Maryland Governor Wes Moore has formally requested a Secretarial Disaster Designation from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins following devastating freeze damage across multiple Maryland counties in April. Disaster assessment data from the Maryland Farm Bureau indicates crop losses as high as 99% in some areas.
This adds Maryland to a growing list of Eastern and Midwestern states — including New Jersey, Utah, and Wisconsin — that have been hammered by spring freeze events this year. The disaster designation request, if approved, would unlock federal aid for affected growers, but the growing season damage is already done.
For buyers, this is another reminder that domestic supply across multiple fruit and vegetable categories is running thinner than normal this summer. The cumulative effect of freeze losses across multiple states is something to watch as the season progresses.