New Jersey declares emergency after freeze losses threaten county farms

New Jersey’s emergency declaration over April freeze losses lands hardest in places like Cumberland County, where farms, roadside stands and produce-related jobs depend on a short spring-to-summer growing window. State officials said the damage from prolonged cold between April 19 and April 22 was severe enough to justify immediate action, with estimated crop losses reaching about $300 million statewide and some reporting that growers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania together may have lost as much as $500 million.

The freeze came after an unusual warm spell pushed temperatures above 90 degrees in some parts of the state and forced fruit trees and crops to bloom early. That left flowering plants exposed when temperatures dropped again, hitting crops while they were still vulnerable. State agriculture officials had already warned of the risk, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture worked with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to allow controlled open burning and specialized smudge pots from April 18 through April 22 so farmers could try to shield flowering crops from frost damage.

For Cumberland County, the consequences reach far beyond orchard rows. Vineland and the surrounding farm economy rely on fresh produce moving through packing sheds, wholesale buyers, summer farm stands and seasonal labor. When a freeze wipes out blossoms, farmers lose not just this year’s crop but the revenue that pays workers, buys supplies and carries operations into the next season. News reports said some growers lost 90% or more of their crops, and one cherry farmer in Glassboro expected to lose the entire 2026 season.

The state’s response now hinges on whether aid can move quickly enough to match the scale of the losses. Governor Mikie Sherrill sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins supporting a request for a USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation, which would unlock federal relief for affected growers. The state said its agricultural damage assessments were compiled with county Farm Service Agency offices, putting local and federal offices at the center of the aid process.

The emergency declaration also gives state agencies power to waive, suspend or modify rules as they respond to the crisis. New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn said the declaration sends a clear message that the state stands behind its farming community, but South Jersey growers are still facing the central question: whether the relief package, if approved, will come close to covering losses that have already run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.