This comes from the office of state Sen. Patty Ritchie:
The new state budget includes
record funding for agriculture programs designed to connect consumers with
locally produced farm products, increase farmers’ yields, boost rural economies
and strengthen the future of family farms.
The
final budget adds more than $12 million to the governor’s original plan
unveiled in January, restores budget cuts to 33 different programs, and
includes funding for key components of state Sen. Patricia Ritchie’s “Grown in New York”
plan to strengthen connections between farmers and consumers increasingly
looking to buy locally produced foods.
“With
more than 100,000 people working on 36,000 family farms, agriculture is our
most important industry, and supporting farmers means a stronger economy for
rural communities all across Upstate New York,” said Ritchie, chair of
the Senate’s Agriculture Committee.
In
addition to restoring budget cuts for programs designed to aid in research,
marketing and agriculture education, the new budget adds funding for six new
programs, including components of the “Grown in New York” plan. Also included
is $650,000 more to expand the state’s “Young Farmers” program, first created
by the Senate last year to encourage the next generation of new farmers.
MARKETING
Programs
to help farmers market products ranging from dairy to apple, and maple syrup to
award-winning New York-produced wines, among others, will benefit from new and
restored budget funding.
In addition, the budget creates new programs first
outlined in the “Grown in New York” plan to connect consumers
with locally produced products, like developing a series of new farm-to-market
hubs to help farmers in regions like the North Country more easily move their
products to markets in New York City and other urban centers across the state
($1.064 million), new programs to bring more locally produced fruits and
vegetables to schools ($250,000) and low-income seniors ($2.3 million), and
expansion of the successful “Harvest NY” program to the region ($600,000).
RESEARCH
The
final budget restores funding cuts to key research programs that are already
producing results in the form of increased yields and profits for farmers,
helping to reduce pesticide use, and find ways to combat diseases that can
decimate crops and livestock.
The restored funding includes two programs
especially important to North Country and Central NY farmers — the farmer-led
New York Farm Viability Institute ($2.12 million) and Northern New York Agriculture
Development Program ($600,000). Both programs are involved in key research that
especially benefits dairy farmers and others in this region.
EDUCATION
The
final budget continues and expands programs tied to the “Young
Farmers” plan to encourage the next generation of future farmers, including
FFA, the Future Farmers of America program that has recently expanded to
include new schools across the state, and support for ag educators and programs
to introduce students to the farming life in local school districts.
YOUNG FARMERS
The “Young Farmers” program is expanded with increased funding for college
loan forgiveness and $1 million to fund grants (up to $50,000 each), and a new
business planning program, administered through Cornell’s FarmNet program, to
help beginning farmers get on their feet and ensure success.
A full
list of programs funded under the State Budget Agriculture plan can be found at
this link: https://www.scribd.com/doc/
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