Arcuri reaches out to farmers

By Mark Boshnack
Staff Writer

May 20, 2008 04:00 am

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HARTWICK _ A local congressman went to a Hartwick farm on Monday to discuss agriculture policy with some of those directly affected _ members of the farming community.

With the national farm bill recently passed by Congress with a veto-proof majority, Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, used the opportunity amid a local visit to discuss the legislation and what is still needed by area farmers. The meeting took place in the kitchen of Hartwick dairy farmer Clifford Brunner.

Seven other people in the agriculture industry participated in the hourlong discussion.

Having grown up in Utica, Arcuri said, he relies upon these types of meetings to learn about what is really going on in agriculture. Among other things, the $289 billion legislation provides for the strengthening of the Milk Income Loss Contract, which provides funds when milk prices go below a certain floor price. The legislation also raises the cap on the shipments farmers are paid and has a new provision that links the support price to feed costs.

The five-year bill also provides funds to develop stocks of cellulosic ethanol, he said. This type of ethanol is made using non-food plant materials, according to the Department of Energy. This will help ease the pressure on corn prices, Arcuri said, which will be good for farmers and consumers.

One area farmer who said the bill could bring local benefits was Chris Harmon, a beef farmer in Oneonta who is executive director of the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship. He said that a lot of area farmers could be helped by some of the bill's provisions to assist specialty crops, which include organic and value-added dairy and grass-based livestock.

He talked about the needs of agriculture infrastructure, including USDA-inspected slaughterhouses. That, he said, would allow farmers to have their livestock processed closer to home.

Hartwick dairy farmer Jeanne Licata called the MILC program a "lifeline" for dairy farmers.

"We all agree it is not enough," she said, but "it's a start."

She said she was glad Arcuri made the stop and "was willing to listen."

She also discussed the problem farmers have of obtaining adequate health insurance.

While state insurance programs are based on gross revenue, she said, the farmer's net is often too low to readily obtaining adequate insurance.

"It's nice to have a politician lend his ear to people on the grass-roots level," said Milford dairy farmer Siobhan Griffin, who said she would like to see some more emphasis on preserving the family farm.

"We need a price that covers the cost of inputs (such as food, fuel and feed)" and provides for a reasonable living, she said.

She asked Arcuri to help get "pasture rules" for certified-organic milk to even the playing field between large Western farms and those in the Northeast.

"When you talk to farmers, you get a real sense of how tough it is," Arcuri said. "They farm not only for their business but their way of life."

Brunner, who previously talked to The Daily Star about the benefits of the bill, said it was "fantastic" that Arcuri was willing to come into his kitchen and talk about the issues.

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