Bill Magee
Bill Magee

Magee: State budget invests in agriculture

Assemblyman Bill Magee (D-Nelson) announced that he helped pass the 2018-19 state budget, which makes a significant investment in agriculture and supports farmers and farm workers.

“Farmers work hard every day to provide our families with fresh, nutritious food and help our economy grow,” Magee said. “This budget provides much-needed funding to ensure farmers keep growing and New York’s agriculture industry stays the cream of the crop.”

As chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Magee fought to ensure the budget invests in key programs to help farmers grow their business. The budget increases funding for agriculture programs by $1.5 million over last year for a total of $34.4 million – an increase of $13 million over the executive’s proposal. This includes over $1.2 million for Cornell University’s PRO-DAIRY program, which for the past 30 years has offered educational programs that connect dairy farmers with agribusiness professionals to promote competition and sustainability in the dairy industry. The budget also provides $1.9 million for the New York Farm Viability Institute, along with $370,000 in funding for the Dairy Profit Teams. The program works with farmers to identify priority areas and make recommendations for improvements. Further, the budget provides $200,000 for Salmonella Dublin Research conducted by Cornell University to prevent salmonella outbreaks and protect livestock and milk quality.

The budget also provides $200,000 for Hard Cider Research and $300,000 for Concord Grapes Research, as well as increased funding for the Brewers Association, the Distillers Guild and the Cider Association to promote the growth of the New York’s craft beverage industry. Additionally, the budget includes $5 million for capital improvements at local fairs.

“The success of New York’s agriculture industry depends on cultivating new opportunities for our farmers and growers,” Magee said. “Farmers put their blood, sweat and tears into the land and they can always count on me to protect the programs and funding that help them branch out.”

By martha

One thought on “Magee: State budget invests in agriculture”
  1. We are SO fortunate to have a man of Bill Magee’s character and expertise in Albany. Delighted he’s running again! We’ve got to make sure he wins!

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