In addition to the roads and bridges that were washed away by Tropical Storm Irene, more than 100,000 acres of farmland have been lost.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today invited U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to visit New York and find federal assistance for the producers affected by the flooding. Officials said the secretary has agreed to visit and will do so in the coming days to view the damage.

Update: We’ve received word the secretary is expected to come to New York on Saturday.

“Regions of New York are facing an agricultural crisis. New York State has been actively coordinating with our federal partners as we begin to rebuild and recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Irene,” Governor Cuomo said. “The first step was to make sure that FEMA officials saw the effects of the storm in New York firsthand. We thank Secretary Napolitano and Administrator Fugate for visiting the region yesterday. Now, we need the federal government to also focus on our farmers who were hit so hard by this storm.”

Cuomo has said the total cost of the damage to farms is $45 million, with the total damage to state infrastructure and private property valued at $1 billion in New York alone.

Earlier today, Director of State Operations Howard Glaser told Karen DeWitt of public radio that he was hopeful the federal government could pay for up to 75 percent of the damage to New York. How that is possible, given the reduced FEMA budget and signs of rancor in Congress over the issue, is not clear.

Though New York has a reputation of being an urban state, it is actually one of biggest farm states in the country. The Empire State is third in dairy production, behind only California and Wisconsin.

But the number of family-owned farms is shrinking, according to the most recent USDA census. Meanwhile, farms are getting bigger, suggesting producers are giving up and selling their land to neighbors.

Earlier this week, Liz spoke with Farm Bureau President Dean Norton, who said the devastation was near total for some farms.

Share|