North Country Ag Development Program and Farm Viability funding fully restored
Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, helped restore valuable funding for agricultural programs in the state budget in order to continue New York’s focus on long-term economic vitality for growers and producers, especially in the North Country. The final budget negotiated by the Legislature restores over $8 million that the governor cut in Aid to Localities funding for the Department of Agriculture and Markets and increases that aid by over $12 million.
“The final budget for agriculture is a great improvement compared to the initial proposal from earlier this year. I pushed for a stronger investment in agriculture so that we can continue to support valuable programs that help North Country growers and producers thrive,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
The final budget fully restores $600,000 in funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, which works towards long-term economic growth and protection of the North Country’s agricultural production sector. Funding for this program was completely cut from the governor’s proposed budget in January. The final budget also increases funding to $2.12 million for the New York Farm Viability Institute, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting research, education and market analysis for farmers across the state.
Assemblywoman Russell is the newly appointed Chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy and has been working to help restore funding for local and statewide initiatives that support agricultural development and sustainability. Russell was recently named a member of the Farm Bureau’s "Circle of Friends" in recognition of her strong support for the state's agricultural industry.
“Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to our state’s economy, and it is essential for many of our everyday needs. That’s why this funding is so critical and why we must continue working to develop new ways to expand the industry and help our communities,” Russell added.
The North Country region ranks second in the state for total agricultural sales and ranks third in total regional farm acreage. Agricultural sales in New York State in 2012 totaled over $5.4 billion, a 22 percent increase from 2007, according to a recent report from the state Comptroller.
Full list of agricultural appropriations are below.
Program
|
Amount
|
Agriculture for Child Development
|
$7,521,000
|
Cornell CORE Diagnostic Lab
|
$5,425,000
|
Farm Viability Institute
|
$1,900,000
|
Pro-Dairy
|
$1,200,000
|
Quality Milk Production Services Program
|
$1,174,000
|
Taste New York Program
|
$1,100,000
|
FarmNet
|
$1,100,000
|
Regional Food Hubs
|
$1,064,000
|
Wine and Grape Foundation
|
$1,019,000
|
Farmers NY Fund
|
$1,000,000
|
NYS Apple Growers
|
$750,000
|
Cornell Rabies Program
|
$610,000
|
Northern New York Agricultural Development
|
$600,000
|
Harvest NY
|
$600,000
|
NYS Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
|
$500,000
|
NYS Apple Research and Development Program
|
$500,000
|
Integrated Pest Management
|
$500,000
|
Local Fairs
|
$500,000
|
Farm Drain Tile Fund
|
$500,000
|
Johnes Disease
|
$480,000
|
Future Farmers of America
|
$392,000
|
NYS Cattle Health Assurance Program
|
$360,000
|
NY Farm Viability Institute for Berry Growers
|
$320,000
|
Diagnostic Laboratory for Avian diseases
|
$252,000
|
Tractor Rollover Protection Program
|
$250,000
|
NYC Animal Care and Control
|
$250,000
|
Farm to School Initiatives
|
$250,000
|
Agriculture Management Planner Programs
|
$250,000
|
Farm Viability Institute Pro-Dairy Teams
|
$220,000
|
Maple Producers Association
|
$213,000
|
Suffolk County Deer Fencing Program
|
$200,000
|
Barley and hop Field test and evaluations
|
$200,000
|
EEE treatment
|
$175,000
|
Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Fund
|
$150,000
|
NY Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Program
|
$150,000
|
Dairy Excellence Programs
|
$150,000
|
Geneva Experiment Seed Station
|
$128,000
|
Maple Research
|
$125,000
|
Christmas Tree Farmers Association
|
$125,000
|
Wood Products Development Council
|
$100,000
|
Long Island Farm Bureau
|
$100,000
|
Cornell Vegetable Research
|
$100,000
|
Cornell Precision Agriculture Study
|
$100,000
|
BOCES Agricultural Academy (Genesee- Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming)
|
$100,000
|
Agriculture in the Classroom
|
$80,000
|
Corn and Soybean Growers Association
|
$75,000
|
Cornell Association Agricultural Educators
|
$66,000
|
Golden Nematode Program
|
$62,000
|
Onion Research
|
$50,000
|
Honey Bee Research
|
$50,000
|
Island Harvest
|
$20,000
|
North Country Low-Cost Vaccine (Jefferson and SLC)
|
$25,000
|
TOTAL
|
$33,131,000
|