Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Cornell University to discuss challenges facing the agriculture industry and how the USDA plans to support farmers.
Vilsack said the USDA has provided funding to New York to help farmers move toward the goals of profitability and net-zero methane emissions. He also said Congress must preserve funding for research and conservation to implement more climate-smart practices.
Vilsack also said he would like to improve the relationships between land-grant universities and farmers, so they have better access to funding for these programs.
New York Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball said they work with Cornell University and Farm Services Agency to assist farmers and their access to funding.
Mike McMahon, owner of EZ Acres in Homer, said the process of applying for funding from the USDA can be a long one. He supports the idea of improving profitability for small- and mid-sized farms but said the issue of labor remains. He is also skeptical of Vilsack's idea that consumers would pay more for products that were grown more sustainably.
Photo Credit: Cornell University
Categories: New York, Government & Policy, Sustainable Agriculture