WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A list of pro-agriculture priorities made by farmers in the North Country and all across the state will soon be before state lawmakers.<\/p>\n
Farmers from 50 New York counties shared ideas, debated, and now the New York Farm Bureau has a list of 10 agriculture priorities, curated by those farmers, that they\u2019re taking to Albany, where they hope lawmakers will do something about them in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hopeful, hopeful for how it goes,\u201d said Ren\u00e9e St. Jacques, New York Farm Bureau.<\/p>\n
New York Farm Bureau officials say one of the biggest issues is the expiration of refundability for investment tax credits. It\u2019s a system farmers often use to afford new infrastructure. It expires in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of farmers are utilizing that tax credit, especially when it\u2019s refundable because then it\u2019s almost like an overpayment, treated like that when you do your taxes,\u201d said St. Jacques.<\/p>\n
Some priorities officials say are uphill battles. One is getting New York to create a clean fuel standard. That\u2019s a policy that would set a limit on carbon output from fuels. In theory, that would create a market in New York for biomethane, which can be easily produced on farms and can replace diesel.<\/p>\n
Another priority they\u2019re expecting issues with is getting level funding for agricultural programs. Agricultural programs make up less than 1% of the state budget, and this year, the farm bureau was told money is even tighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve been told by the governor\u2019s staff, by the legislators, that because of the relationship between the federal and the state government, that it seems like it\u2019s a little bit better now. We were hearing worse in the fall. We were hearing \u2018don\u2019t ask for more money. You\u2019re not going to get it\u2019 or something like that,\u201d said St. Jacques.<\/p>\n
The legislative session begins in January. The bureau\u2019s list of priorities will be addressed sometime before the session ends this coming spring. <\/p>\n
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