AGRICULTURE

PRIMARY POINTS:

Assistance for small farms to stay afloat against Co-Ops and "corporate" farming.
Incentivize growth of "green products" such as hemp.
Secure the survivability of local farms and farm related businesses.

The following are a combination of my ideas and solutions created through collaborative discussion with agricultural professionals, scientists, local farmers, and residents of this 117th Assembly District.

The ideas and solutions discussed here are not final and will always be fluid and will change with the needs of the people of this district before the needs and wants of political parties.

Please feel free to add your insight via the SOLUTIONS DISCUSSION below.

DETAILED SOLUTIONS:

Agriculture is one of the main ways of life here in Northern New York and the North Country. It is one of the primary sources of employment in the region and provides goods to the rest of the state, nation, and world.

Farmers and Farmhands (farm workers) need safeguarding. The volatile economy is in a fragile state currently and the State needs to ensure that they do everything possible to keep farms afloat. I would propose legislation that would ensure the safety of our farms. I would make sure that we make provisions to help small farms as well as large; ones that are part of co-ops and that aren't. This legislation would ensure State assistance to ensure that farms of all sizes are assisted and able to compete.

I would be making a huge push to grow hemp as a paper and plastic replacement for the good of the environment and as such would look to incentivize the growth of hemp by local farmers. This would also tie into new business opportunities in the district and region as I would work for having the processing and production factories for hemp built locally as well.