“New York Farm Bureau understands the dire straits that New
York State is facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deficits are real,
not only for the expected projections for state government, but also for New
York’s farmers who are seeing drastic drops in their customer base and
commodity prices because of the virtual shutdown of our economy.
The final budget deal is about as good as we could expect
during these times. Many of the important budget lines that support research,
environmental compliance, marketing and promotion remain intact and are
appreciated. There are also much needed updates to the recently enacted farm
labor law that address fixes New York Farm Bureau was seeking, including
clarification for family and salaried employees. However, some of the requests
to address serious financial needs on farms that we were hopeful would make the
final budget only weeks ago, like the refundable investment tax credit for
farms, are no longer in it. Farms and agricultural businesses are in great need
and we hope that New York State will continue to work with us to support our
farms and food system, that are clearly essential in good times and bad.”
