In Adams County, Governor Shapiro Urges Fruit Growers Impacted by Devastating Spring Freeze to Apply for Disaster Relief Grants Starting Monday
Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) Secretary Russell Redding visited Three Springs Fruit Farm in Adams County to encourage Pennsylvania fruit growers who lost crops during a devastating late-April freeze to apply for relief through Pennsylvania's new Fruit Grower Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant Program, beginning on August 24. The grant program was created with a $10 million investment secured by the Governor in the 2026-27 budget, making Pennsylvania the only state in the mid-Atlantic with dedicated funding to support fruit growers impacted by this freeze.
These grants build on the Shapiro Administration's strong support for impacted growers - Governor Shapiro sent a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite damage assessment reports and to issue a secretarial disaster declaration in May. The USDA has since granted 58 Pennsylvania counties disaster designations, which allow growers to seek low-interest loans to restore operations and get faster damage assessments to finalize crop insurance claims.
"Over the last few months, my Administration has talked to growers across the Commonwealth, learning about the hardships they expect to go through in the coming months and the help they need to get through it," said Governor Shapiro. "A sudden freeze like the one we experienced in April will make the very real challenges they face - from workforce issues, to closing markets as a result of tariffs, to the cost of doing business going up - even harder. While I know these grants won't cover all of our farmers' losses, they're another step in the right direction, and we will keep fighting to ensure they stay afloat."