agriculture

This afternoon I stopped by the Duyssen Family Farm in Le Roy and found John refurbishing a 1950s-era honey extractor. He mentioned some calves had been born recently, including the little guy above just this morning.

Whenever I'm in Pavilion, I like to stop by Randy and Cindy Starr's farm on Starr Road in Pavilion, especially on a beautiful day.

This morning, Randy was busy grinding barley for feed when I arrived.

As I've written about before, Randy likes old-time farming, using mainly older tractors (he does have a new, modern-technology tractor now) and growing a variety of crops on his 100-acre spread. Today, he showed me his single-row corn harvester, which leaves the corn kernels on the cob, which he said yield more feed per acre.

Press release:

Today, Representative Kathy Hochul (NY-26) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated the seven counties of New York State’s 26^th Congressional District as natural disaster areas due to the significant production loss caused by damage from armyworms.

"The infestation of armyworms combined with the spring's wild temperature swings, the summer's drought, and high feed prices have resulted in a particularly difficult year for Western New York farmers. The USDA's disaster designation will provide much needed relief to our farmers dealing with the devastating effects of the armyworms. Farms seeking assistance will now be eligible for emergency loans to help them recover and keep their businesses viable," Rep. Hochul said.

For more information, affected farmers are encouraged to contact their local Farm Service Agency office or Cornell Cooperative Extension Office.

Since the initial reports of the armyworm outbreak, Rep. Hochul has worked with local farmers to mitigate the damage, including seeing the effects firsthand at a Wyoming County farm.

Rep. Hochul has continually advocated for agriculture, a mainstay of Western New York’s economy with nearly 3,500 farms and an annual output of over $739 million in the 26th District alone. Support for agriculture is a key component of Hochul’s REBUILD Plan.

My intention was to stop for sweet corn. What I found when I pulled into Pully's Farm Market on Route 19 in Le Roy was a fall festival.

Owner Dave Pullyblank opened the market in the spring of 2008 on the farm that has been in his family since 1804. His goal then as now is to turn the farm into a family-friendly, agri-tourism attraction.

For fall, Pully has transformed his farm into a wonderland of play areas colored by the vibrant oranges, yellows and greens of the harvest season.

There is a corn maze, pumpkin cannon, corn (instead of sand) box and duck race, but Pully said the number-one attraction is the pumpkins.

The variety, he believes is the largest available in any single location in New York State.

"What I say is all these weird colored pumpkins, that’s fall," Pullyblank said. "You won’t find more variety of a decorative product in any other place. Anybody can grow an orange pumpkin. You won’t find anybody else growing that product in there (the green house)."

Pully's goal is to be a year-round destination. In the spring he sells bedding flowers, hanging baskets and vegetable seedlings. During the summer, he sells produce, including sweet corn, which he believes is the sweetest you'll find, plus tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash.

"The biggest thing I tell the folks, at the end of the day, the stuff that hasn’t sold goes to my cows, so when you come the next day, the stuff was picked that morning," Pullyblank said.

He wants kids to learn where their food comes from, Pully said. Eventually, he plans to include farm animals as part of his attractions for families.

For winter, Pully would like to sell u-cut and pre-cut Christmas trees, but two dry summers have slowed the growth of the trees.

What Pully doesn't sell, he brings in from other area farms.

"I can’t do it all, but I want to get it from the other farmers as close as I can," Pullyblank said.

All of the attractions and products at Pully's now will be available through the end of October.

The property has been in Pully's family for at least six generations and Pully got his start driving a tractor for his grandfather when he was 7. Pully said his farm is the last of the original four Le Roy farms still being run as a family operation by the original family.

The spring of 2008 turned out not to be a great time to start a new business, Pully admitted. It hasn't always been easy to grow a business during down economic times, but each year he keeps adding new products and new attractions.

"You have to keep going forward," Pullyblank said. "No matter what, you’ve got to keep going forward. If you don’t, you’re going to go stagnate and then there’s no reason for people to come out and see what you’re doing."

Pully's Farm Market is located 8160 Lake Road, Le Roy.

Laura DiPasquala, center of the photo, got her wish today -- she visited an Alpaca farm.

The DiPasquala's said they've driven past the Northwoods Alpaca Farm in Bergen many times, but today was the perfect day to stop. Owners Belinda and Bob Grant were hosting an open house.

Northwoods is part of a tour of Alpaca farm tour in Western New York (the open house continues on Sunday) aimed at promoting alpaca fiber (it's not called fur) for clothing and promoting alpaca farming to increase the number of growers in the nation.

Alpaca fiber is known for its soft texture, moisture resistance, warmth and comfort.

The Grants have operated Northwoods for about eight years.

Laura and Rich DiPasquala are from Greece.

Press release:

Today, Representative Kathy Hochul (NY-26) announced that the United States Department of Labor (DOL), at her urging, will begin accepting online applications for the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program on Dec. 10.

“I am pleased to announce today that farmers in Western New York and across the country will be able to utilize the new electronic filing system for H-2A visas by the end of this year. This reform will save time and money for taxpayers and farmers and will go a long way toward ensuring our fruit and vegetable growers have the help they need to plant and harvest their crops, expand production, and grow their businesses here in Western New York,” Rep. Hochul said.

“This change is a welcomed one for New York farmers who depend on timely and accurate information when it comes to securing the workforce their farms require. It is imperative as each harvest approaches that family farms have the ability to hire the workers they need in order to have a successful season. We appreciate the work that has been done on our farmer members’ behalf to modernize the H-2A hiring process,” said Dean Norton, New York Farm Bureau president.

“The new online filing system for H-2A visas will streamline this process, cutting burdensome red tape,” said Maureen Torrey of Torrey Farms. “I thank Rep. Hochul for her efforts to modernize this program, and bring efficiencies to farmers across Western New York.”

Last summer, Hochul met with Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris and farmers from throughout Western New York to discuss concerns with the H-2A program, including the need to make the application system available online. Hochul also pushed Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to modernize the H-2A visa program and met with Deputy Assistant Secretary Gerri Fiala to stress the importance of this reform.

In addition, Rep. Hochul has actively worked to expand the H-2A program to include dairy farmers, who are currently prohibited from participating due to the industry’s year-round demands. Rep. Hochul has introduced bipartisan legislation to allow dairy farmers to participate in the H-2A program, to ensure Western New York dairy farms have adequate labor to increase production and meet the needs of the booming Greek Yogurt industry.

Nearly all of New York's 35,000 farms are family owned – making agricultural one of New York's top small-business industries – and making the need for a user-friendly, online H-2A application system even more critical.

Rep. Kathy Hochul is boarding a plane in Washington, D.C., right now, heading back to her district for an election-period recess, but she would rather stay in the Capitol, she said, and give local farmers what they need to run their businesses -- the certainty of a farm bill.

"I'm ready to turn around right now and stay in Congress as long as it takes day and night and do what's right for our farmers," Hochul said.

"This is just another sign that Washington is broken and we've let our farmers down," Hochul said.

Every five years, Congress must pass a new farm bill. Last passed in 2008 as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, the $288 billion appropriations bill not only provides crop insurance and price support for farmers, it also provides subsidies for private land conversion back to a natural state, biofuel subsidies and is the funding source for food stamps.

A version of the bill was passed with bipartisan support by the Senate, but even after winning Agriculture Committee support in the House, the bill hasn't come to a floor vote.

The 2008 act expires in a week.

Hochcul said it's baffling and unconscionable that the House leadership has blocked a floor vote.

Agriculture, Hochul said, is a $739 million a year industry in her district, and $4.7 billion statewide. 

Regardless of the legislation's provisions -- the Senate and House versions would need to be negotiated into a compromise bill in conference committee -- farmers need the certainty of a farm bill in order to operate their businesses on a daily basis.

According to an NPR article, the near-term fallout of the failure of the House to pass a farm bill is pretty minimal. The provisions of the current farm bill that most effect farmers remain in place through the end of the current growing season, which for something like winter wheat means until spring.

However, it is very uncertain what will come next, according to NPR, because some deficit hawks have their eyes set on greatly reducing expenditures in the farm bill, including for food stamps, and there may be a lot of political pressure in Washington next year to reduce spending.

"We need to keep spending under control, yes, and we need to find ways to do it," Hochul said, "but the farmers need the certainty that comes with passage of this bill."

There is bipartisan support for passage of a farm bill in the House, Hochul said, and she won't speculate on why its leadership is blocking a floor vote on such a critical piece of legislation.

"The fact they won't let us get to a compromise means that they refuse to govern and that's just inexcusable," Hochul said.

Press release:

Today, Representative Kathy Hochul, joined by Bill and Terry Zittel of Zittel Farms, renewed her call for a comprehensive five-year Farm Bill. In a letter to House leadership, Hochul urged passage on a five-year Farm Bill to ensure farmers in Western New York and across the country have the certainty and support they require.

“I have heard firsthand from farmers across Western New York about the crucial need for a comprehensive, five-year Farm Bill,” Rep. Hochul said. “It is critical that Washington stops playing politics with the future of American agriculture.

"Our region is the largest producer of agricultural goods in New York, and I will continue to fight to ensure farmers have the support and certainty they need.”

Rep. Hochul has sent two letters to House leadership urging a vote on a five-year Farm Bill – one letter in July, and another this week.

With nearly 3,500 farms and an annual output of more than $739 million in the region, agriculture is an essential part of Western New York’s economy and a key component of Hochul’s plan for economic development.

Press release:

Representative Kathy Hochul (NY-26) recently sent a letter to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urging him to provide New York dairy farms with regulatory relief to help milk producers expand their businesses.

Hochul asked that the state raise the threshold for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) regulations from 200 cows to 300 cows, a threshold consistent with national standards.

Increasing the threshold will allow dairy farmers to increase milk production, enabling them to fulfill the needs of New York’s growing yogurt industry. Hochul also requested that New York expand programs to assist dairy farmers with environmental conservation and protection.

Hochul wrote, “I request your assistance in delivering much-needed regulatory relief to our state’s dairy farmers, many of whom are still recovering from disastrous market conditions in 2009. Without assistance, too many New York milk producers will remain unable or unwilling to expand their businesses despite the game-changing opportunity for economic development made possible by the booming Greek yogurt industry. … Our dairy farmers need a level playing field and supportive regulatory regime to fully capitalize on the Greek yogurt boom, and I look forward to working with you to ensure they have both.”

The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park will soon be home to Theo Muller Gmbh and PepsiCo’s $206 million yogurt manufacturing facility as well as a $20 million dollar Alpina Food yogurt plant.

Rep. Hochul has introduced bipartisan legislation that allows dairy farmers to apply for H-2A visas, which are available for seasonal agricultural producers but not the year-round dairy industry. She also is a member of the House Dairy Caucus.

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It's national Famers Market Week and to help commerate the event, Rep. Kathy Hochul stopped by the Genesee County Farmers Market in the Batavia Downs parking lot this morning.

Above, Hochul buys flowers from Kathryn Schneider, as mother Dana looks on. Dana Schneider is owner of Stonehouse Acres. Hochul told Kathryn that she worked in her mother's flower shop as a child as did her daughter. "See, you can learn a lot selling flowers," Hochul told Kathryn.

Below, Hochul is greeted by another constitutent and a couple of pictures of flowers and corn for sale today at the market.

More than 1,000 people -- when organizers considered 700 fans a good turn out -- showed up at the tractor pull at the Genesee County Fairgrounds on Saturday evening.

Competitors brought their machines -- small, medium and mighty -- to compete in various classes of competition, from stock, street-legal trucks and modified law tractors up to souped-up full-sized tractors.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos (or previous fair photos) click here.

A possible farming accident has been reported in the area of Transit Road and North Byron Road.

A person may have fallen off a tractor, or a box may have fallen somebody in a cabbage field.

It's unknown yet whether the location is in the Elba Fire District or Byron Fire District. Personnel from both departments are responding.

State Police are responding.

The call came through Orleans County and the caller doesn't speak good English.

UPDATE 12:03 p.m.: A thousand pound object fell on the victim. The patient is conscious and alert; however, Mercy Flight is being put on in-air standby is responding (Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia). The accident is in Elba's district.  Byron and South Byron are cancelled.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: The patient was taken to Strong via Mercy Flight. His name is Ferando Jereonro, age 29.  ccording to Sgt. Greg Walker, Jereonro was working on a platform with three crates of cabbage. The welds on a chain apparently gave out and the platform fell and a 1,000-pound crate of cabbage fell on Jereonro. Workers quickly removed the cabbage and the crate. Jereonro was conscious and alert when we was transported.

Also, just as I arrived on scene for this (too late to get any pictures), there was a call for a motor vehicle accident on Route 5 in Le Roy, in front of the Le Roy Country Club. By the time I arrived on scene there, the accident was clear and the roadway was reopened. Minor injuries.

Rep. Kathy Hochul heard a good suggestion from constituents today during an agriculture roundtable she hosted in council chambers at Batavia City Hall: Young people need to be taught more about farming.

Lorna Klotzbach first raised the issue.

In the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District, Klotzbach noted that "there is no FAA and there wasn't when I was in school that I can remember. There are very few teachers with an agricultural background. There is no training for farm careers. There is very little of that in Genesee County altogether."

Klotzbach noted that she's heard students suggest that farm work is really only for illegal immigrants.

"The smartest, most skilled people I've known are farmers and we hold them in such low esteem," Klotzbach said.

Hochul said she could envision supporting some sort of pilot project to help fund agriculture training in local schools and getting support for an informational campaign to elevate farming as a career choice.

Domestically produced food is a key component of national security, said Hochul, who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

"Congress has a roll to play in directing funds (to ag training)," Hochul said. "We need to help people embrace the patriotic sense you get from the American family farm. That's what we're all about, the entrepreneurial spirt that this country is built on."

Farm labor was a big part of the morning discussion, with much of it centered on the difficulty farmers have these days in finding qualified, legal labor.

Hochul noted that with the opening soon of the Alpina and Pepsi yogurt plants, the demand on local milk supplies will increase 15 percent, and that doesn't mean more cows and milking parlors. It means more farm workers will be needed.

"If we don’t get more people in this workforce, we’re not going to be able to capitalize on the opportunities that we have right here in Genesee County," Hochul said.

The congresswoman said she is looking at how to move some of the recent refugees -- who are mostly from agrarian countries -- in Rochester and Buffalo to work on Genesee County farms.

There is apparently a growing Burmese immigrant community in Buffalo, with many people from rural communities.

The problem Hochul said she wanted to tackle is transportation, but Matt Lamb said transportation isn't an issue.

"We can house these people," he said.

If the workers are qualified and willing to work, there's work and shelter available for them now.

Klotzbach said that if Burmese workers were going to be brought to Genesee County to work on farms, it needs to be approached in a comprehensive way, with assistance to school districts for appropriate classes and ensuring Burmese families have a chance to retain their culture while assimulating to a new one.

"It doesn’t do any good to bring one Burmese family to Pavilion," she said. That doesn’t work. They need a community."

Hochul said she will look into available options to help find qualified refugee labor and ensure any move of the labor force to the area is done the right way.

Some farmers complained about overzealous U.S. Border Patrol agents, even conducting raids when there was no apparent probable cause for illegal workers being on a property.

Hochul said she's spoken with the director the border patrol and suggested that the Western New York border with Canada has too many agents for the threat level and perhaps some agents should be transferred to Texas or Arizona.

"Our homeland is not in any danger or threat from our farmers," Hochul said. "We need a different attitude."

Will Greek yogurt mean a boom for local dairy farmers? Marwa Eltagouri takes a look at that question for the Buffalo News.

Local dairy farmers Gordon Offhaus and Dale Stein are featured.

In order to keep up with the Greek yogurt demand, it is estimated that milk produced by Western New York farmers must increase by 15 percent over the next four to five years, said Dave Dean Norton, president of the New York State Farm Bureau.

Since there isn't enough milk in the state right now to feed the Alpina Foods and PepsiCo plants, the plants will have to pay additional costs to freight the milk in from another state, likely Michigan, said Stein, the farmer from Le Roy.

The article is full of useful information to know if this segment of the local economy is important to you.

Elba's Maureen Torrey is featured in a story by McClatchy News Service on the shortage of farm labor:

With the peak harvest season at hand, Torrey’s concerns about a labor shortage are growing. A crackdown on illegal immigration, more job opportunities in Mexico and rising fees charged by smugglers are reducing the number of workers who cross the U.S. border illegally each year to help make up more than 60 percent of U.S. farmworkers.

The American Farm Bureau Federation projects $5 billion to $9 billion in annual produce-industry losses because of the labor shortages, which have become commonplace for farmers such as Torrey, who said there were 10 applicants for every job five years ago.

“In the last year that wasn’t the case,” she said. “We hired anybody that showed up for field work. It’ll be interesting to see how many people we have knocking on the door this year.”

Press release:

Representative Kathy Hochul (NY-26) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Services Agency (FSA) can now file weather-related disaster reports for damage done by armyworms due to the fact that they have arrived earlier than expected and in unprecedented numbers because of the unseasonably warm weather this spring.

“I am pleased to hear the USDA Farm Services Agency will now allow farmers to file weather-related disaster reports for damage done to crops from armyworms," Hochul said. "This is an important step toward the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets declaring the armyworm infestation a disaster, allowing farmers whose crops have been devastated access to low-interest emergency loans to help in the recovery. I urge farmers that have been affected by armyworms to contact their local Farm Services Agency and report their loss immediately.”

Farmers should report their losses to their county Farm Services Administration to begin documenting the extent of the damage. If the FSA can document a countywide loss of 30 percent or greater for a single crop, they can then submit their data to NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets for a potential disaster declaration – allowing access to low-interest emergency loans.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently attended the Assembly Minority’s annual Dairy Day celebration in the Well of the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

Hawley joined event sponsors Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb and Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, as well as state agriculture representatives and members of New York’s dairy industry, to celebrate the benefits of dairy products to the health of the state’s economy and its citizens.

The event featured an award ceremony with Super Bowl champion, former New York Giants running back and Syracuse University alumnus Joe Morris, spokesperson of the NFL “Fuel Up to Play 60” program. He presented a plaque to students from a New York elementary school for their commitment to the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which stresses the importance of consuming nutrient-rich foods, such as dairy products, and exercising at least 60 minutes each day.

“Every year, I circle Dairy Day on my calendar because I take such pride in promoting the myriad of positive impact our local dairy farmers have on all New Yorkers,” Hawley said. “From the healthy food products they offer our families to the economic support they provide the state through job creation and revenue, dairy farmers are a vital component of our identity as New Yorkers.

"Especially in Western New York, we reap the benefits of our dairy farms each and every day, and I encourage all New Yorkers to support their local farm. Not only is it good for the economy’s health and your own health as well, but the dairy products in New York simply cannot be beat!”

According to the New York Farm Bureau, there are approximately 35,000 farms in New York and 99 percent are family owned.

New York State is home to nearly 5,700 dairy farms and 610,000 cows. In 2010, New York dairy cows produced 12 billion gallons of milk, or 20,807 gallons per cow. Dairy and animal production in New York provided $2.39 billion value of production to farmers in 2010, while distribution and processing is approximately $10 billion statewide and $50 billion regionally on an annual basis.

New York State is currently fourth in the nation in dairy production.

Assemblyman Hawley is a past president and 35-year member of the New York Farm Bureau. He formerly owned and operated Hawley Farms and has served on the Assembly Committee on Agriculture for the entirety of his six-and-a-half years in state government.

Armyworms are on the march and Cornell Cooperative Extension is alerting area farms and residents to be on the look out for the potentially destructive pest.

The worms come out in mass every four or five years, but Jan Beglinger, agriculture outreach coordinator for Cornell in Batavia, said this season's infestation is "one of the worst outbreaks we've seen in years."

The worms munch on grasses and pose a threat to wheat and corn.

Farmers are well aware of armyworms and how to deal with them, Beglinger said, but that doesn't mean they won't have their hands full.

Typically, farmers need to spray infected areas and a border area of 20 or 30 feet to knock back an infestation.

Residents with large lawns should be on the look out for infestations, too. The worms eat grass, but don't eat roots, so lawns should recover; however, homeowners should look in to a lawn-specific pesticide formulated to kill armyworms to help control the infestation.

If a homeowner lives next to a farm and sees an infestation moving toward a field, the courteous thing to do is notify the farmer so he can possibly take protective action, Beglinger said.

Armyworms have been reported from Erie County to Monroe County and every place in between, Beglinger said.

"It's a cyclical insect that comes out every four to five years, but it seems a lot worse this year than it normally is," Beglinger said.

Resources:

• Cornell Cooperative Extension
• University Illinois armyworm fact sheet
• Oklahoma State armyworm fact sheet
• Armyworm as a pest of field corn
• Armyworm on wheat

Statement from Rep. Kathy Hochul:

“I was pleased the United States Department of Agriculture has agreed with our request to declare all seven counties of the 26th District disaster areas following this spring’s devastating frost, freezes, and unseasonably warm temperatures that dealt a considerable blow to agriculture in the region. Farmers in these counties are now eligible for assistance from the Farm Service Agency to help them recover. Western New York is home to more than 3,000 locally owned farms and produces more than $700 million in goods every year, and I encourage farmers in my district to contact their local FSA offices for more information on the available assistance to keep their businesses viable.”

The early spring cold snap was a set back for some of the strawberry plants at Duyssen Family Farm in Le Roy.

The plants growing in the hoop houses, however, are coming on strong, according to John Duyssen. He expects strawberries ready for picking by Memorial Day.

The different growing cycles of the two groups of plants, however, should extend the amount of time strawberries are available at the farm.

The farm is located at 9187 Bater Road, Le Roy, and as soon as the strawberries are ripe, customers will be welcome to pick their own.

Previously:

• Duyssens keep 'the family' in family farming
• Strawberry and honey farm in Le Roy going solar