Canton, NY, Jun 17, 2013 — Dairy farmers - and their workers - have a lot at stake in the immigration debate underway in Washington.

A survey by Cornell University found that 2,600 Spanish-speaking people work on New York dairy farms. Of them, two thirds or more are here illegally. That's in part because there's no visa program for the kind of year-round workers dairy farms need.

The Senate's reform plan offers dairy farms new options for a legal supply of immigrant labor.

Undocumented Latino workers are scattered on bunches of dairy farms in the North Country. David Sommerstein spoke with some of them to see what they think of immigration reform.  Go to full article

Jun 17, 2013 — Congress remains deeply divided over the shape of immigration reform. A split within the House GOP caucus endangers any kind of new legislation.

But let's imagine for a moment that the several thousand Latinos working on dairy farms in New York and Vermont could get legal working papers.

How would that change the region's rural communities?

Tom Maloney of Cornell University has been talking with dairy farmers and Latino dairy workers about this for years. He told David Sommerstein farmers are ready to guide their undocumented workers towards legal status.  Go to full article

Jun 12, 2013 — This week the Senate passed a five-year, nearly $500 billion farm bill. About three-quarters of that pays for the food stamp program, which would be cut by $400 million a year. Direct farm subsidies are largely replaced by subsidies for crop insurance. And there are a barrelfull of other items from land conservation to support for young farmers.

This is pretty much where things stood a year ago. But House Speaker John Boehner refused to let his chamber's version of the farm bill come to the floor for a vote. Conservative Republicans believed the bill contained too much government spending.  Go to full article

Jun 10, 2013 — The 2013 Farm Bill is expected to get a final vote in the US Senate Monday evening. It's a thousand-page document detailing a host of policies, from conservation to business development. According to the National Farmers Union, more than 75 percent of the bill will support food stamps, and food assistance abroad.

The bill includes an amendment introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer he says will help the state's dairy farmers supply a fast-growing yogurt industry.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, May 13, 2013 — The New York wine industry is booming. According to the New York Wind and Grape Foundation, five million people visit New York wineries every year. The industry generates almost $4 billion.

The New York Farm Bureau is pushing for an official designation for a new Adirondack Wine Coast Trail to bring enthusiasts to seven vineyards in Clinton County.

A lot of the credit for New York wines can go to a team of researchers that's doing what you might call "extreme winemaking": Breeding grapes that survive the North Country's frigid winters and still make delicious wine.

They hope names like Frontenac and Marquette will one day be as popular as Cabernet and Merlot.  Go to full article

May 08, 2013 — Congress is back to work on a new five year Farm Bill. The Senate passed one last year, but the House of Representatives couldn't agree on the size of cuts to the food stamp program and other issues.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says preserving food stamps is "a moral issue." And she says there's a way to pay for them.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 06, 2013 — Last month, Governor Cuomo carried through on a promise he made to dairy farmers, loosening environmental regulations for small farms.

Right now, a farm with 200 cows or more has to prepare detailed and costly manure management plans. Starting this week, that threshold will be bumped up to 300 cows.

Speaking at last summer's Yogurt Summit, Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine said the change would help boost milk production to meet demand fueled by Greek yogurt's popularity. "Simply put," said Aubertine, "this will make it much easier for small farms to grow."

North Country lawmakers and the state Farm Bureau praised the rule change. But environmental groups say more unregulated manure means more farm runoff in rivers and streams. It remains a big question whether the change will do much of anything at all - to the environment or for the economy.  Go to full article

Burlington, VT, Apr 10, 2013 — Lawmakers on both sides of Lake Champlain say Congress is making progress on immigration reform. And they want to make sure the dairy industry is a part of it.

North Country Congressman Bill Owens and Vermont Congressman Peter Welch held a joint press conference in Burlington yesterday.  Go to full article

Apr 03, 2013 — The US Senate is preparing to take up the federal Farm Bill again in the coming weeks.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants it to include a plan to protect and encourage New York's dairy farms, especially smaller farms.  Go to full article

Mar 26, 2013 — The region's representatives are getting a close look at the details of the budget to be finalized in Albany this week.

Word is out on money for local roads and bridges, and parts of the agriculture and markets budget.  Go to full article