Bill Providing Tax Incentives for Farmers Donating Food to Food Banks Passes State Senate

New York Farm Bureau applauds the New York Senate for quickly moving on the “Farm to Food Bank Bill.” 


The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Rich Funke, R-Perinton, remains a priority for our organization this legislative session, and because of its swift, unanimous passage today, it is clear the Senate highly values the bill as well. 

The vote sends a clear message to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has vetoed this bill twice, that lawmakers believe the food donation tax credit will make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers who turn to food pantries and other programs for help in feeding their families.

The governor’s main objection in his veto message was that the bill was passed outside of the budget process. However, he still did not provide a pathway for funding in his Executive Budget released earlier this month. 

Because of today’s unanimous vote by the Senate and hopeful passage again in the Assembly, we are optimistic that funding will be included in the chambers’ one-house budget bills. 

We encourage Gov. Cuomo to work with the bipartisan group of lawmakers to see this bill finally become law.

The tax credit would be for 25 percent of the wholesale value of the donated food and no more than $5,000 per farm. 

However, its impact will be far reaching. It will help farmers offset a portion of the costs of picking, packing and transporting the food to regional food banks. More importantly, it will allow more locally sourced food to be shared with those in need all over the state.

In 2016, farmers donated more than 13-million pounds of food to their regional food banks, which is the equivalent of more than 10 million meals.  This amount set a new record for the state’s farmers and demonstrated their generosity.  The “Farm to Food Bank Bill” would incentivize even greater food donations.

New York Farm Bureau Lists Priorities for 2017

NEW YORK FARM BUREAU
 

New York Farm Bureau released its 2017 state priorities Jan. 25 that seek to address a significant loss in farm income across the state.
 
These priorities will include supporting reinvestment into the state’s family farms as well as opening up new markets for New York farm products.
 
During the past two years, agriculture has been under additional economic pressures with low commodity and milk prices and rising labor costs. 

The governor has been quick to highlight when times are good for the agricultural economy, but new numbers just released by National Agricultural Statistics Service show the value of farm production in New York dropped by a billion dollars in 2015 to $5.33 billion. 
 
That is a significant loss in farm income, and anecdotally Farm Bureau members are saying that farm income will likely drop even further when 2016 numbers are released.
 

Fisher

“The 16 percent drop in farm income highlights why it is imperative that New York Farm Bureau advocate for common sense laws, regulations and tax policies that support the state’s family farms,” said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President, in a press conference call with reporters Jan. 25.
 
The first priority for the organization is to enact a refundable investment tax credit for farmers. Because of the down farm economy and the weather-related crop losses many farmers experienced last year, farmers are extremely short on cash flow and many do not have the savings to reinvest back into their businesses. 
This initiative would incentivize farm investment to meet the needs of global competition.
 
“It is important for farms and the rural economy, that farmers stay on top of equipment needs, structural repairs and new technology in order to meet consumer demands and business needs.  We cannot let our farm infrastructure take a hit during an economic downturn,” said Fisher.
 
Another top priority is doubling the minimum wage tax credit for farms, from $30 million to $60 million. The first step of the wage hike climbed at the beginning of the year on its way to $15 for farms on Long Island and $12.50 for Upstate farmers. 
 
New York Farm Bureau led the way in opposition to the hike last year, resulting in a $250 tax credit per employee for this first year of the increase. That will cover only a small fraction of what it will cost family farms to implement the wage hike.
 
The minimum wage increase will also push all wages up across the board, including for those who currently make well above the minimum. The average farm wage in New York is around $12.40/hour.
 
“Farms cannot just increase their prices to make up for that growing gap,” Fisher said. “They have to compete against farms in neighboring states and around the world.  If the state is going to force a higher wage on farms, they should be prepared to offer greater assistance, especially when farm income is down 16 percent.”
 
Securing state money for critical farm programs is also a top priority for New York Farm Bureau. The governor included a number of positive things in his budget plan, which will be beneficial to agriculture. This includes strong funding for the Environmental Protection Fund, which will assist farms with water quality, conservation and farmland protection programs.
 
There is also money to support agricultural education and FFA programs that will assist in job and skills training to meet future employment demands in agriculture.
 
New York Farm Bureau also will work with the legislature and governor to restore important funding for things like research, technical assistance and promotion dollars that support the diversity of New York’s farms. In addition, the organization is hopeful the governor’s $2 billion plan to improve the state’s water infrastructure and water quality will include significant money for conservation projects on farms across the state.
 
“New York Farm Bureau has pushed for this important investment with the administration. It will improve on our strong record of environmental stewardship in New York,” said Fisher.
 
The buy local movement continues to grow across the state, and New York Farm Bureau believes New York residents should not be the only ones to turn to their farmers first. The state of New York should do so as well.
 
That leads to the organization’s fourth priority, advocating for legislation that will provide a procurement preference for New York grown food for state institutional purchasing. This would be for food served in universities, prisons and other New York state-run facilities. 
 
There has been a greater focus on procurement by the administration, but we believe more should be done to make New York products a priority.
 
“This will this open up new markets for New York’s farmers. For only pennies more, the state can support its farmers and get more fresh, local food into the state system,” said Jeff Williams, New York Farm Bureau’s Public Policy Director.
 
Finally, another top priority for farmers is a state tax credit for donations of locally grown food by farmers to food banks. The governor has vetoed this bill twice. While he expressed support for the idea, his major objection was that the legislature passed it outside of the budget. New York Farm Bureau is asking the governor to fund it this time around.
 
The tax credit would be for 25 percent of the wholesale value of the donated food and no more than $5,000 per farm. The impact to the overall budget will be quite small in comparison to the $152 billion spending plan. We estimate it would be around $700,000.  

However, its impact will be far reaching.
 
“It will help farmers offset a portion of the costs of picking, packing and transporting the food to regional food banks.  More importantly, it will allow more locally-sourced food to be shared with those in need all over the state,” said Williams.
 
In 2016, farmers donated more than 13 million pounds of food to their regional food banks, which is more than 10 million meals. This is a new record for the state’s farmers and demonstrates their generosity.  However, the “Farm to Food Bank” bill would incentivize even greater food donations and that record number would climb even higher.
 
New York Farm Bureau establishes its priorities every year. Members of 52 county Farm Bureaus voice their opinions and vote on public policy resolutions at the county level.
 
Those make their way to the state Annual Meeting each December where farmer delegates cast their votes that determine the organization’s positions on legislative issues. The state Board of Directors then establishes the priorities for the year.

Cuomo Vetoes Tax Break for Farmers Who Donate Food to Food Banks

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a bill that would have provided a tax break for farmers who donate food  to food banks.

According to the Associated Press, farmers already donate millions of pounds of food every year, but say the credit of up to $5,000 annually would reduce the costs of harvesting and transporting surplus crops that would otherwise go to waste.

The veto came the night before Giving Tuesday, a global day which kicks off the charitable giving season. 

The Hunger Action Network of New York State has made the bill a priority, saying it will address a growing hunger problem around the state. It's also supported by environmentalists and agriculture groups who say it will reduce food waste and help poor New Yorkers get access to healthy fruits and vegetables.

New York Farm Bureau was disappointed with the veto.

“During this season of giving, New York Farm Bureau is profoundly disappointed in Governor Cuomo’s veto of a bill that would encourage greater farmer food donations to people in need across the state," said New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton. 

"The bill would have established a food donation tax credit up to 25 percent of the wholesale price of the food, not to exceed $5,000 annually per farmer. This would help offset the cost of labor, packaging and transportation to get the food to regional food banks," he said.

"The bi-partisan bill passed by the legislature and information provided to the governor since, have addressed the governor’s concerns in his veto message, which was nearly identical to his 2015 veto message," Norton said. The AP states in a previous story that Cuomo vetoed the bill last year because lawmakers didn't include it in the budget.

"Last year, New York’s farmers donated approximately 13 million pounds of food to regional food banks through the Harvest for All program, and next week during our State Annual Meeting, we will announce the impressive total for 2016," Norton said. 

"While the generosity of farmers is well established in New York, we are only left to wonder how many additional people could have fresh, local food on their dinner plates in the future if the governor had supported this bill," Norton said.
"New York Farm Bureau urges the governor to propose a solution in his Executive Budget that will resolve any issues he has with the bill,” Norton said.

Getting Serious About Food Waste

Cool story about food waste.

Go to http://wrvo.org/post/its-time-get-serious-about-reducing-food-waste-feds-say to check it out.

Take a Selfie at the Butter Sculpture; Help Needy Families Get Milk

There are two days left to the Great New York State Fair.

Remember, if you take a selfie in front of the butter sculpture while holding your ice cold milk from the Rainbow Milk Bar, you will help make a donation to area food banks so needy families can get milk to serve at home.

Go to http://www.adadc.com/sports-nutrition.html for more information.

2015 Butter Sculpture Unveiled at the New York State Fair

"Thanks for the Milk, Moo York," the 2015 New York State Fair butter sculpture

You can call this “Great American Milk Drive – Part Two.”

This year’s New York State Fair butter sculpture was unveiled Wednesday morning and it is a thank you for everyone throughout New York who has donated milk to needy families through the Great American Milk Drive.

The sculpture is called “Thanks for the Milk, Moo York.” The 2014 State Fair sculpture kicked off the Great American Milk Drive, which resulted in more than 22,000 gallons of milk being donated in the state.

Made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter from O-At-Ka Milk in Batavia, the sculpture shows a dairy farmer, milk processor and retailer each holding gallons of milk. There also are key New York state elements behind them, such as Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty and the Carrier Dome.

The sculpture is one of the most popular sites to visit during the 12-day New York State Fair. It is in the Dairy Products Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes.

The fair opens Thursday, Aug. 27 and goes through Labor Day, Sept. 7. This is the 47th annual butter sculpture at the state fair.

“We live in one of the top producing milk states in the country, yet many families aren’t getting the nutritious, wholesome milk they want to provide for their children,” said dairy farmer Sarah Noble-Moag, of Pavilion. “The Great American Milk Drive helps draw attention to that need and makes it easy for people to donate, both in store and on line,” she said.

This is the 13th year artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton, of Conshohocken, Pa., have worked on the sculpture. This is probably the tallest sculpture they have done, since the top of one of the milk bottles in the piece is only about a quarter inch from the top of the butter sculpture’s refrigerated room.

“It’s 77 inches high,” Ms. Pelton said. "In 2012, the sculpture about Greek yogurt during the summer of the Olympics was 2 inches below the grate.”

As part of the Great American Milk Drive and thanking people for their previous donations, the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, which sponsors the butter sculpture, also is asking people to donate extra quarters when they buy their cup of milk at the fair’s Rainbow Milk Bar.

The additional donations will go toward purchasing milk for food banks and food pantries so needy families can obtain milk. The Rainbow Milk Bar also is in the Dairy Products Building and serves delicious, cold glasses of white or chocolate milk for 25 cents.

The Dairy Association and Dairy Council also is conducting an Instagram Selfie Contest to help spread the word about the need for milk donations. Take a selfie in front of the butter sculpture with your cup of milk from the Rainbow Milk Bar and tag it “givemilktoo.”

Each day of the fair, one winner will be selected to receive a $50 gift card for dairy products and a $50 donation will be made to a local food bank to help it purchase milk.

One second prize winter will win an Apple Watch. And one grand prize winner will receive an Ultimate Buffalo Bills Fan Weekend package, including access to pre-game practice, an overnight hotel stay in Buffalo and four club tickets to watch the Bills take on the Houston Texans.

Go to www.adadc.com for more contest information.

Price Chopper To Match "Great American MIlk Drive" Donations at its Stores

The Great American Milk Drive comes to Price Chopper supermarkets this week with a special event planned for today (June 16).

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball is visiting the Price Chopper on Altamont Avenue in Schenectady to publicize the milk drive campaign. 

At Price Chopper's 135 stores, tear pads for $2 and/or $4 donation are available on the dairy cases adjacent to the milk. Shoppers can bring a tear page to the checkout to make a donation. Donations benefit the Feeding America Food Banks so low-income people can obtain milk when they visit area food banks.

Price Chopper will match all donations made at its stores up to $10,000.

More than 22 million children may miss out on milk’s nutrition in the summer months when schools are closed and they lose access to free or reduced-price meal programs. This summer, America’s dairy farmers and milk companies are on a mission to bring more fresh, nutritious milk to children in need.

Feds Feed Families Food Drive Underway

This news comes from the USDA:

Tuesday was the kickoff for the 5th annual Feds Feed Families Campaign.

The campaign is an annual food drive in which federal employees throughout the country collect food for distribution by food banks and shelters. In the past four years, federal government employees around the country have donated over 15 million pounds of food through the Feds Feed Families campaign. 

The Feds Feed Families program started in 2009 and has been managed on an annual basis by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will lead the effort in collaboration with managers from agencies across the government. The 2013 food drive officially began on June 1 and will run through August 28.

All Federal agencies across the country participate in the campaign and federal employees are asked to donate non-perishable food items throughout the summer. Those interested in additional information on the Feds Feed Families campaign can email fedsfeedfamilies@usda.gov. Questions and inquiries can also be directed by phone to (202) 260-8953.