Farmers in the Empire State are fighting what they see as burdensome state regulations that stifle production and limit farm profits.
For the past several years, parts of New York’s farm economy have been financially unsteady. A major part of this instability has been the result of dairy sector price fluctuations that have driven many dairy farmers out of business and have eaten into the profits of others.
According to some farmers, however, a major problem in the state’s farm sector is overregulation. “The governor himself wants to grow our dairy production. It that’s what you want to do, let’s take away some of the barriers to doing it,” said Jefferson County Ag Coordinator Jay Matteson.
Farmers are objecting to environmental regulations, labor regulations, some food safety regulations, and other examples of government red tape that they feel stifles production.
“I really do think we can be successful if we do our job the right way and if we continue to get the response that we’ve had so far,” State Senator Patrick Gallivan said. “We’ve got people who’ve come to these hearings very well prepared and our providing us with details of their business, their industry.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer