WASHINGTON, D.C.-Cherry growers in Washington State are now eligible for Emergency Farm Loans following a formal disaster declaration for the 2023 harvest.
Regional lawmakers, including Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA), as well as Representative Kim Schrier, M.D. (D, WA-08), wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to declare a disaster so sweet cherry farmers in Washington would be eligible for economic relief.
In Washington, the primary counties eligible for the emergency loans are Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, Walla Walla and Yakima, according to the USDA.
“Last year, Washington’s cherry growers lost around half their crop to extreme weather,” said Sen. Cantwell.
According to a Congressional press release on the Federal Assistance, unseasonably high temperatures in Washington, combined with heavy rains and cold weather in California, led to a shorter season for Washington growers and an oversupply of sweet cherries in 2023.
“Washington state is famous for our delicious sweet cherries—but throughout the 2023 season, sweet cherry growers in our state saw major weather-driven losses and were forced to leave crops unharvested,” said Sen. Murray. “This disaster declaration will open up access to emergency loans to help sweet cherry growers get back on their feet…”
Many growers in Washington who were forced to leave crops unharvested and experienced significant economic losses are now eligible for up to $500,000 in federal Emergency Farm Loans.
A Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool and Loan Assistance Tool are available through the USDA to help eligible cherry growers determine what assistance they are eligible for and to apply for emergency loans.
