Former county supervisor warns nation could face hunger in 20 years
NORWICH – Chenango County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board Chairman Don Franklin said if things don’t improve for the ag industry soon, the entire country could lack enough food in about 20 years.
“If we don’t keep ag viable ... if we don’t, I’m afraid to say that in 20 years down the road we are going to be facing a problem that we’ve never faced before. It’s going to be hunger,” he said.
Franklin is a former farmer and once served as a county supervisor. He was on hand at a meeting of the Agriculture, Buildings and Grounds Committee on Monday to ramp up support for two resolutions that would urge state lawmakers to support New York’s dairy farmers.
The resolutions encourage state representatives to support the Farmland Protection Program and Environmental Protection Fund and either reinstate the 1930s parity system of pricing milk back into the farm bill, or set milk pricing to reflect the real cost of production plus inflation.
Farmland Protection Funding was created in 1992 to assist towns and counties in developing and implementing local agricultural and farm land protection plans. Its funding is allocated from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a dedicated fund whose principle source is a state real estate transfer tax.
The EPF faces a $69 million cut under Gov. David A. Paterson's 2010-2011 Executive Budget. A “No Farms No Food” rally was held on Wednesday in the state’s capitol to convince the Legislature to restore funding to previous levels. Cuts to the EPF and the Department of Environmental Conservation amount to 10 percent of the $500 million being cut from all state agencies.
The two resolutions would come before the Chenango County Board of Supervisors for consideration next month.
In a discussion of farming in general, lawmakers in committee blamed several factors for the state of dairy farming today. Town of Oxford Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox, himself a farmer, said he had little faith in the government’s ability to run any program, much less in the agriculture industry. He also pointed out that farmers, as a rule, aren’t of the character to get together and fight against injustices.
“Dairy farmers have been stuck with the cost of fuel and transportation. Get the cost of transportation off the farmer. Why do I pay for a truck to stop at my place, pump (my cows’ milk) and then charge me for fuel? It’s absolutely not right. But farmers are, unfortunately, a group who will never get together and speak out.”
Franklin said he wished farmers could “do something instead of just sit here and take it.”
“The free enterprise system would work if we have consumers worried about buying products produced here,” he said. “We have to learn to produce what people need.”
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown said the best way to describe what’s happened in the U.S. agricultural industry is “the rancid history of pricing.”
Brown continued to describe how the government had failed in its effort to market milk, cheese and butter to other countries, such as to Australia and China.
Wilcox said farmers “don’t have the ability to be truly involved in the marketing process except to pay. Our solution is to always produce more milk.”
Brown said there were two things America does well: its military and its farmers.
“Nobody can beat us on these two things. Our grocery stores are the envy of the world. We are in the driver’s seat, but I don’t think we are going in the right direction.”
In other committee news, Franklin and Chenango County Planner Shane Butler recommended changing the number of agricultural districts in the county from six to three. The move would not affect landowners, he said.
Decreasing the number would make it easier for the planning department to conduct reviews that are mandated every eight years. Currently, one district is four years behind for certification and another, two years. In addition, a recent review of District 6’s designation - which encompasses Smithville, Greene and portions of Coventry - was recently rejected. An ag district has to have 51 percent viable farms compared to non-viable.
Butler said having four different planners in the county’s Planning and Development Department over the past four years has made it difficult to stay on top of review schedules.
“If we don’t keep ag viable ... if we don’t, I’m afraid to say that in 20 years down the road we are going to be facing a problem that we’ve never faced before. It’s going to be hunger,” he said.
Franklin is a former farmer and once served as a county supervisor. He was on hand at a meeting of the Agriculture, Buildings and Grounds Committee on Monday to ramp up support for two resolutions that would urge state lawmakers to support New York’s dairy farmers.
The resolutions encourage state representatives to support the Farmland Protection Program and Environmental Protection Fund and either reinstate the 1930s parity system of pricing milk back into the farm bill, or set milk pricing to reflect the real cost of production plus inflation.
Farmland Protection Funding was created in 1992 to assist towns and counties in developing and implementing local agricultural and farm land protection plans. Its funding is allocated from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a dedicated fund whose principle source is a state real estate transfer tax.
The EPF faces a $69 million cut under Gov. David A. Paterson's 2010-2011 Executive Budget. A “No Farms No Food” rally was held on Wednesday in the state’s capitol to convince the Legislature to restore funding to previous levels. Cuts to the EPF and the Department of Environmental Conservation amount to 10 percent of the $500 million being cut from all state agencies.
The two resolutions would come before the Chenango County Board of Supervisors for consideration next month.
In a discussion of farming in general, lawmakers in committee blamed several factors for the state of dairy farming today. Town of Oxford Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox, himself a farmer, said he had little faith in the government’s ability to run any program, much less in the agriculture industry. He also pointed out that farmers, as a rule, aren’t of the character to get together and fight against injustices.
“Dairy farmers have been stuck with the cost of fuel and transportation. Get the cost of transportation off the farmer. Why do I pay for a truck to stop at my place, pump (my cows’ milk) and then charge me for fuel? It’s absolutely not right. But farmers are, unfortunately, a group who will never get together and speak out.”
Franklin said he wished farmers could “do something instead of just sit here and take it.”
“The free enterprise system would work if we have consumers worried about buying products produced here,” he said. “We have to learn to produce what people need.”
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown said the best way to describe what’s happened in the U.S. agricultural industry is “the rancid history of pricing.”
Brown continued to describe how the government had failed in its effort to market milk, cheese and butter to other countries, such as to Australia and China.
Wilcox said farmers “don’t have the ability to be truly involved in the marketing process except to pay. Our solution is to always produce more milk.”
Brown said there were two things America does well: its military and its farmers.
“Nobody can beat us on these two things. Our grocery stores are the envy of the world. We are in the driver’s seat, but I don’t think we are going in the right direction.”
In other committee news, Franklin and Chenango County Planner Shane Butler recommended changing the number of agricultural districts in the county from six to three. The move would not affect landowners, he said.
Decreasing the number would make it easier for the planning department to conduct reviews that are mandated every eight years. Currently, one district is four years behind for certification and another, two years. In addition, a recent review of District 6’s designation - which encompasses Smithville, Greene and portions of Coventry - was recently rejected. An ag district has to have 51 percent viable farms compared to non-viable.
Butler said having four different planners in the county’s Planning and Development Department over the past four years has made it difficult to stay on top of review schedules.
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