With the welcoming of spring and its warm weather, the men and women of our agriculture community will once again be busy at work. Fields must be prepped, soil must be tilled, and seeds must be sowed. However, with the start of this farming season, uncertainty lingers. This year’s State Budget not only continued the trend of holding the agriculture industry hostage but added new mandates making the livelihoods of farmers even more difficult.

The initial budget offered by the Assembly Majority valued our agriculture industry so little that it halved the budget from last year. Political moves such as this are the reason there is so much animosity between the Assembly Minority and the Assembly Majority in this state. The downstate-run political regime is reckless and disrespectful enough to put out a one-house budget essentially taking half of what farmers need to continue surviving. I am happy the Majority in the Senate heard my calls to right the situation and pushed for the adequate funding our farmers deserve in the final State Budget.

Unfortunately, farmers are now faced with the task of combating the impending raise of the minimum wage and paid family leave. As far as I am concerned, these two policies are just unfunded mandates that will place undue stress on the already struggling industry. The Assembly Majority believe they have a safety measure in place by including the Farm Work Force Retention Tax Credit. Sadly, after analyzing the policy, my colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference and I have determined the tax credit is inadequate.

Paid Family Leave also will place the farmers of this state in a bind. Agriculture is an industry where every day of the workable season matters, and the maximization of a specific time period’s profits are crucial to survival. The passage of paid family leave now forces farm owners to worry about generating enough of a profit to continue operating next year. If a worker decides to take time off during the harvest season, not only must farmers worry about paying them, but also paying a replacement that will make up for the workload being lost. The Assembly Majority’s fantasies don’t apply to the real world, and I’m afraid the wonderful, hardworking men and women of this state will have to face the consequences.

I will continue to advocate for the farmers of the North Country and Mohawk Valley, because if my minority colleagues and I don’t, I’m not sure who will. I welcome your thoughts on this or any other legislative matter. Please contact me by emailing blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling my office at 315-493-3909.