Watertown, NY – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, hosted a roundtable discussion with local farmers and producers today as part of a statewide agriculture listening tour. Senator Gillibrand listened to concerns raised by farmers and producers to get their input on how to make the next Farm Bill as helpful as possible to the agriculture industry in the North Country.
“I’m grateful to all of the farmers and dairy producers who participated in this important and productive conversation today about agriculture in the North Country,” said Senator Gillibrand, the first Senator from New York to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years. “The next Farm Bill is still two years away, but we must address our farmers’ current problems while looking forward to make the Farm Bill as strong as possible. It is crucial that the agriculture community continues to speak out and share their concerns, and that we listen to them so that we can come up with good solutions to ensure our farms prosper. I look forward to having more conversations just like this in the months ahead.
“I applaud Senator Gillibrand for recognizing the importance of agriculture in the North Country by hosting this roundtable discussion,” said Kevin Jordan, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension. “At Cooperative Extension we are working hard locally to support the industry through some challenging times, especially for dairy producers. Addressing these challenges will require both short-term and long-term solutions. I appreciate the Senator listening to our farmers concerns and taking their recommendations back to Washington.”
“The next Farm Bill will be important to the future of agriculture in New York as it will establish federal farm policy for five years including important safety net, conservation and nutrition programs,” said Adam Miner, Jefferson County Farm Bureau Vice-President. “Today’s roundtable is valuable to understanding the needs of the farming community, including ways to address regulatory burdens at the federal level. We thank Senator Gillibrand for beginning the conversation now to find workable Farm Bill programs that will support the area’s family farms and their contributions to our rural economy.”