By PETER GREGG, pgregg@nyfb.org

ALBANY — New York Farm Bureau praised Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s Executive Budget, which would give relief to residential property tax payers, greatly benefiting New York farm families. Included in his proposal are several key agricultural and environmental initiatives.

“From ‘Day One,’ Gov. Spitzer has made the promotion of agriculture a key component of his upstate revitalization plan,” said John Lincoln, President of New York Farm Bureau.

The budget proposal calls for $1.5 billion in new property tax relief, a huge measure to help farmers who hold large tracts of land to support their operations.

The governor’s proposal for the New Bottle Bill also has the full support of New York Farm Bureau. Litter is an increasing problem in rural areas, and an expanded Bottle Bill can play a significant part in cleaning up farm fields. The Bottle Bill also will help fund the Environmental Protection Fund, which farmers access to pay for water protection measures on farms. The proposed budget also calls for $500,000 to help finance a Pride of New York wholesale farmers’ market in New York City aimed at opening new markets for upstate farmers.

“We see this as an exciting new program to help our farmers access customers in New York’s biggest marketplace,” Lincoln said.

The governor also proposed $28 million in new funding for the Farmland Protection Program, which helps to protect prime farmland from being consumed by suburban sprawl. That proposal has long been championed by New York Farm Bureau, and is especially important in areas like Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

Almost $13 million was set aside for agriculture non-point source abatement, which helps protect the state’s waterways from manure runoff.

Additional funding was appropriated to assist with agricultural economic development, animal health, marketing and promotion, and pesticide management programs.