New York Farm Bureau Lists National Priorities for 2016

From New York Farm Bureau:

New York Farm Bureau leaders met with members of New York’s congressional delegation this week in Washington, DC to discuss the organization’s member-approved national public policy priorities for 2016.

Following the visits, New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton and Elizabeth Wolters, NYFB’s associate director of national affairs, held a press conference call with reporters this morning to publicly unveil the priorities. 

The priorities are:


GMO LABELING

New York’s visit was timely with next week’s expected markup of Sen. Pat Robert’s bill that would establish national standards for the labeling of products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

GMO labeling is an important issue in New York state as a proposed bill looks to create a statewide label for ingredients created with the assistance of biotechnology. This disregards the clear scientific evidence that shows the food is just as safe and nutritious as ingredients bred using more traditional methods. 

New York Farm Bureau opposes a statewide approach because it would create a patchwork of labeling laws that would prove costly for New York farmers and consumers alike.  Because of the concern, New York Farm Bureau is supportive of Sen. Robert’s bill.

The chairman’s proposal is centered on a strong foundation to protect interstate commerce and prevent state-by-state labeling laws. It will direct USDA to initiate formal rulemaking to set definitions and standards for the labeling of products that may contain ingredients derived from agricultural biotechnology. The bill also contains an educational component to inform consumers about the safety of GMOs.

REGULATIONS

New York Farm Bureau has long been in opposition to proposed changes to the Clean Water Act that members believe broaden the jurisdiction from navigable waters to also including dry land. 

The new “Waters of the U.S.” rule will vastly increase the scope of the Clean Water Act and put an undue burden and more regulatory control on farmers and their land with no benefit to the environment.

Both houses of Congress voted in a bipartisan fashion to repeal the rule. Unfortunately, the President vetoed the measure. 

That doesn’t mean this issue is settled.  The Sixth Circuit Court has issued a stay based on legal concerns. While it works its way through the legal system, New York Farm Bureau will continue to work with Congress to find a solution on the matter along with advocating for more comprehensive regulatory reform.

New York Farm Bureau also was successful this year at the American Farm Bureau Federation national meeting in Orlando, FL to pass a resolution in the national policy book related to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.   

New York Farm Bureau supports allowing third party accredited individuals as well as Natural Resources Conservation Service staff to complete wetland determinations. This will help to reduce the amount of time farmers have to wait to have a determination completed. Currently, the delays of up to a year hinder what farmers can do with their land.

IMMIGRATION REFORM

New York Farm Bureau has long been saying we need a stable workforce on our farms or else the rural economy and our local food supply will ultimately suffer. 

Despite the political climate in Washington and the current presidential campaign, immigration reform remains a top priority for New York Farm Bureau. It is time to end the immigration stalemate and pass reform legislation that addresses short and long-term farm labor needs.
Because of the unlikelihood of that happening in 2016, New York Farm Bureau is changing its focus this year to look for reforming the H2A seasonal guest worker program. This includes modernizing the application process to use electronic submissions as opposed to the current paper applications that must be mailed to the U.S. Department of Labor. 

In addition, New York Farm Bureau is looking for opportunities to open up the H2A program to dairy farmers who need help year round.

Until this is completed, New York Farm Bureau will work with Congress to minimize negative impacts of farm labor shortages and will oppose a mandatory E-Verify program unless and until a new comprehensive agricultural guest-worker program is in place to provide farmers with workforce security.

FOOD SAFETY RULES

Food safety is another top priority for New York Farm Bureau. The FDA is in the process of implementing new food safety rules as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act and New York Farm Bureau is monitoring the implementation, particularly those dealing with produce and animal feed, and will be working with the FDA to balance the compliance burden with an actual public health benefit.

Federal money should also be used to provide adequate training of inspectors and provide for inspections for foreign farms. The United States must ensure foreign farms and the goods that they produce are held to the same standards so as not to make domestic farms non-competitive and offshore our food production. 

If we are to be able to compete on the world market place, our farmers’ hands cannot be tied by our own rules and food should be safe regardless of where it comes from. 

TRADE

With a growing export market for a number of things that we produce in New York, New York Farm Bureau will continue to support the next generation of trade negotiations that remove unscientific barriers and high tariffs and provide new opportunities for our farms. 

This includes the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership  agreement with the European Union.

The Pacific agreement is expected to increase cash receipts and net exports from New York by $111.4 million and $66.2 million per year, respectively. It is estimated the increased marketing opportunities for New York’s farmers and ranchers will add more than 500 jobs to the New York economy.

New York Farm Bureau Lists its National Agenda

While in Washington, DC meeting with members of the state’s congressional delegation, New York Farm Bureau released its national public policy priorities for the year. 

The agenda originated at the grassroots level and is member approved.

IMMIGRATION REFORM

Immigration reform remains a top priority for the state’s farmers and their employees. NYFB has long pushed for a flexible guest-worker visa program that addresses both seasonal and long-term needs of New York agriculture.  

There is of special concern as the House of Representatives is looking to move ahead with an enforcement only action that American Farm Bureau Federation estimates could cost the country’s farmers as much as $60 billion and raise food prices by 5 percent to 6 percent. New York Farm Bureau is calling for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that also takes agricultural labor needs into account.

“We need a stable workforce on our farms that benefits the rural economy and the local food supply,” said NYFB President Dean Norton during the conference call with reporters. “It must be comprehensive. Enforcement-only reforms put the chicken before the egg so to speak. They all need to go together.”

FOOD SAFETY

The implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is also a public policy priority. New York’s farmers already participate in a host of food safety programs and audits, but the Food and Drug Administration is instituting new food safety rules. 

This past year NYFB submitted comments to the FDA over its planned rollout of FSMA.  NYFB is pleased many of the concerns were addressed relating to proposed requirements for animal feed and the commodity value threshold that would trigger the new regulations on an individual farm. 

However, there are additional changes that NYFB would like to see before the rules take effect. This includes reworking the unscientific standards FDA has established for irrigation water.  The organization will continue to work with the FDA and fellow stakeholders so the final rules address the real risks that exist and can be successfully implemented on our farms. In the end, both public health and agriculture will benefit.

CLEAN WATER ACT EXPANSION

New York Farm Bureau has long been in opposition to proposed changes to the Clean Water Act that it believe broadens the jurisdiction from navigable waters to dry land. This month farmers had a partial victory in their campaign when the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers withdrew their interpretive rule as mandated by both Congress and the President.  

Contrary to what the agencies had claimed, the farm exemptions provided in the Interpretive Rule actually narrowed “normal farming and ranching” exemptions by imposing burdensome new requirements for farmers and ranchers.

NYFB will continue to advocate for the repeal of the full rule through Congressional action to stop the EPA and the Army Corps from expanding federal jurisdiction onto New York farms.

FARM BILL IMPLEMENTATION

NYFB has been closely monitoring the USDA’s rollout of the 2014 Farm Bill. It is imperative the new programs and expanded crop insurance follow the intent of the law that was passed.

Nearly half of the dairy farms in New York state have signed up for the new Margin Protection Program. This will offer a safety net should dropping milk prices fall below a selected margin, which is the gap between the price of milk and the cost of feed. Over the past few months, lower milk prices have underscored the need for effective risk management.   

NYFB will work with lawmakers to insure that it is meeting the needs as it was intended.

The organization will also review the development of new and enhanced programs for specialty crops, including the NAP buy-up crop insurance program.

TRADE

With a growing export market for a number of things that farmers produce in New York, New York Farm Bureau will continue to support the next generation of trade negotiations that remove unscientific barriers and high tariffs and provide new opportunities for our farms.

This includes renewing the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). It is imperative that the White House and Congress be on the same page during trade negotiations.  Swift passage in Congress without additional individual member amendments to already negotiated pacts is essential to having successful trade policy.

NYFB also will continue to oppose limitations based on the use of geographic indicators. New York is a big dairy producing state, but if farms and cooperatives can’t market cheeses based on how they are known around the world, like parmesan for instance, this will put New York products at a serious competitive disadvantage.

LOCAL FOOD AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS

NYFB’s final top priority will be to support additional funding for school and local food purchasing programs, food infrastructure initiatives and food-based entrepreneurship programs.  

Funding for these was allocated in the Farm Bill and it serves many important needs. For one, it connects farmers with those who often have limited access to healthy food, including children and seniors in low income communities or urban food deserts. 

Not only do these programs put food on the table but they also support local farms in New York. 

This priority also includes efforts to increase farmer food donations. Last year, New York’s farmers donated a record amount of food, more than 10 million pounds, to regional food banks across the state. NYFB would like to see that climb even higher.

Its members support the Fighting Hunger Incentive Tax Act that would help offset the costs of harvesting, packaging and transporting the food to the donation site. Corporations, like big box stores, receive a similar tax credit for food donations, and they are not the ones actually growing the food.

“We want to encourage greater donations and provide an important source of fresh, local food for low-income New Yorkers who may not have access to this food otherwise,’ said Elizabeth Wolters, NYFB’s associate director of national affairs. “It’s a win-win for our communities and our farms.”

“New York agriculture is a large part of the state’s economy. Over $5 billion in direct farm receipts and more than 200,000 jobs are created by agriculture," said farm bureau President Norton. "These issues are important to us as we strive to move the economy forward. We look forward to working with our congressional representatives to make sure that happens for us on the national level.”

Farm Bureau, Counties, Towns Oppose Changes to Clean Water Act

From New York Farm Bureau:

In a strong show of support for farmers in this state and their own taxpayers, 35 counties and 17 towns in New York have passed strongly worded resolutions asking the Environmental Protection Agency to withdrawal its proposal to expand the definition of Waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

New York Farm Bureau has challenged the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers on its proposed rule changes that we believe is an overreach of the CWA.  

The confusing and vague language in the new definition opens up the potential for dry land and ditches to now be considered federally controlled waters. The bureaucratic nightmare and costly permitting process that this would create would not only impact agriculture across this state but also local taxpayers and homeowners who would be subject to additional federal regulations, permits and expensive fines.
 
In response, the large number of county and town resolutions opposing this effort has been forwarded to the EPA, which is accepting comments on the matter through Oct. 20. 

New York Farm Bureau has also released a new video highlighting the real concerns farmers have about the EPA’s potential land grab.  You may view the video here: http://youtu.be/s85XUF1QEvw