The Legislature has packed up for the year; leaving behind a host of positive changes for agriculture. While the Legislature will be back in one-day sessions to deal with some additional issues, the regular session for 2007 is now finished. While the general media is reporting that many substantive issues were unresolved this year, what is being left out are the many “smaller” but vital victories for the agricultural industry.

What can’t be forgotten in all of this general malaise against the legislative and governmental process is that we have seen significant change this year in a few key issues. Workers’ compensation reform, which is all but forgotten in the mainstream media, will play a tremendous role in reshaping the success of New York’s economy for agriculture and other small businesses. The administrative reform process put in place by the legislation is successfully chugging along, and employers will hopefully start to see some meaningful savings in their premiums as early as the later months in 2007. Another good start was taken this year at achieving targeted property tax relief through the budget process, and the state budget was adopted on time yet again, a sometimes iffy prospect in New York politics!

The budget process was an amazing one for the agricultural industry, with wins on some much needed investment in the dairy industry and also an investment put forward for an eventual wholesale market in New York City, primarily for the fruit and vegetable industry to have better access to the oftentimes lucrative city markets.

Traditional programs, ones that promote New York grown agriculture and protect livestock health were also successfully funded.

It’s important to acknowledge that the opportunities forged by the passage of various legislative proposals would not have occurred without the benefit of several committed representatives in Albany, along with our Senate and Assembly Agriculture Committee Chairs, Senator Catharine Young and Assemblyman Bill Magee. All of our state legislators did an excellent job for us this year, so please, if you happen to see them stopping by your farm stand or out on a farm tour, take the time to say thank you. Please find below a quick synopsis of legislation passed by both houses and awaiting Governor Spitzer’s signature.

• A.1301 removes depreciated assets from the gross family income of a self employed individual for purposes of determining eligibility for the family health plus program,

• A.4367 clarifies that agricultural buildings used for agricultural purposes do not need to be inspected for compliance with the building, property maintenance, or fire code,

• A.7849 establishes the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act, which will allow localities to develop open space and farmland protection conservation programs,

• A.8201 and A.8211 continue the authority of the Department of Environmental Conservation to adopt regulations for hunting deer and bear, and in the Northern Zone,

• A.8339 expands the Environmental Protection Fund, which funds the agricultural environmental management and nonpoint programs, soil and water conservation districts, and farmland protection efforts,

• A.8460 establishes a linked deposit program whereby farmers could access low interest funding from the state to make water quality improvement projects consistent with the CAFO plans,

• S.572 grants a partial deduction of interest income for land used for fruit production,

• S.1046 allows the filing of an agricultural assessment application after the due date for natural disaster or destruction of farm structures,

• S.2129 expands the North Fork Wine Trail on Long Island,

• S.3219 allows hunters in Chemung, Steuben and Yates to utilize rifles,

• S.3253 caps the agricultural assessment value increases at 10% (signed by the Governor),

• S.4293 expands the Shawangunk Wine Trail,

• S.4454 includes buildings used in the production of honey and beeswax within the 10 year property tax exemption for new construction agricultural buildings,

• S.4952 authorizes certified pesticide applicators to provide required information to building occupants in digital or electronic form,

• S.4952 prohibits the dumping of out-of-state produce on in-state farmland when such produce originates from a state or country known to have pest, pathogen, or invasive species infestations,

• S.5826 extends the Power for Jobs program until June 30, 2008,

• S.6012 establishes a farm distillery license category for distiller’s utilizing New York grown agricultural products, and,

• S.6117 creates the New York invasive species council, to be chaired by the Commissioners of the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Agriculture and Markets.