Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I-Lyons) recently stood with his colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, members of the New York State Farm Bureau and farmers from across New York to fight back against a crippling proposal to require farm worker overtime at 40 hours a week. Manktelow, a lifelong farmer, is warning that this regulation would devastate the already stressed New York farming community and, if it is accepted, would spell the end of family farms as we know them across the state.

“This proposal is deadly,” Manktelow said. “It’s that simple. Mother Nature doesn’t care about a 60-hour work week. We farm when we can farm and we work when we can work. No farmer wants this change, and most farm workers don’t want this change. It’s foolhardy, dangerous and would devastate family farms that are already struggling. Misguided downstate legislators simply cannot be allowed to destabilize the biggest industry in the state. The adage holds true— no farms, no food.”