New York Farm Bureau delegates re-elect Fisher as president

The elections were part of the New York Farm Bureau’s 62nd annual meeting held last week at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown in Syracuse.

“It is an honor to represent such a large, diverse group of farmers. I am grateful they have once again put their faith in me. I believe in the effectiveness of this organization and the importance of having a strong agricultural community in this state,” David Fisher, president of the New York Farm Bureau, said in its news release. “This week at State Annual Meeting, we connected with our fellow farmers and stressed how we can better engage with our neighbors, policy makers and consumers. In the end, we will continue to have a strong, effective and sustainable Farm Bureau through transparent leadership, teamwork and strong partnerships.”

Richard Ball, the state’s commissioner of agriculture and markets, joined more than 300 members at the evening event. It concluded the annual two-day long meeting where attendees discussed public-policy resolutions and voted on to set NYFB’s 2019 public policy agenda. The organization will release its priorities in January.

The Albany–based New York Farm Bureau describes itself as “the state’s largest agricultural lobbying/trade organization,” per its news release.

Award honorees

Besides the leadership vote, New York Farm Bureau also announced its selections for the James Quinn Award that recognizes “extraordinary” efforts by individual Farm Bureau members during the course of a given year “to serve and strengthen agriculture.”

The honorees from Central New York included Amanda Barber of Cortland County Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau describes Barber as a “tireless advocate” for agriculture, spending “many hours” educating the public about farming and supporting a new agriculture-education program at Marathon High School.

The recipients also included Bret and Johanna Bossard of the Madison County Farm Bureau who received the James Quinn Award for their volunteer efforts. The Bossards offer tours of their farm, Barbland Dairy, and have been advocates for farmers at the local, state and national levels. The Bossards are also “active” on several boards and promotion efforts to improve the economic conditions for farmers.

New York Farm Bureau also handed out its highest honor — the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award — to three individuals whose “leadership has made a positive impact on New York Farm Bureau and agriculture in this state.” The awardees include Bob Smith of Clifton Park in Saratoga County; Phyllis Couture of West Valley in Cattaraugus County; and Lyle Wells, who died in January on his Long Island farm, was honored posthumously.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com