(May 21, 2015) Assemblyman Bill Magee (D-Nelson) announced the passage of his legislation to help new farmers by developing an inventory of state-owned land that may be viable for farming.
Furthermore, this bill would require the state’s Agriculture Advisory Council to provide tax and financial advice to beginning farmers in order to ease the difficult process of entering the agricultural field (A.1571).
“Agriculture is an essential part of our economy, especially now that the demand for local foods has grown,” said Magee. “By educating and assisting the new generation of farmers, we can help ensure that they have the tools to grow their businesses and succeed here in Central New York.”
According to agricultural federal census data, the average age of New York farmers is steadily rising. With growing trends in the Greek yogurt and other dairy processors, new farmers will be needed to replace retiring farmers. Assemblyman Magee noted that a new farming business is extremely difficult to get off the ground. The initial process of transferring ownership and acquisition of start-up capital is complicated and measures like this will promote an environment that would encourage new farmers to make the commitment to join New York’s