COVENTRY – State politicians and local agricultural advocates are hoping to draw attention to the plight of struggling dairy farmers by holding a rally at one of Chenango County’s most picturesque farms next week.
“Farmers are in a dire emergency here,” said Assemblyman Cliff Crouch (R,I-Guilford), who helped organize the event with the help of Bradd Vickers of the Chenango County Farm Bureau.
The rally will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Maple Dream Farm in Coventry. Operated by Mary Klecha-Conroe, the dairy had the honor of being named Farm of the Year by the Chenango County Soil & Water Conservation District in 2008.
According to Crouch, the purpose of the event is to let local farmers know that he and his colleagues are advocating for them in Albany and to also help bring attention to the challenges dairy producers are currently facing.
This is an issue which hits close to home for Crouch. He is not only a former dairyman himself, but for more than 10 years has represented a district, the 107th, where the largest industry is agriculture.
“I couldn’t sit back,” he said. Currently, he and his colleagues in the Assembly are working to secure a total of $150 million in emergency funding for farmers across the state who are struggling to make ends meet on milk prices far below the cost of production. Their plan calls for the use of $75 million in federal stimulus money to immediately address the plight of farmers, as well as an additional $75 million in appropriations next year. These funds would help stabilize the local economy, he said, as well as create and maintain jobs.
Both Governor David Paterson’s office and that of Secretary of Agriculture Patrick Hooker have already spoken out against the proposal, saying that using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds in this way would be “illegal.” But Crouch and other upstate Republicans aren’t giving up.
“If you don’t fight for something, you don’t get it,” Crouch said. According to the Assemblyman, the governor has the ability to “negotiate” with the federal government on the use of those funds. He also suggested that if the federal funding could not be used, that it might be possible to find the money in the current state budget by using funds allocated to projects that have not yet been realized.
“There is economic development money out there ... (And) this is the best economic development project we can look at. It’s statewide,” said Crouch, explaining that for every dollar a farmer spends is multiplied three to seven times in the local economy.
For Vickers, it is also about economics.
“This isn’t just about agriculture. ... It’s about the economy in this county and in New York State,” the Chenango County Farm Bureau president explained. “If we lose many of our dairy farms, it’s going to have repercussions on all of our communities.”
According to Vickers, he and the Farm Bureau are standing behind Crouch’s proposal.
“Here’s a stimulus package that can actually work,” he said, as it is focused on maintaining, rather than creating, jobs.
Vickers and Crouch will be joined at the rally by others who are advocating for upstate agriculture, including Assemblymen Jim Bacalles (R,C,I-Corning) and Tony Jordan (R,C-Jackson), and the presidents of the Broome and Delaware County Farm Bureaus, Scott Whittaker and Roger Hamilton.
They also anticipate a large turn out of local agricultural producers and others involved with the industry to attend. According to Crouch, a similar rally held last week in Washington County drew between 80 and 100 farmers.
The dairy rally will begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Maple Dream Farm, 122 Klecha Lane in Coventry. For more information or directions, contact the Chenango County Farm Bureau at 334-6061.