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Farmers gather in Albany today to push state farm bureau agenda

Posted 3/6/12

Farmers from every part of New York State converged on Albany today to push the New York State Farm Bureau agenda. Their emphasis is on business: they want to make the case that “a better business …

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Farmers gather in Albany today to push state farm bureau agenda

Posted

Farmers from every part of New York State converged on Albany today to push the New York State Farm Bureau agenda.

Their emphasis is on business: they want to make the case that “a better business environment will strengthen agriculture and in turn fuel job creation on Long Island and across upstate New York,” a statement from the NYFB said.

One concern that the Farm Bureau wants to bring to legislators’ attention is the 10 percent property tax cap on agricultural land assessments, as opposed to the two percent cap on other property.

“Currently farmers are paying the highest property taxes per acre in the country,” said, of New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton. “This has to end. Every other property owner in our State is covered by a 2 percent cap−so why not farmers? This is fundamentally a fairness issue, because the tax code must not be allowed to discriminate against anyone−leastwise the farmers who are feeding our state and our nation.”

The NYFB statement notes that state Sen. Patty Ritchie, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, recently introduced S6609, a bill aimed at addressing the disparity.

Ritchie is a Republican from Heuvelton representing the 48th Senate District.

The Farm Bureau also endorses the “Let New York Farm Act,” sponsored in the Senate by Ritchie.

The bill combines reductions in “unfriendly” farm fees with efforts to eliminate duplicative paperwork and red tape, according to the NYFB. It is one of their top legislative priorities this session.

The New York Farm Bureau is the state’s largest agricultural lobbying and trade organization.