Program To Help Dairy Farmers Set for March 27 in Morrisville

A program to help dairy farmers through these challenging pricing times is scheduled for 4:30 to 6 p.m. March 27 in Morrisville.

Community partners looking for ways to support dairy farmers are encouraged to join this important conversation. 

Professionals with NY FarmNet will share information on their free and confidential services that include farm business finance, stress management, depression and suicide prevention.

A discussion will follow and include creating a stronger network of support services throughout the county. 

The program will be held at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, 100 Eaton St., Morrisville. Call or email Karin Bump if additional information is needed: kbump@cornell.edu or 315-684-3001.

Happy Agricultural Literacy Week!

From NY Ag in the Classroom -- Happy Agricultural Literacy Week 2018! 

Today kicks off the first of five days celebrating agriculture and the people who work in the food system. How will you celebrate?

Number of NY Craft Beverage Manufacturers Continues to Grow

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

The number of craft beverage manufacturers holding a farm-based license has grown by over 150 percent since the first Beer, Wine, Spirits and Cider Summit in 2012, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

Immediately following the Summit, Cuomo implemented important legislative and regulatory reforms to promote the state's craft beverage businesses. Since then, 433 new farm-based craft beverage licenses have been issued.

 

"New York's craft beverage industry is booming, and by cutting red tape to industry development, we have seen significant growth in the number of manufacturers supporting our local farms and spurring job creation across the Empire State," Cuomo said.

"Home to more farm-breweries, wineries, distilleries and cideries than ever before, I encourage visitors and craft beverage enthusiasts to enjoy some of the best products around, right here in New York," he said.

Since the Governor's first Summit in 2012, the Empire State has experienced a surge in craft manufacturing with the vast majority of that growth coming from farm-based producers. 

Of the 523 craft beverage manufacturing licenses added since the first Summit in 2012, 433 are farm-based manufacturers that use New York grown agricultural ingredients in their production, accounting for over 80 percent of all new craft beverage manufacturers.

A list of all farm wineries, distilleries, cideries and breweries, by region and city is available at this link -- https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ListofFarmManufacturers_2_28_2018.pdf  

The total number of all farm-based manufacturers by region:

Capital Region	72
Central New York	57
Finger Lakes	149
Long Island	100
Mid-Hudson Valley	106
Mohawk Valley	34
New York City	35
North Country	42
Southern Tier	72
Western New York	48

Major legislation helping to spur New York's farm-based craft industry includes Cuomo's Farm Brewery Law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, followed by the implementation of the new Farm Cidery Law, effective Jan. 15, 2014. 

These laws mirrored the 1976 Farm Winery Act that lead to a tremendous growth of wineries and grape production in New York state. 

The governor also overhauled the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control laws to give more privileges to manufacturers that use ingredients grown in New York, including hosting tastings, operating gift shops selling any farm-produced wine, beer, cider and spirits by the bottle and by the glass from their tastings rooms. 

Farm manufacturers may also open branch stores, with 127 farm producers operating no-fee offsite tasting rooms across the state. 

 

As a result of these reforms, more manufacturers are choosing farm-based manufacturing licenses and in each craft beverage category, there are more farm-based licenses than any other type. New York is now home to 348 farm wineries, 202 farm breweries, 123 farm distilleries and 42 farm cideries. 

 

In addition, 80 farm wineries, 29 farm breweries, 12 farm distilleries and 6 farm cideries have opened branch stores due to legislation allowing farm breweries, cideries and distilleries to open branch stores. 

The growth in the number of farm-based licenses has led to an increased demand for locally sourced agricultural products in New York and a synergy between the craft beverage, tourism and agriculture sectors.

 

It's Time for the First Maple Weekend of 2018

There's nothing else to say. Get out and visit your local maple producer. I'll be out at Red Schoolhouse Maple in Palermo on March 17.

From the USDA:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 12 announced the decision to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule published Jan. 19, 2017.

The rule would have increased federal regulation of livestock and poultry for certified organic producers and handlers. The withdrawal becomes effective May 13.

Significant policy and legal issues were identified after the rule published in January 2017. After careful review and two rounds of public comment, USDA has determined that the rule exceeds the department’s statutory authority, and that the changes to the existing organic regulations could have a negative effect on voluntary participation in the National Organic Program, including real costs for producers and consumers.

“The existing robust organic livestock and poultry regulations are effective,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Program Undersecretary Greg Ibach. “The organic industry’s continued growth domestically and globally shows that consumers trust the current approach that balances consumer expectations and the needs of organic producers and handlers.”

According to USDA reports for 2017, the number of certified organic operations increased domestically by 7 percent and globally by 11 percent. Industry estimates show that organic sales in the United States reached almost $47 billion in 2016, reflecting an increase of almost $3.7 billion since 2015.

The USDA carefully considered public comments and the relative costs and benefits for both producers and consumers of imposing the proposed additional regulations.

More information on the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule is available in the March 12 Federal Register or https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification at this link.

Ag Literacy Week is March 19-23

This year's Ag Literacy Week book

Ag Literacy Week is March 19-23.

Second-graders throughout New York will read about what it takes to get food grown on the farm to the plates on their tables by reading a book called "Before We Eat -- From Farm to Table."

According to the Agriculture in the Classroom website, the book takes student on "the journey from farm to table to understand different aspects of agriculture and the many possible careers involved. This is a captivating glimpse on what it takes to bring the food we eat to us in order to nourish our bodies and spirits."

"From the busy hub of New York City, to the mountains of the Adirondacks, and to the fertility of the Finger Lakes our state is expansive and encompasses all types of agricultural industries," the website states. "Careers and post-secondary education opportunities are abundant in traditional and developing food-centric industries."

Agriculture in New York state brings in more than $37 billion to the economy. New York is known throughout the country as a leader in apples, maple syrup, yogurt, cottage cheese, grapes, onions and many other products.

"These products and industries create careers essential to the food system that are not always initially thought of: arborists, soil engineers, animal geneticists, butchers, aquaculturists, truck drivers, grocers and more," the Ag in the Classroom website states.

Maple Weekends Coming March 17-18, March 24-25

From state Sen. Patricia Ritchie:

Maple syrup is not just for pancakes anymore.  

There is maple candy, maple popcorn, maple jelly and even maple pepper.  If those — and of course maple syrup — sound like “sweet” treats you might want to try, I highly encourage you to find a nearby sugarhouse taking part in upcoming “Maple Weekend” events.

Held March 17 and 18, and then again March 24 and 25, Maple Weekend is held across the state. There are 177 maple farms across New York state set to open up their sugarhouses to show people just how real maple syrup is made, and of course offer some tasty samples.

Some smaller maple producers still use buckets to collect sap.

Here in New York state, maple is more than just something sweet. It’s an important, growing part of our agriculture economy. 

In fact, New York is second in the nation — just behind Vermont — when it comes to maple syrup production.  With the largest number of tappable trees in the United States, there is great potential for us to become number one. 

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I have been working in recent years to support the growth of New York’s maple industry in a number of ways, including by securing money for important research. 

I will also be advocating for a new piece of legislation called “Maple One,” which has the ambitious goal of overtaking Vermont as America’s leading maple producer by issuing permits to allow farmers to tap maple trees on certain state-owned lands.

Maple products at the New York State Fair

The upcoming “Maple Weekend” events are the perfect way for people to not only sample everything maple syrup, but also to help support those who help put it on our tables. I hope you’ll take part in this sweet tradition.

For more information, on “Maple Weekend”, including a list of the participating sugarhouses nearest to you, visit the New York State Maple Producers Association website at www.nysmaple.com.