Her comments come in the wake of summer weather conditions that have resulted in many farmers in Jefferson and southern St. Lawrence counties losing a significant portion of their crops.
"These are very challenging times with this year's drought combined with low milk prices. Our climate is undergoing tremendous change. With climate change, it is important for us to look at long-term protections for our farmers," Assemblywoman Russell said.
She suggested potential steps could include providing farmers with tax assessment breaks for the agriculture industry in line with STAR benefits that are currently offered to homeowners.
"We may need long-term financial supports so we don't lose people, talent and land to development during these challenging times," she suggested.
Assemblywoman Russell made her comments Tuesday in Albany at a state Assembly Agriculture Committee public hearing held to examine the effectiveness and implementation of the agricultural programs funded in the 2016-2017 state fiscal year budget.
Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair William Magee took testimony on the impact of programs included in the state budget to support and promote the state’s agriculture community and the products they produce.
Assemblywoman Magee and other members of the committee, as part of the Legislature's oversight responsibilities, reviewed the agricultural industry’s economic significance to the state and the challenges that farmers and other food producers face in order to bring their products to market.
In the Department of Agriculture and Markets 2016-2017 fiscal year budget, the Legislature included an estimated $51 million for local assistance, $108 million for state operations and $10.5 million for capital projects at the New York State Fair and also for local fairs.
Allissa Eiser, RD, director of Food Service for the Bethlehem Central School District and a representative for the New York State School Nutrition Association, urged lawmakers to hike reimbursements to school lunches and breakfasts for the first time in four decades.
Assemblywoman Russell and State Senator David J. Valesky, D-Oneida, are sponsoring the legislation that would bring more locally produced food into school cafeterias.
The bill (A9379/S7525) would significantly increase reimbursements for school lunches when local food is used in their preparation.
The farm-to-school initiative, known as the “Drive to 25,” would modify the state’s reimbursement formula for school lunches, increasing reimbursement rates by 5 to 25 cents per meal from the current 6 cents. The rate would be dependent on the percentage of locally grown and produced products that school districts purchase each year.
The reimbursement rate for school lunches hasn’t been increased in 40 years, and low reimbursement rates hinder schools’ abilities to purchase farm-to-school products, according to Assemblywoman Russell, who chairs the state Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy.
Ms. Eiser said the lack of an increase in state reimbursement is a major hurdle for school districts that simply lack the funding to be able to purchase locally grown food products. She said federal meal reimbursement rates have grown in recent years but those additional monies have been eaten up by the cost of purchasing foods that meet federal school meal regulations.
She said a study in Oregon determined every $1 invested in farm-to-school programs translates into pumping $2.16 into the agriculture economy. "We just have to be able to make the connection and be able to afford it," Ms. Eiser noted.
Assemblywoman Russell pointed out there is currently a $300,000 school-to-farm pilot program underway in the North Country.
"We are just a few weeks into the program, but we are already hearing success stories. We have already had fresh greens go into two of our larger schools," she said.
She said increasing reimbursement rates for school meals simply makes good sense.
"Many of us think this should be a priority in the state budget. We haven't provided the funding stream to support agriculture in New York State. It would be a $1.6 billion shot in the arm for the ag industry, and I can't see any better place to start this experiment with than providing fresh, healthy locally produced foods to our children," Assemblywoman Russell said.
Speaking earlier in the hearing, Assemblywoman Russell told New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball she had already seen some important takeaways from the farm-to-school pilot program.
"We've found it quite interesting. The extra funding from the pilot program is the equalizer for our high needs schools in the North Country. They are only able to buy the fresh, locally produced products because they received this additional money above and beyond their budgets," she said.
Assemblywoman Russell said the pilot program has also shown the state budget's approval date of April 1 provides a challenge for agriculture producers interested in being part of the farm-to-school effort.
"That April 1 deadline is too late for our farmers. They need to be able to buy their seed earlier if there is going to be a market in our local schools. Multi-year funding is going to be necessary so our farmers can be prepare to grow the products our schools need and want," she said.
Assemblywoman Russell also asked Keith Tidball, senior extension associate for the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, to take back concerns about the data collection systems being used to determine drought conditions in the North Country.
"A lot of the watersheds for the rivers flowing through St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties are somewhere else. Black River flow levels are being used to determine if there is a drought in Theresa, and that data is not accurate. We need help as much as anyone else in the state," she stressed.
Mr. Tidball pledged to share Assemblywoman Russell's concerns with other agencies involved in the drought determination in an effort to see if tweaks could be made to improve accuracy.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell discusses the Drive to 25 initiative with Allissa Eiser, RD, director of Food Service for the Bethlehem Central School District and a representative for the New York State School Nutrition Association, during a public hearing on the New York State agriculture budget Tuesday in Albany. Assemblywoman Russell is a member of the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee.
BOTTOM PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie Jenne Russell shares her concerns about the monitoring system used to determine counties whose farmers are eligible for drought assistance with Keith Tidball, senior extension associate for the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, during a public hearing on the New York State agriculture budget Tuesday in Albany. Assemblywoman Russell is a member of the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee.
