Assemblymember Anthony J. Brindisi (D-Utica) announced the New York Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm advocacy organization, has named him to its “Circle of Friends” list for the second year in a row for his advocacy and support of New York State’s agriculture industry.
“Not only do farmers nourish our families by putting quality, wholesome foods on our tables, they are vital to the economic well-being of our state,” Assemblymember Brindisi said. “Agriculture is a mainstay in the Mohawk Valley, and I will continue working with the Farm Bureau to ensure that local farmers are represented in state government so future generations can continue to make a living in the agriculture industry.”
New York State’s 36,300 farms produced $4.7 billion in products in 2010. In the Mohawk Valley, milk and other dairy products account for more than 60 percent of the region’s agricultural sales. Herkimer County alone has one of the state’s highest inventories of bee colonies, pigeons and squab.1
Assemblymember Brindisi has supported several key pieces of legislation aimed at helping family farmers and boosting New York’s farm economy, including:
- establishing a farm-to-senior program to promote the purchase of New York farm products by senior centers and other institutions for the aging (A.2700);
- creating a coordinating council to promote the use of New York grown products in New York (A.2701); and
- providing designations for “Dine: Pride of New York” for restaurants and “Shop: Pride of New York” for retailers and wholesalers to distinguish businesses that buy local and bring more local goods to our communities (A.2702 and A.3802).
The 2013-14 budget also contained vital funding for numerous agricultural programs, including the New York State Farm Viability Institute ($1.5 million), New York State Apple Growers Association ($1 million), New York Wine and Grape Foundation ($1 million), Dairy Profit Teams ($370,000) and the Maple Producers Association ($125,000).
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