the matter reached an additional 30,000 people.

• WBAL-TV: Maryland Farm Bureau writes USDA on Frost Damage (Broadcast)
• WBOC-TV: Maryland Farmers Suffer Losses, Md. Farm Bureau Urges Action (Broadcast)
• WRDE-TV: Maryland Farm Bureau Sends Letter to USDA (Broadcast)

• Baltimore Business Journal: “April frost led to 67% average crop loss among Maryland growers, survey finds”

• The BayNet: “Maryland Farmers Report Massive Crop Losses After April Frost, Farm Bureau Seeks Federal Disaster Declaration”

“A late spring frost that hit Maryland farms in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 21, may have cost some specialty crop growers nearly an entire season. Now, the Maryland Farm Bureau is urging federal action.”

• WRDE: “Maryland farmers seek federal disaster help after April frost devastates crops”

“The self-reported survey data covered more than 320 acres of production land and showed many farms in the hardest-hit counties suffered losses of 90 percent or more. According to the MFB, the freeze came after unusually warm early spring temperatures pushed crops into advanced growing stages before the sudden frost damaged orchards, vineyards and vegetable operations.”

• Baltimore Banner: “Maryland lawmakers push for financial aid for wineries devastated by frost”

“The Maryland Farm Bureau is similarly urging U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to declare the freeze a disaster to unlock assistance, according to a letter the group posted to its Facebook page Thursday.”

• Lancaster Farming: “No USDA Disaster Declarations Yet for Mid-Atlantic April Freeze”

“Maryland Farm Bureau sent a letter to U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins on May 14 urging USDA to move quickly toward a disaster declaration for freeze-affected Maryland counties. Maryland growers reported losing on average two-thirds of their crops, with damage found from Washington to Cecil to Calvert counties.”

• WMDT: “Natural disasters increasingly impact nation’s food supply”

“Given that farmers are going through a tough time, it’s super incumbent for the consumers out there to support their local farmers,” Burchick said. “Yes, prices may be a little bit higher than they are in the grocery store, but that means so much to the farming community if people continue to support them during a difficult time like right now.”

To read the full letter sent to USDA Secretary Rollins, click here.