New York Farm Bureau Testifies at Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Agriculture

ALBANY, NY — New York Farm Bureau (NYFB) today provided testimony at a joint legislative public hearing on the 2025 executive budget proposal at the State Capitol. Associate Director of Public Policy Kyle Wallach testified during the Agriculture & Markets/Parks & Recreation segment.

“Farmers are still facing increases in labor costs, input costs, and supply chain shortages, creating razor-thin margins. To continue to allow New York farmers to feed consumers, farmers across our state ask for legislators to create an environment that promotes and invests in the future of agriculture,” Wallach said.

While NYFB sees many bright spots in Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal, Wallach said, there are still funding gaps that need to be closed. His testimony asked the legislature for full funding of the following requests:

• $5 million in annual operations support for Cornell AgriTech and its research farms and forests stewarded throughout New York State. This funding will ensure essential maintenance for aging facilities and infrastructure challenges that threaten research momentum. Additionally, it will enable forward-thinking research to enhance the resilience of agri-food systems in areas such as climate resilient plant breeding, controlled environment agriculture, and agricultural intelligence and robotics. 

• $5 million in annual capital support for Cornell CALS, ensuring that the land-grant mission of farms and forests stewarded throughout the state can be met by repairing infrastructure, employing climate-smart agricultural practices, and demonstrating new technologies for a future-focused food system. Currently, facilities are in dire need of repair, researchers are running out of space, and farm and forest infrastructure cannot support the type of research needed.

• $3.15 million in new annual funding specifically to meet the twin goals of increased demand for milk and the NYS Climate Act. Funds would support research on new technologies todecrease methane at the Cornell University Research Center, add positions to Cornell CALS’ flagship PRO-DAIRY applied research and extension program, and create a dairy foods innovation hub designed to reduce energy intensity of dairy products and help create the next generation of dairy food products.

“Farmers have been, and will continue to be, stewards of the land because their livelihood depends on it,” Wallach said.

Wallach added that NYFB is grateful to the legislature and Gov. Hochul for the continued investment in the Nourish-NY program, He also thanked the governor for her proposed funding support and investment in the Ag in the Classroom program.

In further testimony, Wallach noted the success of the refundable investment tax credit on farm investments, from tractors and equipment to milking machinery. He recommended that the construction of new farm housing or the rehabilitation of current farm housing be included in the program.

On a parallel track, NYFB strongly supports the governor’s proposal to increase the Farmwork Housing Revolving Loan Fund (through the Division of Homes and Community Renewal) by $5 million, but Wallach added the request that the per-project cost cap be increased from $200,000 to $400,000 to reflect inflation and still-skyrocketing building costs.

Wallach also highlighted the importance of extending and increasing the current farm workforce retention tax credit that expires at the end of the calendar year. This critical tax credit is designed to help farmers deal with the ever-increasing labor costs in the state, and many farms rely heavily on the credit to keep their businesses viable.

Lastly, Wallach underscored NYFB’s strong support for funding of Universal Free School Meals in Gov. Hochul’s proposed budget.

“This funding is a priority for New York Farm Bureau because it’s the right thing to do for our school-age children and will help farmers gain another outlet for sales of their products,” he said.

-30-

New York Farm Bureau is the State’s largest agricultural lobbying/trade organization. Its members and the public know the organization as “The

Voice of New York Agriculture.” New York Farm Bureau’s mission is “Supporting today’s agricultural needs and creating member

opportunities for tomorrow through advocacy and education.”