News Briefs: December 9, 2024

Comptroller Farm Report Raises Alarms

ALBANY—A new report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that New York farmers made $8.5 billion in gross income in 2022, representing a 47.8 percent increase from 2017, but that nearly 4,900 farms went under during the same period. Between 2012 and 2022, the state lost about nine percent of its productive farmland, including about 1,700 acres, or around half the area of the 4,046-acre Otsego Lake, to new solar farms. New York is losing farmland faster than the country as a whole. In a release, DiNapoli attributed much of the loss to volatile commodity prices and extreme weather causing unpredictable market conditions, and to the 68 percent increase in hired labor expenses in the decades leading up to 2022.

Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie), ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture, announced that he will push for a more concerted state effort to support New York’s flagging agriculture sector. In a release, Tague noted that he has raised the issue to colleagues and Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball for years.

Ag. Dept. Seeks Administrators for Grant Program

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is now accepting proposals for program administrators for two grants that extend opportunities to farmers who are less likely to enter or succeed in the industry. The department seeks an eligible entity to administer the $2 million second round of the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmers Grant Program, which offers awards of $5,000.00 to $250,000.00 to break down entry barriers to the agriculture sector. For more information, visit https://agriculture.ny.gov/rfp-0322-administrator-socially-and-economically-disadvantaged-farmers-competitive-grant.