New Hampshire approves $8 million in relief for farmers
CONCORD, N.H. — An $8 million relief fund has been approved to help farmers whose crops were destroyed by severe weather last year.
Lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee on Feb. 16 approved using federal American Rescue Plan Act money to make the money available to farmers as grants.
An extremely rainy year coupled with a late frost in May wreaked havoc on a variety of crops, including apples, stone fruits such as peaches and plums, and vegetables produced in New Hampshire. Farmers lost around $13 million in damaged crops, according to a survey from the University of New Hampshire Extension.
Of that total, fruit growers lost around $10 million to frosts and freeze events, while vegetable products lost around $3 million to flooding and excessive rainfall. That meant last fall many apple orchards in the state couldn’t offer pick-your-own apples. An additional $2 million was lost in forage crops, like corn and grasses, according to the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food.
“Farmers need help after the recent inclement weather,” said Senator Howard Pearl, a Loudon Republican, in a statement after the funding was approved. “The harsh cold and floods have taken its toll on one of New Hampshire’s most vital industries.”
Pearl is a farmer himself, who grows hay and creates maple products in Loudon. He said the vegetable and fruit harvest was down by as much as 80 percent in 2023.
The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food will create a grant application and distribute the funding to eligible farmers who lost at least 30 percent of their planted acreage in the 2023 weather events.
“The funds will be available in time to assist in the purchase of spring supplies, which will help our farmers get back on track,” said Pearl.
Lawmakers in the Senate Finance Committee did not vote to spend state money on the relief fund, and instead recommended studying the proposal.
The funding still needs approval from the Executive Council, a five-member board in which each member represents one fifth of the population.