ALBANY — New York Farm Bureau’s State Board of Directors invited its Ag Alliance and Agribusiness members to a special gathering Wednesday in Syracuse to begin a forward-thinking discussion about agriculture in the state. Each participant was tasked to discuss a major challenge and an opportunity facing their commodity members, group, or business. The goal is to find common ground on some of the major issues facing agriculture and ultimately how we can all work together to address them.
NYFB’s Ag Alliance and Agribusiness members are an important part of Farm Bureau. We share interests and work on many of the same public policy issues in Albany and Washington. Some of the challenges discussed at the roundtable included labor, regulatory burdens, and climate change. But the group of more than 50 people also focused on positive opportunities like the resiliency of the food system, new markets, and resources available to New York farms.
The two-hour meeting and luncheon were just the start of the conversation that will unfold over this year, culminating with a special New York Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting in December in Buffalo.
“I believe we can all learn from and support each other where our policy positions align. It is a partnership that can benefit everyone in this room,” said NYFB President David Fisher to the participants. “One industry working towards common interests is a powerful objective. Ultimately, we will better position ourselves to take advantage of what is coming our way.”
The Ag Alliance and Agribusiness Members in attendance included Empire State Forest Products Association, Farm Credit East, Nationwide, NY Ag Educators Association, NY Apple Association, New York Association of Agricultural Fairs, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, NY Wine and Grape Foundation, New York Wine Policy Institute, NYS Agribusiness Association, NYS Maple Producers Association, NYS Nursery and Landscape Association, NYS Turfgrass Association, NYS Vegetable Growers Association, Northeast Dairy Producers Association, and Upstate Niagara Cooperative. Those members who were invited but could not attend include Agri-Mark, Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Dairy Farmers of America, Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, Hop Growers of New York, and Howlett Farms.
–New York Farm Bureau
