Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that the 2021-22 state budget includes major victories for the state’s agricultural industry, which was $8 million over the Executive’s original proposal for a total appropriation of over $35 million. This funding will support important programs that provide New York farmers assistance with research, marketing, finances, and mental health support. The budget also includes $50 million for the Nourish NY program which provides funding to New York food banks so they can purchase excess products, such as fruits and vegetables, from New York farmers along with surplus dairy products from New York dairy manufacturers to distribute directly to communities.

Assemblyman Jones also secured $300,000 in funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. Additionally, he secured $225,000 for the Maple Producers Association as well as an additional $50,000 for maple research by Cornell University. This critical funding that will go a long way to support North Country farmers, Jones noted.

“This funding is vitally important for not only our North Country farmers, but also for our residents,” said Jones. “This funding will allow the agriculture industry to preserve their way of life while simultaneously ensuring that North Country families have access to safe and affordable locally-grown food. I will continue to fight for funding and provisions to help our farm communities, while also safeguarding agricultural resources.”

Joseph Giroux, a Co-Chair of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program that provides farm-based research for the dairy, field crops, horticultural, maple, and livestock sectors, said, "On behalf of our farmers, families, and farm-fed communities, we thank Assemblyman Billy Jones, his colleagues on the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee, Committee Chair Donna Lupardo, our regional representatives, and all those who supported $300,000 in the State Budget for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. We especially recognize Assemblyman Jones for leading the effort to secure this funding that supports critical research related to local food production, natural resource conservation, climate adaptability for the agricultural sectors, and the economic sustainability of our rural communities."

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program was established to meet the agricultural needs in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties through a collaborative approach involving local farmers, research farms, Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The $300,000 restoration to the program will ensure continued support for farmers in northern New York. The program supports research, education and technical assistance in areas such as agriculture economic development, environmental stewardship and maple production. The shuddering of critical supply chain facilities has caused numerous setbacks, harming farm communities in the process. It’s imperative to provide North Country farmers with access to these critical programs and help them recover, noted Jones.

The $225,000 funding allocation for the Maple Producers Association as well as the additional $50,000 for maple research conducted by Cornell University will ensure that New York maple producers have a market for their products and help producers improve their business practices. New York State is home to an abundant and sustainable resource of tappable maple trees and the promotional funding for the Maple Producers Association has been instrumental in increasing consumer demand as well as educating producers on how to make value-added maple products. Furthermore, supporting the research position at Cornell University ensures that maple farmers have the necessary resources to protect their crops. Overall, the budget has included crucial funding for our maple producers to safeguard years of growth while still encouraging innovation, noted Jones.