#1: Interview with Jeff Williams on NYFB's 2024 Priority Issues - 02-01-2024

Summary

New York Farm Bureau News Bytes: Episode #1 Summary

Title: Interview with Jeff Williams on NYFB's 2024 Priority Issues
Host: Steve Ammerman, Director of Communications, New York Farm Bureau
Guest: Jeff Williams, Director of Public Policy, New York Farm Bureau
Release Date: February 1, 2024

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Introduction

In the inaugural episode of the new season of News Bytes, host Steve Ammerman engages in a comprehensive discussion with Jeff Williams, the Director of Public Policy at the New York Farm Bureau (NYFB). The conversation centers around NYFB's legislative priorities for 2024, the development process of these priorities, and their significance to New York's diverse agricultural community.

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Setting the Stage: Legislative Priorities

Developing Member-Driven Priorities

Jeff Williams emphasizes that NYFB’s policy priorities are "100%" member-driven (00:51). These priorities reflect the collective interests and needs of New York farmers, ensuring that the Bureau's advocacy aligns with the real-world challenges faced in the field. The priorities are distilled into a focused list each year, typically ranging from five to ten key issues that serve as the backbone of NYFB’s public policy efforts.

Broad and Inclusive Agenda

Given the diversity within New York’s agricultural sector, the priorities must be broad in nature to encompass various sub-industries such as transportation, labor, and environmental concerns. Jeff notes, "We're a diverse industry, so they have to be. Absolutely." (01:44), highlighting the interconnectedness of farming issues across different domains.

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Public Support for Agriculture

Positive Public Perception

A recent poll conducted in collaboration with Marist Poll revealed strong statewide support for agriculture. Jeff Williams shares, "80% of people in New York City think agriculture is important. We need to protect it." (02:20). This widespread appreciation across both rural and urban areas underscores the critical role of agriculture in New York's economy and community well-being.

Leveraging Poll Results

NYFB plans to utilize these poll results to advocate for agricultural protection at the legislative level, demonstrating that support for farming transcends geographic and demographic boundaries within the state.

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Priority Issue #1: State Budget

Governor’s Budget Proposal

The top priority for NYFB in 2024 is the state budget, with particular attention to the governor's recent proposal. Jeff Williams describes the governor’s budget as the most substantial allocation for agriculture since his tenure at NYFB (03:23). Key allocations include:

• Promotion of Agricultural Products: Funding for marketing initiatives to boost New York’s agricultural visibility.
• Research and Development: Investments in animal health, vegetable research, maple research, and other scientific advancements to keep the industry competitive.
• Economic Development: Support for initiatives that foster growth and sustainability within the agricultural sector.

Environmental Protection Fund (EPF)

NYFB is a strong advocate for the Environmental Protection Fund, collaborating with environmental organizations to enhance water quality, farmland protection, and climate change mitigation. Jeff states, "They are boots on the ground to help farmers on a day in day out basis." (04:26).

Nourish New York and Healthy School Meals

Two significant budget items discussed are Nourish New York and Healthy School Meals for All:

• Nourish New York: Continuation of support for food banks to purchase state-produced agricultural products, addressing food insecurity while providing farmers with essential market outlets.
• Healthy School Meals: Expansion of New York-sourced products in school meals, ensuring that children receive nutritious food while supporting local agriculture.

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Expanding Market Opportunities for Craft Beverage Makers

Current Challenges

NYFB is advocating for regulatory changes to allow farm breweries, cideries, and distilleries to ship directly to customers, a privilege currently afforded only to wineries. Jeff Williams explains the disparity, noting that while wineries can ship out of state, other craft beverage makers face significant "pushback from liquor stores and wholesalers" (06:13).

Legislative Efforts

The Bureau is actively working with Assembly Chair Donna Lepardo to amend laws that prevent craft beverage makers from shipping directly, aiming to create a level playing field and support small businesses within the agricultural sector.

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Emerging Legislative Concerns

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act

The Extended Producer Responsibility Act poses potential disruptions to New York’s recycling system. Jeff Williams expresses relief that the governor did not include this in the current budget, citing concerns over:

• Involvement of Farmers and Small Producers: The bill would inadvertently include agricultural producers like dairy processors, increasing regulatory burdens.
• Practical Challenges: Implementing EPR on a statewide level could complicate existing recycling frameworks, disproportionately affecting non-major players in the industry.

Electrification and Climate Goals

The push for electrification to meet climate action goals is a significant concern for farmers. Jeff articulates the challenges, stating:

• Infrastructure Limitations: "We don't have the ability to transport enough renewable energy right now over the transmission lines to all these places," (09:35).
• Practicality of Implementation: Electrifying heavy machinery and ensuring reliable power sources during critical farming periods, such as harvest season, remains impractical with current technology and infrastructure.

Jeff emphasizes that the state’s deadlines for electrification are unrealistic, highlighting the need for more pragmatic and achievable goals that consider the logistical realities of farming operations.

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Advocacy and Relationship Building

Continuous Advocacy Efforts

NYFB’s strategy involves constant presence and active engagement in legislative sessions. Jeff Williams outlines various activities:

• Lobby Days: Coordinated visits to Albany and Washington D.C. to meet with legislators and advocate for agricultural interests.
• Collaborative Events: Hosting receptions and legislative briefings to facilitate dialogue between farmers and policymakers.
• Urban Outreach: Trips to New York City to engage with urban legislators and discuss food security and local food initiatives.

Importance of Member Involvement

Jeff underscores the critical role of member participation in advocacy efforts. He asserts, "Legislators perk up so much when an actual farmer is in the room talking about what matters the most to them." (13:54). Direct testimonies from farmers reinforce the authenticity and urgency of NYFB’s policy positions.

Upcoming Events and Calls to Action

The episode highlights upcoming events, such as Lobby Day in Albany on March 4th and 5th, and a legislative reception in Washington D.C. for Senator Gillibrand. Members are encouraged to participate by registering through the NYFB website or contacting their county Farm Bureau representatives for more information.

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Conclusion

The first episode of New York Farm Bureau News Bytes effectively sets the tone for the season by delving into the organization's legislative priorities and the strategic efforts to support and protect New York's agricultural community. With strong public support and a clear, member-driven agenda, NYFB aims to navigate the complex legislative landscape to secure a prosperous future for farmers across the state.

Key Takeaways:

• State Budget as Top Priority: Significant focus on securing and optimizing budget allocations for agriculture.
• Environmental and Market Initiatives: Advocacy for EPF funding, Nourish New York, and expanding market opportunities for craft beverage makers.
• Emerging Challenges: Addressing potential impacts of the EPR Act and the feasibility of electrification in farming.
• Active Advocacy: Emphasis on continuous engagement with legislators and encouraging member participation in advocacy events.

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Stay Informed and Get Involved:

Listeners are encouraged to visit the NYFB website at nyfb.org under the Events section to register for Lobby Day or to utilize the Elobby feature to contact lawmakers directly. Active participation and vocal support from members are pivotal in advancing the priorities that sustain New York’s agricultural landscape.

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Thank you for tuning into the first episode of New York Farm Bureau's News Bytes. Stay connected for future episodes where we continue to explore the vital issues shaping New York agriculture.

Transcript

[Steve Ammerman]

Hello and welcome to News Bites, New York Farm Bureau's podcast. I'm Steve Ammerman, director of communications for New York Farm Bureau, as we kick off a new season of News Bites. Also kicking off a new legislative session in Albany. And every year at this time, New York Farm Bureau's state board sets their priority issues. These are the big issues of the day that really spans across all farms and all farmers here in New York. So today we're talking with Jeff Williams, the director of Public Policy here at York Farm Bureau, about the priority issues and why they matter to farmers. Jeff, thanks for joining us today.

[Jeff Williams]

It's always my pleasure.

[Steve Ammerman]

We're here to talk about our state legislative priorities for New York Farm Bureau for this year and a long list that covers, you know, the true breadth of agriculture. But before we do a deep dive, let's talk about how we come up with these priority issues. These are member driven, correct?

[Jeff Williams]

100%. Always have been, always will be at New York Farm Bureau. Our policies not developed by and approved by our members. So when myself or the public policy team goes to Albany or Washington, D.C. we only talk about what's in the policy book. It's our marching orders for the year. And I guess where we're going is with priority issues. Those are the issues that our board sets as being the most important of all the things in the policy book that year. They look at what's coming down the pike legislatively when the budget, regulations, they hear what our members are talking about out in the field and they look to see what's achievable, what's doable. And then they distill that down into a list of five to 10 priorities that really are the backbone of our public policy work for the year.

[Steve Ammerman]

And they have to be broad in nature as well.

[Jeff Williams]

We're a diverse industry, so they have to be. Absolutely. But so many things that happens on farms or what farmers want to change, cut across all industries, transportation, labor, environment. It's, you know, it's, you know, they're all speaking the same language, if you will.

[Steve Ammerman]

And again, before we get into those priority issues, you know, there was a new poll that New York Farm Bureau commissioned with Maris poll to ask people how they feel about the importance of New York agriculture and the value that provides to their local economies. And the numbers were pretty great across the entire state.

[Jeff Williams]

I think when we go into this, we knew that rural New York would say, hey, 83%, 80% of people in rural New York support agriculture, understands the importance of the state's economy, Same amount of people basically said that in suburbs of Long island and in New York City as well. So it shows us that agriculture really is a statewide. A statewide industry, and then people appreciate it statewide. And we're going to use those numbers to try to go back to the legislators and the governor and regulators and say, look, this isn't just a Corning New York issue or a St. Lawrence county issue. 80% of the people in New York City think agriculture is important. We need to protect it.

[Steve Ammerman]

And that leads us into talking about those priority issues. And the number one priority, and it typically is every year, is the state budget. The governor released her budget couple weeks ago. We're still waiting to see what the state Senate and Assembly have in their projected budgets. But right now we're at a pretty good place just by looking at the governor's numbers. Can you do a deep dive?

[Jeff Williams]

Yeah, absolutely. Yes. You know, the governor sets the table for the rest of how the budget negotiations go. And she pretty much put in more money for the ag budget than any other governor has since I've been working at New York Farm Bureau. And that's really important because that budget money goes for promotion of our agricultural products. It goes for really critical research for animal health and for vegetable research and maple research across the whole board to help our industry stay at the forefront of what's scientifically doable and possible. It also supports our economic development in agriculture. In the scheme of the entire budget, which is $220 billion, it's not that much, but we really make the most of what we get.

[Steve Ammerman]

Environmental Protection Fund is a serious portion of the budget, and we're a big advocate of a lot of that funding. How does some of that help our farms as well?

[Jeff Williams]

Absolutely. We work with environmental organizations on this, which is great. It gives us a bridge to those groups that we may not agree with in other things, but they understand the importance of water quality on farms, farmland protection, and help farmers deal with climate change. Those are all those kind of all those programs in the EPF that we all can agree on. And they are boots on the ground to help farmers on a day in and day out basis.

[Steve Ammerman]

Couple other big budget items, Nourish New York and healthy school meals for all. Can you talk about both of those?

[Jeff Williams]

Yeah. I think probably everyone knows about Nourish New York because it was a savior of agriculture during the pandemic when the governor put forward money so food banks could buy New York state products because we weren't selling much during the pandemic. That has continued because People who are food insecure still need food and farmers still need an outlet. It's really a perfect match for local food going to people who are food insecure and helping farmers as well. Healthy school meals for all. It's a way of getting New York products into schools even more so than they do, where kids who can't afford meals get healthy meals in their schools. And a lot of that can be New York estate sourced. So again, it's really making that match between people who are food insecure may not have enough food and our farmers stepping into the void and supplying that food.

[Steve Ammerman]

There really are great market opportunities for our farmers. And speaking of markets, you know, we're trying to expand markets for craft beverage makers in the state, our farm breweries, cideries, spirit makers, to be able to ship directly to their customers, which is something that they can do, but other makers and processors can. How are we. How are you approaching that issue?

[Jeff Williams]

Yeah, it's a, to us, it's a parity issue because for 20 years, wineries, our farm wineries have been able to ship out of state to customers. So people come to Finger Lakes or Long island on vacation and they taste wine and they love it. And as they typically do, they fall in love with the wine and they go home and they want to drink and you drink it. And their liquor stores probably don't have it, you know, in Oklahoma, for example, so they can call up and get that, get a case of wine shipped to them. But unfortunately, our farm breweries, farm distilleries and farm cideries don't have that ability. And the law needs to be changed to do so. And you would think once we got wine, which is pretty much the biggest one of all of our farm beverages, the biggest part of the industry, the others just automatically fall in line, but there's still a substantial pushback on that from liquor stores and wholesalers and distributors. You would think, you know, they could focus on market marketing. I don't know.

[Steve Ammerman]

It's competition for them.

[Jeff Williams]

Tanqueray.

[Steve Ammerman]

Right.

[Jeff Williams]

Rather than it is competition.

[Steve Ammerman]

And they have the ability to do home delivery now. So you would think, you know, it's another small business. And that's what we're looking to support here, is our small business.

[Jeff Williams]

I know our assembly chair of agriculture is Donna Lepardo. It's really big for her and we're trying to get it through the assembly and the Senate.

[Steve Ammerman]

A couple of other issues that we're looking for to talk about that could rear up this year. One is the Extended Producer Responsibility act, which would totally upend our recycling system in this state. It's something that's been churning for a few years. It's still out there. I know our president, David Fisher, spoke about it in a hearing late last year here in Albany. So you expect that to come back again?

[Jeff Williams]

Yes, I'm really happy that the governor didn't put that in her budget this year, in her proposed budget this year. It was in there last year. So I think she's getting tired of this issue because it seems to be intractable, really unsolvable issue, to all of a sudden say, you know, upend our state recycling system and say, okay, now we're going to change it. So people who produce packaging now have to be in charge of recycling the end use of that product. And that, you know, I get what they're talking. What they're trying to do is because Amazon sends out a lot of packaging out there, you know, especially, I just got a box last week, and it was a very small thing I was getting, but it came with a huge box and like three boxes inside. I mean, and so it doesn't have to be like that. So I get that. But if you want to go after Amazon, go after Amazon. This bill, the way they're talking about it, pulls in farmers, wineries, at a very, very low level, and they're not the problem. And also pulls in dairy processors. And there's FDA regulations that are much, much bigger than this bill that needs to be considered. And they're not at this point, but this is not supposed to be about us, but they're making it about definitely.

[Steve Ammerman]

Something we'll be talking about as well as there's a big push right now for electrification across the state to meet a lot of major climate action goals. And there is some concern in the farming community that those goals can't be met because it's just not possible, at least right now, on farms to do a lot of what some of the regulations are looking to do. How big of a concern is that?

[Jeff Williams]

It's a huge concern. I hear about it all the time from farmers all across the state who look at the transmission grid, who look at the needs of their farms and think, how can I possibly electrify any of this stuff, whether it's my tractors, whether it's my dairy farm, my milking parlor. We don't have the ability to transport enough renewable energy right now over the transmission lines to all these places, and New York State's going way too far. I get what they're trying to do, but it's way too far, way too fast. And it's not just farms, it's rural New York. It's school districts who can't afford bus chargers. And even if they could, buses can't make the whole loop of a bus route in the wintertime because the battery runs out in cold weather. So there's a lot of logistics that have gone in that need to go into this that haven't been really presented yet. And right now New York State is basically governing on press releases about deadlines for these things. And they're not realistic deadlines.

[Steve Ammerman]

I mean if a farmer a we don't have, they don't have a battery powered tractor that can, you know, a huge piece of equipment that would take a huge amount of power. And then it's also about how do you charge it up in the middle of harvest? You know, in the middle of a field, where do you charge? Where do you charge it? I mean these are serious logistic how many charges.

[Jeff Williams]

I mean think about how many acres are, you know, are worked on in during a harvest, how many pieces of machinery you use and how many charge sensations you would need all around these multiple fields. It's not practical. I think people are waking up at that fact. They don't want to quite give up on these deadlines, but they're going to have to pump these things out. It's just impossible to meet.

[Steve Ammerman]

Where do you go from here with the public policy team, your staff, the members to advocate on these priority issues?

[Jeff Williams]

Yeah, well, we. Where don't we go I guess is the answer.

[Steve Ammerman]

You have been busy.

[Jeff Williams]

We've been as staff, we've been to the Capitol every session day, if not more since the session began. We have a bunch of ag groups that come in who are our alliance members like Maple Association, Apple association, those kind of groups that are coming into lobby for lobby days. We're helping them with that. We have a trip to New York City for our members to go meet urban legislators where they are in their districts to talk about our issues but also hear from them about their needs for food security in their districts and how we can get more local food into their districts. We then were doing our lobby day, which is in Albany, which is the preeminent legislative reception. We get hundreds of legislators and staff and agency heads there to meet our members who, who provide local food from their regions. And it's really a great way to start conversations between our members and decision makers in Albany. And we have our lobby day the next day after and then we're going down to D.C. for Senator Gillibrand's D.C. event. So we're sponsoring a legislative reception for her to highlight New York food in Washington D.C. too. So there's really no shortcuts when it comes to getting our policy in our policy book into law or in the budget. You got to be in Albany. It can't be a one day thing. You got to be there all the time building relationships not just with your friends, but with people who may not have agriculture in your districts. And you have to find some way to make that connection with that person and talk about the importance of agriculture so they understand the needs of our industry but also of their constituents.

[Steve Ammerman]

Yeah, relationship building is key and our lobby day and reception in Albany at least is March 4th and 5th. So certainly if people are interested they can go to our [e-mail] under the Events and find out more on how they can register and take part or speak to their county Farm bureau or county managers to get more information as well. But hearing from our members though is incredibly important. Not only from the members own lawmakers, but we will have some calls to action through this session as well for them to call Speaker Hasty, the Senate Majority Leader and others to really talk about some of these issues and relay their importance to farmers.

[Jeff Williams]

Yeah, the importance of our members voice can't be underestimated. You know, our job in public policy is to carry our members voice, but it's a pale comparison to what how our members can talk in real time, in real life about the real things happening on their farms and things that need to be changed. Legislators perk up so much when an actual farmer is in the room talking about what matters the most to them. And this organization has been built on that kind of idea. And so the more people who show up, the better we're going to be every single year.

[Steve Ammerman]

All right Jeff, thanks so much. Appreciate you. My pleasure sharing this today. Jeff has been the public policy director here at New York Farm Bureau for more than a decade and we appreciate his time during this busy legislative session. Things are really ramping up in Albany now. Next month the state Board will set the federal priority issues. So stay tuned to that for a future episode of News Bites. And until then, make sure to reach out to your lawmakers. You can go to our [e-mail] and click on the Elobby link there. You can send a message to the governor as well as your state senators and assembly members. Or you can also pick up the phone and call them as well and let them know your opinions about legislative bills and issues that matter to you. As Jeff said, outreach is very important and it does make a difference. Well, that will do it. For this edition of New York Farm Bureau's new Spites podcast, we want to thank Seth Moser Katz for putting this all together. And until next time, make sure to thank a farmer for all that they do.