ULSTER COUNTY � If you've been to the farm stands and farmer's markets in the ridge area, you've certainly heard the lament: this year's growing-season, for many farmers, was a bust.

Intense May storms started the negative trajectory. Then, summer temperatures, which never really got hot enough for many crops, hovered at a point significantly lower than the average for this time of year. The icing on the cake came in the form of a blight that damaged tomato and potato crops. If you put it all together, this has been a terrible year.

It's been so bad, in fact, that the federal government has declared most of New York State an "agricultural disaster" area, a designation that includes the entire ridge area of Ulster, Sullivan, and Orange Counties. What this means for area farmers is that those who qualify will be given access to low-interest, emergency loans.

"[The loans] can be used to restore or replace central property, pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay central family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation, and refinance operating debt from this year," said Margaret Russo, a technician with the Middletown office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency.

Russo said that the emergency program will allow farmers to borrow up to 100 percent of production costs or physical loss, with a maximum of $500,000 that can be repaid over one to seven years, and can be extended for up to 20 years in extreme cases, Russo said.

Russo also said that the program is designed to help small farmers and would not be extended to major industrialized growing operations.

"It's really targeted at family farms," Russo said.

The loans would need to be fully collateralized, however, with either land or farm equipment serving to secure the loans.

Several area farmers said, however, that they were unlikely to participate in the program. Oleh Maczaj, of Rusty Plough Farm in Ulster Heights said that he preferred to "roll with the punches."

"We won't be looking to participate in any loan programs," Maczaj said.

Michael Siegel, who operates Farm & Granary in Wawarsing said virtually the same thing, but that he wanted to take the time to assess the damage.

"We're letting the dust settle right now," he said. "The time when we really start making our plans as to how we're going to do stuff happens after the season is over."

Dan and Cathy Schoonmaker of Saunderskill Farm have also experienced problems this year.

"Our yields are down considerably," Dan Schoonmaker said, "probably 10 to 15 percent off."

The Schoonmakers said that they, too, had no intention of taking part in the federal programs, however. Dan Schoonmaker said that such well-meaning federal programs oftentimes require a disaster of near-epic proportion in order for a farmer to qualify.

"I think we've done well enough to weather the storm," Schoonmaker said. "It's hard to qualify for a lot of those federal programs."

Schoonmaker went on to say that the biggest problem this year has been keeping the produce "looking good," a quality that farm-stand customers have come to expect from smaller producers. The weather is also a factor when it comes to sales. Fewer people barbequing means fewer salads and ears of corn are consumed.

"The weather also keeps people at home," he said. Schoonmaker went on to say that Saunderskill has a "loyal customer base" which may have given them an advantage.

Maczaj and Siegel have also experienced the effects this particular year has had on yields.

"It's quite a contrast with the previous two years," Maczaj said.

The past two seasons were bumper years, according to Maczaj, adding that April gave him, and many other farmers, high hopes for this year as well. But the unseasonably warm weather in the early spring � there were several days of 90 degree weather � gave way to the cooler trend.

"There was no growing-surge in June," Maczaj said.

Compounding this problem was the fact that the overly wet soil made it virtually impossible to get second plantings in the ground.

"The stuff we got out in May? That was it. We couldn't get back into the fields," Maczaj said.

Maczaj said that the lettuce, chard, and kale did poorly, primarily because the wet weather led to an explosion in the slug population.

Then, last week, the tomato blight hit.

"Now things are almost dead," Maczaj said about his tomato plants.

Other than a few pints of cherry tomatoes, Rusty Plough Farm produced a tomato crop that was essentially unmarketable.

The Schoonmakers had some of the same problems, particularly in the low-lying areas of their fields. Lowlands tend to drain less quickly, which can turn into a major headache given the amount of rain the area has experienced this summer.

Dan Schoonmaker said that the tomato crop was the area in which Saunderskill Farm was hit hardest.

"Tomatoes are a big part of our income," Schoonmaker said.

Michael Siegel said that this is the worst growing season he has ever experienced, going all the way back to the time when he was a kid growing up in the 1960s.

"I had trouble getting stuff even to germinate this year," Siegel said.

Siegel said that the lack of warm weather was the main culprit, as soil temperatures of 80-plus degrees are required for many vegetable plants. Now, he's worried that a failure in the fall pumpkin crop will make matters even worse for some farmers.

"It's humbling being a farmer," Siegel said. "Every year is different. This year was more difficult than I can remember."

Farmers who are interested in obtaining information about the loan program can do so through the USDA website at: www.fsa.usda.gov.