Ask any farmer: Farming is almost never easy. The days are long, Mother Nature can be unpredictable, and forces outside our control often affect our already narrow profit margins. But we continue to farm, because we love the land, we love to provide for our friends and neighbors, and we love to eat what we grow.
Farmers are some of the most resilient people I know, but it seems the challenges associated with farming are even more difficult to overcome than ever. That’s why it is essential for New York Farm Bureau to remain the voice of agriculture for New York State. Every day, we advocate for our members on issues at the state and federal levels. Every day, we face new challenges, but we remain steadfast in protecting our members. Every legislative victory counts.
Recently, NYFB released our state and federal legislative priorities. In doing so, we had a dual focus in mind: to protect the livelihoods of farmers and to strive to make food accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers.
State priorities
As Governor Kathy Hochul, the Assembly and the Senate work to finalize the state budget, we continue to have a seat at the table to outline our budget asks and to underscore why each item we’ve prioritized is critical to our livelihoods. While we won’t receive our top-dollar asks in every category, we will likely see measurable success in several important areas, including:
· Extending the Farm Workforce Retention Tax Credit for five years
· Increasing the funding in the Farmworker Housing Revolving Loan fund
· Securing funding for Cornell CALS, including $750,000 for the Cornell University Ruminant Center and increased funding for the Pro-Dairy program
· Revising the Farm Employer Overtime Tax Credit to allow farmers who use a corporate entity to claim the tax credit
· Making farmworker housing eligible for the Investment Tax Credit
· Supporting funding to pay off the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund Debt
I can’t stress enough the importance of funding for agricultural research, especially for the Cornell CALS program. As of yet, CALS infrastructure and operating funds have not been included in the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets, but NYFB fully supports these initiatives and will keep advocating for them. We must give high priority to sound science as we forge ahead with new technology and efficient farming solutions.
Federal priorities
NYFB has been an active participant in discussions with high-level government officials in Washington, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Each day under the new administration seems to bring changes — and with them, challenges — but we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the interests of farmers in New York and across the nation. On that note, we have prioritized:
Reforming labor/immigration laws to include an expansion of the H2-A program to year-round workers and rolling back Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) methodology.
· Extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as many provisions expire this year; reducing pass-through tax rates and expanded brackets; continuing the 20% business income deduction (Section 199A); continuing unlimited bonus depreciation; and increasing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) threshold for individuals.
· Getting a Farm Bill passed with NYFB priorities intact as soon as possible.
· Expanding trade opportunities and markets for our farmers.
I’d like to expand upon that last point. New York Farm Bureau has always supported fair trade practices, but we must make our position clear: we will not support tariffs that are harmful to our members or to agriculture in general. Recently, we crafted this statement, which was shared with the media:
“New York Farm Bureau stands with our farmers and agricultural partners in opposition to new and/or increased tariffs that negatively impact farmers in New York. These tariffs will not only directly affect the already slim profit margin for many of our members, but they will also affect consumers as prices rise to meet increased production costs. The imposition of a 25% tariff on aluminum, together with ending exemptions on steel exported to the United States, has a potentially devastating impact on the farming industry — affecting everything from producers of craft beer to purchasers and manufacturers of farm structures, equipment and vehicles. While we remain committed to working with President Trump’s administration to protect our farmers, we respectfully ask for a reconsideration of these tariffs in light of the grave economic impact they will have on agriculture in New York and across the nation.”
Our concerns about tariffs are further heightened by the retaliatory tariffs already happening. While many conversations about tariffs focus on U.S. exports, we need to also remember the devastating impact these tariffs can have on imports to America.
As of 2023, the United States is a net agricultural importer. There are many reasons for this sea change, not the least of which is the loss of about 150,000 farms in the past 10 years, including several thousand farms here in New York. That means American farmers cannot always meet demand, which in turn affects food availability and accessibility.
And, according to USDA research, the robust increase in U.S. demand for imports has been largely driven by consumer preferences for year-round produce selections, and foreign production that is increasingly competitive with domestically grown produce. The chart below illustrates the shift from the typical net-export status of U.S. agriculture to net-import status.
Further, USDA research shows that the value of U.S. agricultural imports grew by a compounded annual growth rate of 5.8 percent from fiscal years 2013 to 2023. Typically, at least half the value of U.S. agricultural imports was in horticultural products — a broad category including fruits, vegetables, spirits, wine, essential oils, tree nuts and nursery stock. The chart below illustrates the steady growth in U.S. agricultural imports in these categories.
At NYFB, we continue to seek a regulatory environment that enables farmers and ranchers to feed a growing population while remaining environmentally and economically sustainable. One way to support farms and bolster the agricultural industry is through creating new international markets. This, however, is why tariffs — and, subsequently, retaliatory tariffs — could negatively impact agriculture, as retaliatory tariffs would mean increased costs for our farmers when their products are exported.
All of this means we must make our voices heard, especially when decisions in Washington affect our bottom line. Our farmers’ livelihoods depend on it.
The post Navigating Agriculture in Challenging Times appeared first on EMPIRE REPORT NEW YORK 2025® NEW YORK’S 24/7 NEWS SITE.
