Written by Jennifer Phillips Russo
Grape vines covered with ice with icicles hanging down, photo provided by a local grower
The weather certainly has been unseasonable. Our temperatures got down pretty low in some of our vineyards with tender plant tissue exposed. If your vineyards did get hit with a frost/freeze event, it should be evident as this weather warms up. The following is an email communication from Paul O’Conner, Assistant Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Association Operations.
Our partners at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) are hearing reports of possible frost damage to crops in Western New York and the Hudson Valley and are seeking to better understand the extent of any impacts and to inform any potential response. If you are hearing of frost-related damage in your area, we kindly ask that you enter any available information into the NYSDAM Damage Survey tool by close of business tomorrow, April 23, if possible: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/8c5bf33f24c8432e9d6550dabb18c207
The goal is simply to share as much information as is available—please do not feel that every field must be completed for a submission to be useful. When entering data, you may identify the person entering the information as “CCE on behalf of an ag location.” This will allow CCE to be referenced appropriately in NYSDAM’s reporting to the Commissioner and, potentially, the Governor.
Please note that when location information is shared, Commissioner Ball often reaches out directly to affected locations to express his appreciation and acknowledge their losses.
If you have any questions, concerns, or need assistance with the survey, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your help in sharing timely information and supporting our agricultural partners.
Best regards,
Paul O’Connor
Assistant Director of Association Operations
Cornell Cooperative Extension
I have also created a survey to try and collect frost/freeze damage information that I will continue to run through May in case we get hit again by extreme cold weather. If you have damage, then please take the survey so I can track it across the states. I appreciate the fact that there may be survey fatigue, but this data will help decision makers.
Click the button or scan the QR code below to connect to the survey.
