New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

PRESS RELEASE: June 30, 2006, 2006
Contact: R. David Smith, New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. 315-453-3823

New York Farm Viability Institute Recognized at Federal Hearing

Syracuse, NY – New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. (NYFVI) was recognized at the House Committee on Agriculture hearing in Canandaigua, NY on June 26, 2006. “The New York Farm Viability Institute is the most efficient new vehicle for funding research, economic development and extension in the state” said New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick H. Brennan. “What makes the Institute so exciting is that the board of directors is comprised solely of farmers -- they know the obstacles and they make the decisions.”

Brennan said that while he was at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ten Agriculture Innovation Centers were established with $1 million each for a total of $10 million nationally. Leveraging its original $1 million, the New York Farm Viability Institute has been awarded $8 million by the executive and legislative branches of NY State government for the funding of innovative research and extension activities designed in response to farmer-identified needs and opportunities.

The Canandaigua hearing is the eighth in a series of field hearings to gather producer feedback about current farm policy in preparation for reauthorizing the 2002 Farm Bill. Roughly 130 local producers, agribusiness leaders, and agriculture officials attended the hearing. The Committee heard from two panels of witnesses about a variety of farm policy issues including specialty crops, forestry, crop insurance, world trade negotiations, research, and dairy issues.

Congressman Randy Kuhl from New York State asked each panelist to list their major needs for the 2007 Farm Bill. Each of the ten panelists agreed on two areas: research and extension. Congressman Jerry Moran of Kansas, mentioned that even in states that had virtually no specialty crops the answer was the same, an increase in funding for research and extension in agriculture. The New York Farm Viability Institute has been funding projects that address these needs in New York State.
The five specialty crop panelists agreed unanimously with the need for increased funding for the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grants program that was awarded to state departments of agriculture in the 2002 Farm Bill. In New York, these grants were administered by the NYFVI and resulted in 17 funded projects in 2003. These specialty crop grants included the testing of perennials under consumer-style conditions, aquaculture: scallop production, successful application of a method for reducing worms on organic sweet corn and training for ethnic agricultural producers in New York City.”

Commissioner Brennan echoed his support for expansion of this grants program. “The Specialty Crop Block program was extremely important for research on specific problems within a commodity. This type of research adds to the diversity and sustainability of NY agriculture.”

Maureen Torrey Marshall, a vegetable and dairy producer from Elba, NY, said “more research is needed for plant breeding, pest management and disease control.” NYFVI has funded projects that tackled problems with cucumber mosaic virus in snap beans, common rust in sweet corn, European corn borer in organic sweet corn, weed management in cruciferous crops, management of fungus gnats in greenhouses and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for a fungus attacking Douglas firs.

Robert Nolan, a vegetable producer from Long Island, concurred, “Research is needed for crop protection that is safer and protects water quality.” NYFVI encourages environmental stewardship while assisting farmers by funding projects such as IPM software, nitrogen management for corn, innovative dairy manure treatment, and training courses to improve spraying techniques by producers.

John Martini, wine and grape producer in Penn Yan, NY, agreed when he said, “Research is needed to: protect our farms from exotic, invasive pests and diseases, locate new genes for grapes, identify new varieties of rootstocks and to establish best management practices.” Expanding research and extension activities that address these challenges have been fostered through several NYFVI statewide projects that work with fruit and grape growers that study storage issues, new varieties of apples and grapes, establish guidelines for quality assurance and evaluate a diversity of production techniques.

In response to the question posed by Congressman Steve King from Iowa, “Is there enough plant material to fuel a cellulosic ethanol plant in New York State,” John Lincoln, president of New York Farm Bureau and NYFVI chairman, stated that research to date demonstrates that NY has enough land to support production of plant material to supply the four ethanol plants being proposed. Lincoln added, “The Institute has been meeting with researchers including those from Cornell University, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry, and Clarkson to identify the technical research needed for production of cellulosic feedstocks and to ensure producer involvement in the process.”

Brennan stated that Governor Pataki has recently released $20 million for a cellulosic ethanol production plant. The NYFVI has proposed a plan to the federal government for funds that would provide research for the production of various feedstocks on NY farms. Research in this area will ultimately assist producers with the rising costs of energy on their farms and add an opportunity for producers to grow a saleable product on marginal land.

The New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. (NYFVI) was established to enhance and sustain the vitality of the State’s farm industry and rural economy. The Institute accomplishes this goal by supporting and overseeing applied research, demonstration, extension, and technical assistance projects. These projects advance the profitability of the state’s agricultural enterprises and address other issues (i.e. environmental protection) which are critically important to the long term sustainability of NY’s agricultural production sector.

The NYFVI is a farmer-led, farmer-driven, independent not-for-profit corporation that funds research, education and innovative technical assistance for New York agricultural and horticultural producers. The Institute’s goal is to fund projects that directly benefit the agricultural and horticultural producers at the farm enterprise level, across farms of all sizes and all commodity areas through its three grant programs. The NYFVI extension innovation grants focus on innovative approaches for education, information delivery and technical assistance to producers on a local, regional or statewide basis. The NYFVI agricultural innovation grants emphasize value addition and business planning. The third program, the NYFVI applied research partnership grants, focuses on getting fundamental research in onto working farm operations.

For more information about the Institute, contact the New York Farm Viability Institute, 159 Dwight Park Circle, Suite 104, Syracuse, NY 13209, 315-453-3823, www.nyfarmviability.org. For more information on the June 26 hearing, go to the House Ag Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html . The full transcript will be available on the website in four to six weeks.