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New York Ag News Headlines |
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Agribusiness Outreach Forum Covers All the Bases
New York Ag Connection - 03/28/2023
More than 125 people registered for the Agribusiness Outreach Forum held at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County on March 24. Speakers at the forum represented various facets of agricultural enterprise, offering helpful advice for anyone starting or expanding a business or looking to run it efficiently.
Niagara County Farm Bureau President Kevin Bittner was emcee for the day. He explained, “Today’s topics are based on requests from last year’s events and the current issues in agriculture. Based on attendance, this fourth annual event is our best ever.”
Rebecca Wydysh, chair of the Niagara Country Legislature, set the tone for the day. She acknowledged the importance of agriculture in the county, based on the number of farms and the land usage, and underlined the legislature's recent formation of the Agricultural Rights Advisory Panel. “This group of ag industry specialists will make recommendations to the Legislature on ways to strengthen and promote agribusiness in Niagara County,” Wydysh said.
State Sen. Rob Ortt updated the group on the proposed New York State budget. He spoke about the importance of agriculture and highlighted a number of issues including the drive to switch to electric vehicles and appliances.
Opening speaker Richard Stup, agricultural workforce specialist at Cornell University, spoke about the main labor-related issues in agriculture today: compensation, the pay transparency law, electronic labor posting requirements, and unions and collective bargaining.
Stup reminded attendees that all labor postings must now be done electronically. In the past, employers put their posters on a bulletin board, but with so many employees working from home, the electronic requirement was added. He pointed out that all the posters are available at the state labor department website.
Stup also talked about the overtime threshold and what the changes would mean economically. For farmers who use H2A labor, he explained the Adverse Effective Wage Rate, job duties and state to state comparisons.
About unionization and collective bargaining, Stup said that was his most important topic. He explained the process as currently outlined in the state legislation, and explained what farmers can and cannot do with regard to this issue. There are farms involved in this already and it behooves any farmer with employees to educate themselves and take the proper steps. Repeatedly, Stup emphasized that farms big and small, seasonal and year round, and all across the state including in Niagara County, need be concerned and educate themselves thoroughly.
Estela Sanches-Cacique and Sandra Rivera from Oak Orchard Health explained their non-profit business. They will provide health care for migrant employees either at their site or through their mobile unit. With the closest location to Niagara County in Medina, they stressed they are available to help with whatever health needs farm workers have.
Bree Bacon Woodbridge from Niagara Small Business Development Center presented the variety of services that organization can provide. Focusing on selling directly to customers, she pointed out the specific areas that pertain to the topic. Grace Platt, manager of the Lockport Community Farmers Market, reinforced that by explaining how the market functions. They have developed many ways to aid the vendors at the market and are looking forward to including more.
NY FarmNet Services provide many services to farmers and their families. This confidential service can provide business consulting and family counseling. Ginny Carlberg and Jennifer Schwytzer explained the specific programs. Whether people are beginning farmers, experienced operators or looking to transition, they are prepared to help. Their services run from business planning to family relationships. Both speakers understand that farming can be a stressful occupation and explained the services they have. They went into the process from making the phone call to plan activation.
Barbara Johnston from LaBella Associates updated the group on the county-commissioned Meat Processing Feasibility Study. Based on the Agricultural Plan from 2018, this need was seen as a priority. Working with local producers and current providers of this service, LaBella Associates is surveying and interviewing as many people as they can. That will be followed with a feasibility assessment and a conceptual design including zoning, road, utility and other needs. The final step will be a financial analysis. Johnston pointed out numerous times that consumers want to know where their food comes from and want to purchase locally. This would accomplish that.
The morning ended with presentations from Kenneth Kujawa from National Grid and Dennis Elseneck from Phillips Lytle. They spoke about the state Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This is the plan to electrify vehicles and homes by 2050. They explained the challenges created by this law and offered a number of alternatives and solutions. Balancing consumer concerns and costs with law requirements is just one of the many challenges. Infrastructure is another.
Source: lockportjournal.com
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