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Community members from across the state joined the Morrisville State College campus community to engage with New York\u2019s agricultural leaders during the 2018 Farm Bill Listening Tour hosted by the college Monday.<\/p>\nCommunity members from across the state joined the Morrisville State College campus community to engage with New York\u2019s agricultural leaders during the 2018 Farm Bill Listening Tour hosted by the college Monday.<\/p>\n
Morrisville State College President David Rogers provided the event\u2019s opening remarks to the packed crowd, which included Morrisville students, faculty and staff in addition to various stakeholders from throughout New York.<\/p>\n
The multi-stop listening tour provides Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his cabinet the opportunity to gather feedback from constituents within their communities regarding the 2018 New York State Farm Bill, a multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. The comments gathered on the tour will serve as the basis of the bill, helping shape the priorities for funding and policy changes in the areas of agriculture, nutrition and the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur notion is to listen to you and take back what you bring up to the governor and to our leadership in Washington,\u201d said Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball, who led Monday\u2019s session.<\/p>\n
Joining Ball was\u00a0Basil Seggos, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and Barbara Guinn, executive deputy commissioner of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The tour is hosted jointly by all three agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be here for you,\u201d Seggos said. \u201cWe want to make sure we\u2019re doing all we can to protect your livelihood.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York State\u00a0Senator David Valesky, Assemblyman William Magee and New York Farm Bureau\u00a0Associate Director of National Affairs Elizabeth Wolters\u00a0also spoke at the event, held at the hospitality suite of Morrisville State College\u2019s Athletic Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur No. 1 priority is to listen and hear your thoughts on what we can do for New York\u2019s No. 1 industry of agriculture,\u201d Magee said.<\/p>\n
One of the key areas impacted by the Farm Bill includes the growth of the industrial hemp industry. Morrisville State College has pioneered the reintroduction of hemp to New York State\u00a0after dedicating more than 80 acres of farmland for the experimentation of growing hemp as a commercial crop.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to be back at Morrisville,\u201d Ball said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just one of the best state colleges, but also a great partner with some of the best agriculture programs in the state. Thank you for your help in the hemp research program.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2018 Farm Bill,\u00a0which also impacts certain areas of study at Morrisville such as dairy, land conservation, forestry and food safety,\u00a0would replace the existing Agricultural Act of 2014, the most recent farm bill set to expire at the end of 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure it reflects the times,\u201d Ball said. \u201cWe want to keep pace with the economy and changes in agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n