News stories tagged with "cplv"

(07/17/08) New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is launching an investigation into a wind power developer in Clinton and Franklin counties. The probe will examine alleged conflicts of interest between Noble Environmental Power and local officials. David Sommerstein reports.

(06/05/08) The deadline for the North Country's 4,500 farmers to be counted in the census of agriculture is next Friday. The census will help shape farm policy for the next five years. David Sommerstein reports.

(01/30/08) Today we continue our occasional series on growing, cooking, and eating locally, Local Flavor, with some good news. A recent study of North Country agriculture finds the industry strong. Cornell University researcher Duncan Hilchey says farm income is up, foreclosures are down, and the dairy industry is stabilizing. The region still loses about 50 farms a year, but the composition of the farms that remain is changing. Fruit and vegetable farms are up 6%. Lamb and sheep producers are up 18% and orchards are up 13%. Hilchey is a senior extension associate for Cornell's Community and Rural Development Institute. He told David Sommerstein that North Country farms are diversifying to survive.

(01/29/08) Agriculture is one of New York's biggest industries, generating more than $3 billion annually. Once a reliable mix of dairy, orchards, and row crops, farming in New York is changing fast, with new opportunities and challenges. The state is building a wholesale market in New York City to connect downstate consumers with Upstate farms. A new office of organic produce is trying to help farmers' meet the growing demand for healthy, locally-grown food. And New York is investing in biofuel research. Meanwhile, farmers have been thrust into the middle of the illegal immigration debate, fearing raids on their increasingly Hispanic workforce. A plan to ban open burning statewide would force farmers to find new ways to throw out their bale wraps and other plastics. David Sommerstein sat down recently with Agriculture Commissioner Pat Hooker to look at the farm agenda for 2008. Hooker came to state government last year after more than a decade representing the industry as the New York Farm Bureau's policy director. He says he's very excited about the promise of alternative energies and biofuels for farmers...