WASHINGTON, D.C. – The next Farm Bill won’t be enacted until 2012, but some federal lawmakers – including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand – are already preparing to shape the legislation which will replace the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.
Last week Gillibrand, New York’s first representative on the Senate Agricultural Committee in 40 years, announced her intention of hosting “listening sessions” across the state. According to the senator, the purpose of the sessions will be to hear from farmers in agricultural communities about the issues they face.
“I want to make sure this next Farm Bill is tailored to New York,” she said, stressing the importance of the state’s 35,000 farms and the $4.5 billion they contribute to the Empire State’s economy. According to numbers released by her office, the more than 5,000 farms in the Southern Tier account for $372 million of the state’s total farm receipts, of which $65,794,000 is generated by Chenango County’s 908 farms and 177,267 acres of farmland.
The information she gathers from New York farmers will help her build a “body of evidence” to bring with her to discussions about the omnibus bill, which will define the country’s agricultural policies for the next five years. Gillibrand described the committee as dominated by regional interests rather than partisan politics. In the past, she said, the East Coast has been under-represented. But now she intends to make sure New York’s voice is heard.
“My goal with this Farm Bill is to play hard ball from the beginning,” she reported.
The New York Democrat already has a few items for her Farm Bill agenda, which she will be looking to flush out as she conducts her listening tour. They include providing ag producers with greater access to capital, addressing the dairy crisis, helping farmers access new markets, providing targeted assistance to specialty farmers and investing in clean, renewable energy.
“I want New York farmers to lead the way (to) energy independence for America,” she said, of this last initiative.
Gillibrand will begin her listening tour this month, with a visit to the Finger Lakes region. Further dates and locations will be forthcoming, according to her office.
“This is not a short term project,” the senator said. “It’s important to me that we reach out to every (farming) community.”
The New York Democrat has already come under fire from candidate David Malpass, who is challenging Gillibrand for her senate seat.
“I’m pleased to see that Senator Gillibrand recognizes the importance of agriculture as New York’s largest industry, however I’m dubious that her ‘listening tour’ will lead to any positive results for New York farmers,” Malpass stated in a press release issued last week, where he called Gillibrand’s record on other issues into question.
“New Yorkers don’t need another rhetorical listening tour like they had in 2000, they need results,” he said.