ALBANY – Governor David Paterson Friday urged the federal government to declare 23 New York counties, including several in the Hudson Valley, agricultural disaster areas in the wake of crop damage sustained from severe hail storms on June 16.

If the requested counties receive a disaster designation from the USDA, farmers in those counties and the counties contiguous to them would be eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency.

Among those counties asked to be considered for the designation are Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester.

The storms damaged strawberries, cherries, applies, peaches, pears and plums.