On Jan. 15 New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher of Madrid lauded the agriculture priorities touched upon by Governor Kathy Hochul in her Tuesday State of the State address, but said, “there remains work to be done.”
Fisher said that the “New York Farm Bureau appreciates Governor Hochul’s support of New York agriculture in the State of the State, which includes proposals that would support farmers, such as extending the refundable investment tax credit, funding for the Dairy Modernization Program grants, lowering utility costs, and payments to farmers impacted by tariffs.
He added, “While this is a great step in the right direction, there remains work to be done. We look forward to working with the governor and the legislature to ensure that legislation passed this year paves the way for a bright future for the farming community in the state.”
A representative from the Farm Bureau listed some of the following proposals in a summary of State of the State materials directly affecting New York farmers, including extending the refundable investment tax credit, providing another round of funding for Dairy Modernization Program grants, increasing support for Agri-Business Child Development (ABCD) Centers, and providing $30 million in direct payments to specialty crop growers, livestock producers and dairy farmers impacted by tariffs via the Agricultural Resiliency Against Tariffs Program.
Other agriculture-friendly proposals mentioned in Hochul’s address include funding to help improve food storage infrastructure at food banks and pantries, providing funding for infrastructure improvement at county fairs, and creation of the Sun and Soil Program, which builds on existing state-supported research and demonstration projects that show how solar panels can be co-located with active farming.