Deadline Extended for Ritchie's Farm Family Survey

A column from state Sen. Patty Ritchie:

New York's farmers work hard to bring the best quality products to their neighbors, tables and kitchens around the state and world.   

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I know it’s important to get feedback from hardworking farmers to identify ways the state can assist in helping to provide them with new opportunities to expand their businesses.

  

In an effort to help support farmers and their operations, I recently launched a “Farm Family Survey” that seeks input on a number of issues, including milk prices, the impact of recent weather and farm expenses that the state could help in offsetting, among others.

The deadline to participate in this survey has been extended to Aug. 31. Those interested in completing a survey can visit my website, ritchie.nysenate.gov, or have one mailed to you by calling my office at (315) 782-3418.

My Farm Family Survey builds on my past efforts to support New York farmers. Earlier this year, I worked for record funding in the new state budget for agriculture — for the third year in a row — totaling $51 million for dozens of programs that seek to bolster the bottom lines of farmers across the state and here in Central and Northern New York.

New York’s farmers are critically important when it comes to providing people with fresh, healthy foods, as well as to supporting our state’s economy. Your feedback on my survey is essential to providing me with the information I need to better advocate for our state’s farmers and help our state’s agriculture industry thrive for generations to come.

Cow's Milk -- Still the Gold Standard

Check out this http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/28/got-milk-kind-you-should-drinking/98322592/ story from USA Today.

NY Congress Members Introduce Family Farm Relief Act

From the Watertown Daily Times:

Rep. Elise Stefanik, left, and Rep Chris Collins

Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, Erie County, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, Essex County, have introduced the Family Farm Relief Act of 2017, legislation to move the H-2A Agricultural Visa program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture to better meet the unique labor needs of farmers and agricultural businesses.
 
“The last thing our farmers need is for the federal government to make it harder for them to make ends meet,” said Collins. “Access to a willing and available labor force is absolutely critical for Western New York’s agriculture community, particularly our dairy farmers. I am proud to join my colleague Congresswoman Stefanik in introducing this common-sense legislation to streamline and improve the H-2A visa program.”
 
“Agriculture is the backbone of our North Country economy and I am pleased to introduce this important bill to address the labor shortages facing our farmers,” said Stefanik. “When I travel the district speaking with our farmers, I often hear about how unnecessary delays in worker visas lead to difficulty meeting production goals. This commonsense legislation simply puts the H-2A agricultural visa program in the hands of those who best understand the specific needs of our farms.”
 
“Immigration reform that allows for both seasonal and year round farm labor has been a longtime priority for New York Farm Bureau. For too long, the federal H2A guest visa program has been cumbersome, prone to delays and too rigid to fit the needs of both farmers and their employees,” said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher.
 
The Family Farm Relief Act of 2017 takes practical measures such as allowing visa applicants to fill out H-2A applications on paper or online, requiring a user-friendly online system, and ending burdensome requirements on advertising and prevailing practice surveys.
 
The current H-2A visa program is unworkable, especially for the dairy farms across our nation.  The H-2A visa program does not currently provide a category for year-round livestock workers, including dairy. This has caused difficulties for dairy farms that need employees year-round. This legislation addresses this oversight, by creating an H-2A category for these workers.
 
Additionally, the proposed law also allows farm cooperatives and other agricultural associations to apply for workers for their members, makes the program more workable for dairy and other livestock operations, and requires reporting to Congress if delays occur in the H-2A Visa application process.

Press Conference Today on Future of NYS Farming

State Sen. Patricia Ritchie, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, will be joined at 1 p.m. today by members of the Senate Republican Conference to make an announcement about a new initiative to preserve family farms.

The press conference is at 1 in Room 124 of the State Capitol. Ritchie and the Republicans also will be joined by many young farmers and leaders in the agriculture industry.

The new initiative is aimed at preserving family farms, encouraging the next generation of young farmers and strengthening the ag industry in New York state.

The news conference will be livestreamed at http://www.livestream.com/nysenate4

        

What Can We Learn from Small Family Farms in the U.S.?

Check out this story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/what-we-can-learn-from-fa_b_4347018.html at this link.

Farm Families at the Erie County Fair

A farm family talks about its job at the Erie County Fair near Buffalo.

Go to http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Farming-Families-219432821.html to see the story.

Two Food Organizations Say Family Farms are the Key to Alleviate Worldwide Hunger

OK, family farmers out there.

What do you think of this -- http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/06/5626711/food-tank-and-fao-indicate-family.html

Let me know if this makes sense to you and if the ideas are sound.