In 2024, the state of Michigan saw losses of upward of 75% of their crops after a mild winter that led to a warm and wet season, causing significant insect and disease damage.
“This is one tool for farmer across a broader effort ... Making sure we have resilient and diverse systems is the highest priority in Michigan,” MDARD Director Tim Boring said.
In August, local cherry farmers got the attention of Governor Gretchen Whitmer as she requested a Declaration of Disaster from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make available emergency resources for northern Michigan’s cherry producers.
USDA issued disaster declarations for Antrim, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties Monday.
In addition to the three primary counties USDA designated eight contiguous counties under the disaster declarations which are Benzie, Crawford, Manistee, Otsego, Charlevoix, Kalkaska, Missaukee, and Wexford, according to a press release.
“I was proud to stand with Governor Whitmer as we urged the USDA to recognize the impact of these disasters on Michigan’s sweet cherry harvest, and glad to see our farmers receive access to critical federal assistance,” Boring said. “Receiving a USDA disaster declaration is key to ensuring producers can access the resources they need. I appreciate USDA Secretary Vilsack for his commitment to Michigan’s sweet cherry farming families.”
The disaster declaration was fast tracked working with state and federal partners, according to Boring.
The counties designated by USDA as natural disaster or contiguous disaster areas means qualified farm operators are eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Services Agency (USDA-FSA) provided eligibility requirements are met.
“From farmers to producers to retailers, so many in our community rely on the success of crops like cherries,” said State Rep. Betsy Coffia said in a press release. “I am glad to see the USDA make this decision to bring some relief for the devastating sweet cherry crop loss and I will continue to seek ways to do more to support our farmers weathering this latest challenge to their livelihoods.”
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. USDA-FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. USDA-FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
For Michigan to receive federal disaster status, the original crop loss estimates must be verified from harvest yield data. If losses of 30 percent or more are confi rmed, and the disaster request is granted, eligible state producers will have access to USDAFSA’s low-interest emergency loan program for up to 100 percent of their weather-related agriculture production losses. USDA-FSA is the agency responsible for compiling the official crop loss statistics and administering the federal emergency farm loan programs.
Nikiki Rothwell, executive director of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center said it’s great news having the declaration officially, but there’s still a lot of work to go.
One thing Rothwell and farmers will be wondering is when access to those funds will be available.
“We are wondering it its a twoyear process for growers. Some are having trouble paying bills ... This is good news, but its not going to take affect immediately,” Rothwell said.
