News Release 

Date: April 4, 2008

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, communication specialist
Telephone: (315) 453-3823 extension 103
Cell phone: (315) 427-2714
Email: rschuelke@nyfvi.org


Assemblyman Magee named New York Farm Viability Friend of the Year

Citing his longstanding support of agriculture in New York State, the New York Farm Viability Institute named Assemblyman Bill Magee its Friend of the Year.

Magee accepted his award during a recent presentation in Albany.

``Assemblyman Magee has been a champion of New York State agriculture, someone that has used his elected office to educate about the importance of agriculture to this state’s character and upstate economy,’’ said John Lincoln, chairperson of the New York Farm Viability board of directors.

Magee has supported allocating state funds to the New York Farm Viability Institute, a farmer-led nonprofit organization that provides grants for farm-based applied research and outreach education to help New York farmers increase profits.

In 2007, the state legislature and Department of Agriculture and Markets secured $5 million in funding for the NY Farm Viability Institute. That funding provided 36 grants to help market local farm-raised food, limit crop-damaging pests, encourage organic crop production, and explore grasses best suited for biofuel production and growing conditions in the northeast, among other projects.

Also in 2007, the state allocated $750,000 for the newly launched New York Center for Dairy Excellence. The initiative by the New York Farm Viability Institute aims to bring together farmers, educators, researchers, agri-business personnel, government officials, and others to develop collaborative strategies to obstacles and opportunities facing dairy farming.

Magee has been a member of the New York State assembly since 1990. He has been chair of the assembly’s agriculture committee since 2001.

This is the second year of the Institute’s Friend of the Year program. The inaugural award went to state Senator Catharine Young.




New York Farm Viability Institute is an independent, farmer-led nonprofit organization that directs and funds farm-level research to increase profits, reduce costs and other barriers, create jobs and encourage practical innovation on the farm. The Institute receives funds from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Visit www.nyfvi.org.