New York Farms Still Making a Huge Impact on the Local Economy

Because we have access to a wide selection of food year-round at local grocery stores, it is sometimes easy to forget where our food comes from, but New York’s farmers are agriculture leaders. They produce an array of commodities including milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, and maple syrup. Not only is the variety impressive but Upstate’s nutrient-rich soils give way to world-class, award-winning products that collectively have a tremendous impact on the economy.

Earlier this year, the New York State Comptroller highlighted the state’s agriculture industry in a report based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other sources. Farmers generated a gross income of $5.7 billion in 2017 — an increase of more than 23 percent from 2007. When farm-processing plants and food-delivery businesses are included in the equation, the total economic impact is nearly $45 billion. More than 55,000 workers are employed at farms and related activity, such as food production involving New York’s dairy and other agricultural products; that adds thousands of additional jobs.

Though gross income is up and economic impact has increased, the total number of farms in New York fell by 8 percent and total farm acreage decreased by 4 percent from 2007. In 2012, the state’s total farm acreage was estimated to be 7.2 million acres and in just five years it fell to 6.8 million acres. Still, 33,400 farms are in operation in New York today — 96 percent of which are family owned. A growing number of women — a more than 37 percent share — are farm producers. Another sector that is growing is certified-organic farms. In 2012, the state had 824 such farms and by 2017 that had grown to 1,340, ranking New York 3rd in the nation for the total number of certified organic farms. 

Milk is by far the largest agriculture commodity in the state and represents 47 percent of the state’s total agricultural sales. Dairy still remains a leader and New York ranks 3rd in the nation in milk production. The state has 624,000 milking cows that produced nearly 15 billion pounds of milk. Because of the strong milk supply and focus on value-added products, New York produces the most cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt in the nation. The market for value-added products helps dairy farmers to offset low milk prices.

New York ranks second among the states for production of apples and maple syrup, and third for both wine and grapes. New York is the third largest producer of wine behind only California and Washington and produces more than 30 million gallons of wine a year. In 2017, the Empire State produced nearly 18 percent of the nation’s maple syrup — second only to Vermont. Our maple producers have worked hard in recent years to capitalize on agri-tourism opportunities and value-added products. It is great to see the efforts are paying off. 

We are fortunate to have all of these products right in our backyards. Our local farmers work hard to produce these many commodities, provide fresh and locally-grown food, and protect our open spaces. I will continue to support policies in Albany that assist farmers and remain steadfast against policies that make it difficult for small businesses and farmers to operate. It is vital we keep our farmers and homegrown produce in this state and help them where we can.      

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. He was just appointed Assembly Minority Leader. Contact Barclay at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us or (315) 598-5185.