Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie), ranking Minority member on the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, is once again pushing for a more concerted approach to supporting New York’s agriculture industry following a report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that reveals that despite $8.5 billion in gross income from New York farmers in 2022, New York continues to see a decline in farms and acres of farmland—the exact problem Tague has been raising in state government.

The report shows that between 2017 and 2022, 4,887 farms were shuttered in New York. This rate of farm and farmland loss is greater than nearly every other state in the U.S. and all of New York’s neighboring states, aside from Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“It’s incredibly disappointing and frustrating because this is the exact problem I’ve been trying to warn this state of since I was elected in 2018,” Tague said. “1,728 acres of farmland were reclassified for solar electric generation facilities. We simply cannot afford to sacrifice farmland for green energy fields at the rate that we are. It’s unsustainable.”

Tague attended a New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee meeting on Nov. 13 where he questioned New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball on this very issue, with the issues of commodity prices, grant allocation, health of the land and labor pressures being the principal topics. Commissioner Ball’s response seemed out of step with the recommendations of Comptroller DiNapoli.

“It often seems the answers we hear from the state’s agriculture department are incongruous with the reality presented by the state comptroller’s office. I don’t think it’s radical to say that we risk our long-term economic, labor and agricultural health with the loss of farmland for green energy directives. Like Mr. DiNapoli says, and like I’ve said for seven years now, we need to support farmers more. We need to foster an environment that is agriculture friendly. Because if we don’t have farms, we don’t have food,” Tague concluded.