Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is asking the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to issue a disaster declaration for farmers in Maryland counties hit hardest by last month’s late-season freeze.
In his letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Moore pointed out that some counties lost 99% of the peach crop, for example. He also wrote that according to the Maryland Wineries Association, there was a total loss for 36% of grape acreage.
“Swift action is essential to provide for the stability Maryland’s farmers need to recover from this catastrophe and prepare for the next growing season,” Moore wrote.
Moore’s request for the disaster declaration follows one made by the Maryland Farm Bureau on May 14. In that letter, Maryland Farm Bureau President Jamie Raley wrote, “Maryland farmers are resilient, but they cannot weather this storm alone.”
Parker Welch, executive director of the Maryland Farm Bureau, told WTOP that assessments of the scope of the losses are still being calculated.
“We’ve had some farms say they’ve lost upwards to $2 million to 100% of their expected profit for the year,” Welch said.
He also said that in discussions with farmers and with researchers at the University of Maryland, “Several had the comment that it was the worst they’d seen in their career whether that was their research career or their farming career.”
Welch explained the importance of getting a disaster declaration by saying that it “unlocks a lot of resources for losses and damages” that Maryland’s farming families have suffered.
Along with grapes grown for Maryland’s wineries, Welch said crop losses included “strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, a lot of those pick-your-own products that people enjoy going out to the farm and picking.”
The Maryland Farm Bureau represents 7,000 farm families across the state, and Welch said when it comes to agriculture, “I think sometimes it’s lost on Marylanders that it’s still the state’s number one commercial industry and contributes more than $8 billion to the economy each year.”
Between the freeze in April, when overnight temperatures plummeted at a time when young crops were at a vulnerable stage, and drought conditions that existed into the spring, Welch said a “perfect storm” of conditions worked against farmers.
Welch urged consumers to visit farms in their area to purchase produce that is available and urged patience if they don’t see what they’d normally be looking for at this time of year.
Asked about whether he’s optimistic that Maryland will get the disaster designation it’s looking for, Welch pointed out that Rollins was in Pennsylvania Tuesday and signed a disaster declaration for 17 counties. So when it comes to Maryland, Welch said, “We will remain hopeful.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
