Grassroots

May 2007

State budget funds ag programs
The New York State budget, passed at the last minute on March 31, was loaded with funding for agriculture.

“This is maybe the best budget for agriculture maybe ever,” said Farm Bureau lead lobbyist Julie Suarez. Among other items, phytophthora research was funded for $300,000. The New York Apple Association received $750,000 to advertise apples on television.

The New York Wine and Grape Foundation received $3 million, and the New York State Maple Producers Association received $350,000, including funds for a new sugarhouse on the state fairgrounds in Syracuse. Other highlights include:

- Plum Pox Eradication and Indemnification: $500,000
- Dairy Investment Program: $30 million u Center for Dairy Excellence: $750,000
- Farm Viability Institute: $5 million
- EPF Farmland Protection: $28 million
- Nonpoint source projects: $13 million
- Invasive Species: $4 million
- Soil and Water Conservation: $3 million

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