Albany, NY – Legislative Agriculture Chairs, Assemblymember Donna Lupardo and Senator Michelle Hinchey, highlighted some of the details from Governor Hochul’s proposed budget for agriculture this year. Overall, the budget proposal provides a good foundation as budget negotiations get underway.

Highlights from the Executive Budget proposal include:

• $30M in direct payments to New York specialty crop growers, livestock producers, and dairy farmers to help offset rising costs caused by federal tariffs.
• An extension of the refundable investment tax credit to 2030.
• $15M for another round of the NYS Dairy Farm Modernization Grant Program administered by Farm and Food Growth Fund Inc. This program supports farms and agricultural marketing cooperatives in expanding on-farm milk storage capacity, improving efficiencies, and investing in milk transfer systems, cooling technologies, and other opportunities for dairy farmers to transport or store their products.
• An increase in commitment to the state’s Agri-Business Child Development Centers, a network of 13 centers that provide childcare, nutritious meals, and family support services for children of farmers.
• Plans to establish New York as the “State of Cider” by marketing the orchards, tasting rooms, and food experiences as tourist destinations for visitors across the country.
• Plans to establish a statewide network of programs and assets focused on developing the industrial hemp pipeline, with an end goal of constructing a facility for both manufacturing and construction as well as a workforce training center.
• Creation of the Sun and Soil Program to increase options for farmers to benefit from the integration of solar energy development on their land while maintaining valuable land assets. The program builds on existing State-supported research and demonstration projects that show how solar panels can be co-located with active farming.

Other proposed investments include a sustained $1.4M in funding for FarmNet, a Cornell-run program that provides critical mental health support and financial counseling for farmers, an increase in funding for Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and funding for several of Cornell’s legacy research and development programs, including berry, honey bee, hard cider, and golden nematode research. Funding for Taste NY, Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Controls, Farmland Protection, and Farmer’s Markets Resiliency Grants, as well as capital programs for the State Fair and school kitchen retrofits are also included.

Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, said, “Significant resources are needed to address the many challenges facing NY’s farm economy. The Governor’s budget proposal provides a good starting point for negotiations, adding new investments and supporting many ongoing initiatives. We will, however, look to restore funding for programs that many parts of the industry count on, along with discussing new opportunities to support all aspects of NY’s food supply chain.

Senator Michelle Hinchey, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said, “Agriculture is one of the most important drivers of New York’s statewide economy and the backbone of our food system. The Governor’s Executive Budget is a good starting point, and in the months ahead, we will build on it to reach a final agreement that invests in the research, development, and programs needed to protect New York farms and food supply chains, while advancing opportunities to help these businesses stay resilient and profitable.”

As budget negotiations continue, Assemblywoman Lupardo and Senator Hinchey will work to restore cuts proposed by the Governor in her Executive Budget and advocate for additional supports for agricultural resiliency, research and development, and education and outreach. Amidst an onslaught of federal funding freezes and cuts, the Legislators will push for an enacted budget that continues the strong state investment in the agricultural sector over the last several years.