New York Agriculture at a Crossroads

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo

Chair, Committee on Agriculture  

While the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in our food supply chain, it also increased public awareness about where our food comes from and who produces it. New York stands at a crossroads in the post-pandemic recovery. Policymakers and consumers seem genuinely interested in better understanding the challenges farmers and processors face. Addressing those challenges is where the hard work begins. For example, topics like solar development, on-farm labor, transportation and processing bottlenecks, and how to pay for infrastructure upgrades, need careful attention. 

I’m pleased that recent state budgets for agriculture have improved each year. This is the direct result of the work of NEAFA, the Farm Bureau and other agricultural advocacy groups and their members. It also shows what can happen when you have strong representation in Albany, who not only advance programs that help New York’s farm economy, but who also actively oppose or try to lessen the impact of policies that may cause harm.

As always, I will be prioritizing support for the many programs and services that farmers rely on and NEAFA has emphasized. This includes FarmNet, Pro-Dairy, Pro-Livestock, the NY Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Cornell’s IPM Program, Farm Labor Specialist, and more. 

I especially want to protect the new funding the Governor is advancing on behalf of dairy. The proposed Dairy Farm Modernization grants are welcome as the need grows to increase on-farm milk storage capacity and improved milk transfer systems and cooling technologies. 

In addition, I view agricultural education and outreach as cornerstones of NY’s ag economy. FFA, Ag in the Classroom, and now a proposed Youth Leaderships Conference, that includes 4H, are all valued investments. Further, the invaluable contribution of Cornell Cooperative Extension is always front and center. 

Also, our investments in research and development supports a vast network of activities at Cornell’s CALS, along with the work being done by the NY Farm Viability Institute. These dedicated professionals are working on climate resiliency, animal and soil health, farm profitability, and more.

We are very fortunate to have such a robust network of Universities, Extension Offices, and agricultural organizations; all committed to building NY’s farm economy and preserving NY farmland.

There is a new subject worth mentioning that will compliment the Governor’s support for Long Island seafood processing. I am also interested in promoting an Upstate Aquaculture Initiative focused on the production of fin-fish such as trout, through New York Sea Grant. Stay tuned for further developments on this, as I understand that some members of NEAFA are also interested in fish-feed. 

As always, I appreciate the input I receive from NEAFA and all of NY’s farm and food advocates. We can never thank our farmers enough for the work being done, often under extreme and unpredictable weather conditions, to produce the food our families rely on. At this crossroad moment, I will do my best, working with all of my colleagues, to support and protect NY Agriculture (and Aquaculture). 

NY Legislators Departures and Primaries

By Hinman Straub, Special to NEAFA

A number of New York State legislators have recently announced that they will not seek reelection this fall.  Several are running for a higher office, and the rest retiring from public service. The following members – several of whom hold leadership positions or are committee chairs - will not run for reelection in November. These changes will impact most committee assignments, as these leadership positions will be given to senior members, likely already committee chairs, which will allow new members to take chairmanships, and a lot of over all movement in committee membership. 

SENATE

  • Neil Breslin (D-Albany) – retiring. Senate Insurance Committee chair.

  • Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo) – running for Congress in an April special election. Senate Transportation Committee chair.

  • Kevin Thomas (D-Suffolk) – recently suspended his candidacy for a seat in Congress. Senate Consumer Protection Committee chair. 

  • John Mannion (D-Syracuse) – running for Congress. Senate Disabilities Committee chair.

ASSEMBLY

  • Jeff Aubry (D-Queens) – retiring.  Speaker Pro Tem.

  • Marjorie Byrnes (R-Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Steuben and Wyoming Counties) – retiring.

  • Taylor Darling (D-Suffolk) – running for State Senate.

  • Inez Dickens (D-Harlem) – retiring.

  • Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) – running for State Senate. Assembly Higher Education Committee chair.

  • Joseph Giglio (R-Olean) – retiring.

  • Andrew Goodell (R-Jamestown) – retiring.

  • Aileen Gunther (D-Middletown) – retiring.

  • Daniel O'Donnell (D-Manhattan) – retiring. Assembly Tourism, Parks Arts & Sports Committee chair. 

  • Fred Thiele (D-Suffolk) – retiring. Assembly Local Governments Committee chair.

  • Helene Weinstein (D-Brooklyn) – retiring. Assembly Ways & Means Committee chair.

  • Kenneth Zebrowski (D-Rockland County – retiring. Assembly Government Operations Committee chair.

2024 Primaries

  • The Presidential Primary Election in New York State is Tuesday, April 2, 2024, from 6 AM to 9PM. Early voting will run from Saturday, March 23 through Saturday, March 30.

  • Primary Elections for other federal, state, and local offices (Congress, State Senate, State Assembly etc.) will be held on Tuesday, June 25.

NY Legislative Budget Proposals Released

By Hinman Straub, Special to NEAFA

Earlier this month, the Senate and Assembly each advanced their respective “one-house” budget proposals. These proposals help establish the negotiating positions for each house as final budget negotiations begin. 

In a year where the Executive budget was already more generous than anticipated towards agriculture, the legislative bodies have sought to invest even more in the agriculture industry. 

While the formal deadline for adoption of a final budget for State Fiscal Year 2025 is Monday, April 1st (with Fiscal Year 24 ending March 31st), many believe that is not the likely outcome. With Good Friday and Easter falling on March 29th and 31st respectively, and commitments from the Governor to honor religious observance, time is already incredibly short. Moreover, with a significant difference in the amount of spending between the Legislative and Executive proposals, the likelihood that negotiations will be elongated as each side fights for the best deal, rather than the quickest. 

It is also important to note that the Legislature is scheduled to be in session through April 17th rather than breaking immediately after April 1. When session is scheduled through the early part of April, it sometimes results in a later budget. 

Some details on the respective proposals are below. 

Join us April 9 for the Herd Health and Nutrition Conference

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D., President, Natural Biologics, Inc., VP, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

The Education Committee and PRO-Dairy team have done another great job in putting together an excellent agenda for the 2024 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference in Syracuse, NY on Tuesday, April 9th.  As always, the event kicks off with a reception and trade show on Monday evening with a chance to visit with friends and colleagues from the dairy industry.  

The program gets going the next morning with Dr. Billy Brown from Kansas State University presenting data on growth performance and carcass characteristics of beef-on-dairy calves who’s dams were supplemented with choline.  He will also review the use of novel high protein corn byproducts in calf grain.  Dairy Extension Specialists Lindsay Ferlito and Betsy Hicks will then take the podium to present a summary of a USDA APHIS and NY Farm Viability Institute funded study on herd health, record keeping and disease incidence trends in New York State.

Heat stress in New York?  Yes, it happens every year and Dr. Jimena Laporta from the University of Wisconsin will discuss her research on the effects of heat stress during gestation on lactation performance of the resulting offspring over generations.  Her research has carried this line of questioning to the molecular level to better understand exactly why and how this happens. Following lunch, there will be no way to nap as Dr. John Goeser of Rock River Lab explores the intersection of agronomy, nutrition and herd health.  John will discuss how agronomic choices, practices and feed hygiene impact herd health and productivity.

Lastly, no dairy conference is complete without a discussion of the ways the dairy industry can reduce its impact on climate.  In this panel discussion, we welcome Karl Czymmek, Dr. Mike Van Amburgh, Greg Albrecht and Meghan Hauser for a lively discussion of dairy cow nutrition and feeding management as a driving force in farm efficiency and reducing environmental impact.  They will also discuss New York state programs which foster adoption climate-smart practices as well as the challenges and benefits of adopting them.  

If you haven’t yet registered, it’s not too late!  Get registered and we’ll see you on April 8 and 9.

NEAFA Member Highlight: Chemlock Nutrition

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month’s NEAFA member highlight is Chemlock Nutrition. “We’re a young company,” said Director of Dairy Science Rick Brown. “Chemlock Nutrition was founded in 2010 by chemists and has customers worldwide. It began by selling cobalt carbonate for industrial applications. By 2014, we also started selling that to livestock premix companies in the US since cobalt is an essential nutrient used in ruminant nutrition.”

Brown has had a lifelong connection with agriculture. “I grew up in Maine, and I joined 4H and the National Holstein Association at a young age,” said Brown. “I received my bachelor’s in animal science from Cornell in 1998 and spent 17 years working with Purdue Agribusiness before joining Chemlock Nutrition. Chemlock was an exciting new opportunity to learn about nutrients I hadn’t previously focused on. It’s a very innovative company. They have high-quality products, an extensive product portfolio, and many new products on the horizon. We’re based in chemistry and focus on better methods of delivering nutrients to livestock. My team focuses on dairy cattle, but we have a monogastric team (poultry and swine), and we’re also working on products for pets and equine.”

While Chemlock’s direct customers are distributors and pre-mixers, my team also works directly with nutritionists. “We sell to the people that sell to the feed mills,” said Brown. “But we work directly with nutritionists to help on the application side. Our team works with consultants and dairy farmers across the country. That work can be a lot of fun because it’s rewarding when you can help people. It’s a great challenge to bring value to and to help people advance and improve the profitability of their farm.”

Chemlock Nutrition is a newer member of NEAFA as well. “Last year was our first year with NEAFA,” said Brown. “I’ve been aware of NEAFA for a long time through my prior involvement with Purdue. The exposure to other members and the activities that they put on were what made us join. We like that NEAFA is educating and legislatively supporting the dairy industry. We focus on the education side, but we’re pleased with NEAFA's efforts to support the dairy industry in the Northeast from a lobbying side as well. Living and working in the Northeast, I see our dairy farms progressing positively in several ways. Technologically and sustainably, these exciting points dramatically grow along with the expansion and modernization of dairy processing. They’re all things that will help northeastern farms remain competitive going into the future and supply the East Coast with nutritious dairy products.”

For more information on Chemlock Nutrition, visit www.chemlocknutrition.com

President's Pen, March 2024

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

Spring is trying to come to the Northeast – one week we were reaching for the t-shirts and shorts and the next week we were digging the winter jackets back out - a reminder of how diverse our weather and agricultural landscape is!  Spring’s cycle of planning and planting is not just seen in the many fields being worked, but also in our state capitols with legislative sessions in full swing as well as industry meetings and gatherings.  

We look forward to connecting with many of you at the Herd Health and Nutrition Conference on April 8th and 9th in Syracuse.  We will hold our NEAFA spring board meeting just prior to the conference (taking some time to witness the eclipse!).  This meeting will be focused on advocacy updates with Hinman Straub, our lobby team in New York reviewing the current budget proposals, as well as VDPA and our advocacy efforts in Vermont.  Hinman Straub continues to monitor committee agendas and how our state budget in NY is shaping up – the “one house” budgets are being updated regularly and it is encouraging to see agricultural and NEAFA’s priorities supported, however, there will be many discussions between the executive and one house budgets as the total budget number is about 2X what is available to spend.  More to come in the next couple of weeks.  

We are excited to continue advocacy efforts in Vermont by collaborating with the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance (VDPA).  Thank you to our board member Kevin Kouri for representing NEAFA on the VDPA board.  One bill of interest in the VT legislature is the ban of neonicotinoid pesticides – a similar measure that passed in NY this past session.  Here is the summary of the bill and movement:

Oppose - H 706 - An Act Relating To Banning The Use Of Neonicotinoid Pesticides

NEW STATUS: Read third time and passed
Action Calendar: Third reading (03/22/24)

This bill proposes to prohibit the sale, offer for sale or use, distribution, or use of any neonicotinoid treated article seed for soybeans or for any crop in the cereal grains crop group. The bill would also prohibit the application or treatment with a neonicotinoid pesticide for multiple other uses.

The House passed this vote by roll call and they will send it over to the Senate early next week. We expect to have a robust and open conversation with the Senate Agriculture committee. Organizing knowledgeable members to speak in front of committee is very important. We have spoken with some of the Senate Agriculture members to let them know the bill is coming and we are ready to be heard in their committee.

If you are willing to testify for opposition of this bill, please reach out to VDPA at vdpacommunications@gmail.com, or Kevin Kouri. 

On the education front, kudos to the Cornell Pro Dairy team and our education committee, headed up by Dr. Kristan Reed, on planning a great Herd Health and Nutrition Conference.  Check out Dr. Elrod’s article highlighting the presentations!  Thank you to the many sponsors of the conference.  We look forward to your feedback to continue to improve the program and topics for next year!

Looking forward, we will once again be excited to see you at our Annual Golf for Good Works Tournament to be held on Tuesday August 20, with a reception to be held Monday evening August 19 at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY.  Great golf combined with a first-class networking event are in store again for this year.  Please note, due to the many conflicts that our June date posed with graduations, we pivoted this event to hopefully accommodate your schedule!

I look forward to seeing you soon – Happy Spring, stay safe as we plant and plan for a successful harvest all over the Northeast – in the fields, state capitols and with many industry happenings!

NEAFA Member Highlight: Adisseo

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

For February, NEAFA talked with Connor McCluskey, the Northeast Dairy Business Manager for Adisseo. While McCluskey joined Adisseo at the end of April, 2023, he isn’t new to the Northeast or agriculture. “I grew up in Connecticut and went to an agricultural high school,” said McCluskey. “I knew I wanted to be in agribusiness when I grew up. I went to University of Connecticut, where I studied agricultural economics and applied economics. After I graduated, I worked for Cargill in Northern NY as an assistant to one of their dairy nutritionists. It was a lot of learning as I went when I first started. I was very green, but I was loving it and enjoying working in agriculture. I worked at Cargill for 8 years, and I credit them for learning so much on the ground about how to feed cows, and about the nutrition business at large. Joining Adisseo provided me an opportunity to learn and grow in new directions through their resources, training, and meeting the farmers and the feed mills delivering great feed to dairies throughout the Northeast.”

Founded in 1939 in Commentry, France by Marcel Lingot, Adisseo is a global company with headquarters throughout the world. Their US headquarters is outside Atlanta, GA, with production facility in Hampshire, Illinois, just outside Chicago. “In the dairy industry, Adisseo has focus on amino acid balancing for the past 30 years,” said McCluskey. “Amino acids are a key building block for living beings, and especially in the cows. Research has shown that amino acids are something that are essential for herd health and performance. Everyone talks about sustainability and how important it is. Instead of solely focusing on green space however, you need to look at the sustainability of our businesses. It all goes hand in hand. An environmentally sustainable business is an economic stable business. Learning how to be more efficient in a progressive and healthy manner is key. Farmers and agribusinesses have no desire to harm the environment, they want to take care of it too. If we’re not sustainable as companies, we won’t be around for the future. It’s about learning what can we continue to do to grow and be sustainable. Keep cows healthy and increasing production without increasing herd size is a step towards sustainability.”

For Adisseo, NEAFA is also a key part of keeping agribusiness healthy in the Northeast. “Adisseo wants to support NEAFA to insure that agriculture in the Northeast has a representative,” said McCluskey. “NEAFA is good at that, they make sure that agribusiness voices are heard through action, policy, and education.”

To learn more about Adisseo and what they do in the US, visit https://milkpay.com/

2024's NEAFA Lobby Day a Success

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.
President, Natural Biologics, Inc.
Vice President, NEAFA

February 6 marked our first, full-blown lobby day since the pandemic and was a rousing success! Nine NEAFA members and three of our Hinman-Straub colleagues split up into three teams and hit the Legislative Office Building.  Hinman-Straub did a great job lining up about twenty appointments, including with many members of the Senate and Assembly from the NEAFA members’ districts.  We had a profile for each legislator we were to meet with and copies of the budget priorities for the College of Ag & Life Sciences.  The meetings are scheduled for 30 minutes, but in reality we typically had about 20 minutes of focused conversation.  With the smaller groups we spent less time on introductions and could more readily get to the substance of the conversation.

Because the Governor had come out very strong on funding agricultural programs and projects in her budget, one of our highest priorities was to demonstrate support for the Governor’s budget.  In a few instances, we asked for restorations or additional funding for specific programs or positions.  Funding an additional Farm Labor Specialist, the Dairy Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, the PRO-Livestock program, Dairy Farm Modernization Grants, Dairy Profit Teams and other programs were among those which we discussed.

In addition to the budgetary discussions, we also made the case that transportation issues are still a major hurdle across agriculture.  A lack of CDL drivers, emergency road closures, and inconsistent weight limits were among the transportation issues discussed.  As in the past, several legislators have asked us to bring back specific policy recommendations to be included in legislation.  We will work with NY Farm Bureau and NEDPA to begin to formulate these instead of letting others write the language and we end up just reacting to it.  

It was great to see some younger NEAFA members joining us for lobby day and we look forward to collaborating with our colleagues in NEDPA and NYFB to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast.

Congratulations to the NEAFA Distinguished Service Award Winner - John Clark

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

NEAFA proudly recognized John M. Clark as the Distinguished Service Award winner at the 2024 Annual Meeting.  This award was presented by Rick Zimmerman, former NEAFA executive director, and Andy Dugan, a past NEAFA president.  This award is presented to individual(s) who have shown a long-time commitment to the agricultural industry in the Northeast.  John’s accomplishments were highlighted during the presentation.

First, John’s dedication of more than 40 years of leadership in the dairy industry and a tremendous commitment to the future through enthusiastic efforts to train and prepare more than 65 individuals within his own purpose-driven internship program was highlighted. He is an active alumnus of SUNY Cobleskill and Cornell University and a Professional Animal Scientist (PAS).

John Clark joined the NEAFA Board of Directors in 2012, serving as treasurer, chaired the Finance and Good Works Committees, as well as served on the Governmental Relations, and Conventions Committees.  During John’s tenure as chair of the Good Works Committee, NEAFA has raised over $140,000 dollars, through the Golf for Good Works Program, which has supported dozens of youth and agricultural promotion programs.  In addition, John spearheaded the NEAFA Scholarship Program, which provides $1000 scholarships each year to 4 high school seniors pursuing educational interests in agriculture.  This program is in its 6th year and remains an important element of our Good Works committee.

As president of NEAFA from 2018 to 2021, John lead the organization through the pandemic, keeping NEAFA relevant and moving the organization forward to continue to serve the agribusiness community.  John lead the organization to undertake two annual meetings in Florida, celebrating NEAFA’s 10 year and 15-year anniversaries. 

Rick Zimmerman concluded his remarks saying, “John Clark is always willing to pitch in, always willing to step up, always willing to emcee our annual meetings, always seeing the opportunities and possibilities of Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance and our industry.”  

Congratulations to John Clark, our 2024 Distinguished Service Award winner!

NEAFA Board Updates

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

At our Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance meeting held on February 7, 2024 we welcomed new board members and thanked those retiring from the board.

In appreciation of those retiring board members, a plaque was presented, giving appreciation for their time, dedication, and commitment to NEAFA.  Retiring board members include:

  • Barry Baetz, Global Agri-Trade; retiring treasurer

  • Corwin Holtz, Holtz-Nelson Dairy Consultants; retiring secretary

  • Karl Bitz, Central New York Feeds

  • Alan Wright, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed

Thank you to these four members for the many hours spent strategically influencing NEAFA to be positioned well for the future.

Four new board members were voted onto the board at the Annual Meeting including:

  • Luke Lines, AmpliSource

  • Joe Painting, Vermont Rail Systems

  • Kevin Putnam, Pioneer 

  • Dr. Carie Telgen, Diamond V

Lastly, the board met and elected the following officers:

  • Jenny Mills, continuing President

  • Dr. Charlie Elrod, continuing Vice President

  • Mike Thresher, Secretary

  • Matt Sheffer, Treasurer

Navigating the New Frontier: NEAFA Annual Meeting Recap

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

Approximately 130 people attended the NEAFA Annual Meeting, held February 6-7, 2024 at the Marriott in Albany, NY.  Several futuristic topics were explored during the meeting, and attendees had opportunities to network over the two-day event.  Tuesday afternoon featured a panel discussion as follow up to last year’s transportation summit and exploring algae as livestock feed.

Tonya Van Slyke, Executive Director of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, moderated a panel to discuss transportation issues, progress and continued opportunities. Panelists included: Joe Painting, VT Rail Systems; Keith Kimball, La Casa de Leche Company and NEDPA Chair; Kendra Hems, NYS Trucking Association and Casey McCue, NYS Department of Ag and Markets.  Key takeaways from the discussion included:

  • Working together across the agricultural industries, trucking industries, rail providers and regulatory bodies will be key to eliminating obstacles.  Having a common message and working together on challenges will be key for success.

  • We no longer live in a “all or nothing environment.”  Legislators need to hear from constituents, to help shape legislation and make the bridge connections across the supply chains.

  • Progress has been made on getting more CDL drivers, including a scholarship for a CDL program and this past year, a “Jails to Jobs” program has launched to help those looking for a second chance with obtaining their CDL.

  • The trucking industry supports electrification, where it makes sense.  The technology needs more time to develop. The heavy batteries in trucks will reduce capacity for hauling product, potentially decreasing hauling efficiency.   

  • The industry also supports the new fuel standard, including renewable diesel that will soon be available to Upstate NY.

  • There is huge support for the executive budget inclusion of more on farm storage of milk which will help alleviate the issues that weather related road closures have on moving perishable products.

  • Rail in Vermont has been impacted greatly by washouts – over 100 washouts have wiped out rail infrastructure.

  • The industry and state are working to help decrease wait times at milk plants by investing in more bays. 

Exploring New Feed Opportunities: Algae as Livestock Feed: Coast to Cow to Consumer Update

Nichole Price and her collaborators at the Bigelow Institute, including Ellen Deerenfeld from the World Wildlife Fund hosted an interactive presentation to the audience in Albany as well as an additional 30 people online, focused on sharing what research has been completed on algae as livestock feed.  Some of the algae strains have shown up to 80% effectiveness in reducing methane in cattle.  The Bigelow Institute has evaluated dozens of seaweed strains and solicited feedback from the audience on opportunities to incorporate feed products into feed mills and bovine diets. There is more to come as additional research is underway, seeking to ensure that algae meets efficacy, safety, economic and regulatory standards.

Conference attendees had a chance to mingle at the reception Tuesday evening, interacting with guests from the LEAD NY program, Hinman Straub and speakers.

Wednesday morning kicked off with the NEAFA annual business meeting.  See our update on new board members and thank you to retiring board members in this issue.

Trent Loos served as our emcee for the meeting on Wednesday.  Trent has been an advocate for all aspects of agriculture for the past 24 years.  His podcasts, including “Loos Tales,” showcase many ag issues.  Trent kicked off our meeting with introduction of the NYS FFA officer team that formally opened the meeting – a must see ceremony! His commentary between speakers helped emphasize key messages and relevance to consumers.

Lindsey McMahon, Senior Policy Advisor for Food and Agriculture within the NYS Executive Chamber provided insights from the NY Governor’s office, highlighting the increased executive budget for agricultural programs.  

Next on the program, Mike North from Ever.Ag provided a lively update on the dairy market and outlook.

  • Consumer spending power seems resilient despite rising costs – how long can this last?

  • Indexes such as the purchasing manager index signal a continued reduction in internal consumer activity.

  • There is less milk around the world, including US milk production which is down 0.3%

  • US cow numbers are down 39,000 head from December 2023 and the 2024 heifer inventory is low – total replacement heifers represent 43% of the milking herd and those that will calve in 2024 represent only 28% of the total milking herd.

  • Regional trends continue as key butter and powder producers contract while cheese producers expand.

  • Result of cheese expansion – can US manufacturers win a larger share of the export pie?  Mexican demand is a bright spot with a strong currency and growing economy.

  • Farm margins will continue to be mediocre, however, increased soybean meal and corn stocks and lower international demand has resulted in lower feed costs

  • Watch factors for 2024 Class III milk expectations include exports, consumer demand and new cheese capacity.

After a break, we had updates from Dr Kristan Reed and Dr Joe McFadden on their respective research programs at Cornell.  Both Kristan and Joe are Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Sesquicentennial fellows.  Dr. Reed updated the audience on the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) model,  which has the following missions:

  • To build an integrated, whole-farm model that simulates milk, meat, and crop production, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality impacts, soil health, and other sustainability outcomes of ruminant farms. 

  • We strive to achieve the highest standards for prediction accuracy, code structure and clarity, documentation, and accessibility. 

  • Through continuous learning and improvement of our methods and algorithms, we are creating an open and inclusive platform for scientific collaboration. 

The team is working to launch version 1 of the model in the upcoming calendar year.  Immediate goals for the model include evaluation and sensitivity analyses across all modules and as a whole model; Pilot testing functional requirements for version 1; make improvements in data synthesis and summaries and energy estimations.

Dr. Joe McFadden made updates around his research program in sustainability.  Overall goals for his program are to reduce global enteric and manure GHG emissions from ruminant production to mitigate climate change, and support farmer opportunities, human health and nutrition, and animal well-being.

In his talk, Dr. McFadden reviewed progress and his roadmap for his program, including: 

  • How can we leverage fatty acids? 

  • Deep dive on seaweed, bromoform, and other halogens 

  • Fatty acid by bromoform interactions 

  • Methane mitigation during different energy balance and planes of nutrition 

  • Novel compound discovery 

  • Methane cost/benefit of disease and disease prevention

Next, navigating the new frontier means advocating with our state governments.  We had updates from our efforts in Vermont and New York.  Frist, Kevin Kouri, NEAFA board member and liaison to Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance (VDPA) shared updates from Vermont.  This past year, NEAFA joined forces with VDPA, who partners with Shouldice and Associates to multiply the agricultural voice in Montpelier.  Current topics in Vermont include continued discussion from 2023 around pesticides, rodenticides, PFAS, and the use of treated seeds. In 2023, VDPA worked hard on Right to Repair, Agritourism, and regulations on agriculture which have carried over to this year. 

Jim Carr from Hinman Straub provided an update on lobbying efforts in New York.  He reviewed several topics from 2023, including the neonics ban, agrivoltaics in farming, privacy information, agriculture technology challenge, FreshConnect Program, “Human Grade” Pet Food, Wage Payment Protections and Wetlands Management.  Jim also touched on key budget asks for inclusion in the 2024 NYS budget, including: $250,000 increase for Pro-Dairy Core Program, $100,000 increase for FarmNet, and $500,000 for the Dairy Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub.  Lastly, Jim reviewed some important topics for the 2024 session, including climate change and environment, chemicals of concern (e.g., neonics, PFAS, ingredients, labeling), economy and agribusiness, labor standards, privacy and transportation.

The final presentation of the morning was an update from American Feed Industry Association.  A familiar friend of NEAFA, Louise Calderwood, Director of Regulatory Affairs presented some of the trends we are experiencing on the federal level.  Focus on the industry resiliency in securing and diversifying the US vitamin supply chain, discussing the regulatory reform and updates from CVM on the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (Innovative FEED) Act as well as reinforcing food safety were topics that Louise discussed.

If you were not able to attend Navigating the New Frontier in person, we hope that you can join us next year!  Our meeting this year helped NEAFA members understand the upcoming frontier in the transportation, feed technologies, dairy markets, and advocacy efforts.  Check out more details on the sponsors of the Annual Meeting, speakers highlighted and photos from the event at 2024 NEAFA Annual Meeting — NEAFA— Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (northeastalliance.com)

Neonic Bill Update

By Julie Marlette, NEAFA Lobbyist

Last month, after several long days of negotiations, Governor Hochul and the Legislature  came to an agreement on a series of  changes to the neonic bill that will be adopted next session. Upon reaching this agreement, the Governor did sign the bill, Chapter 775 of the Laws of 2023.
 
In her approval message, the governor stated, “While I am supportive of this bill, there were changes needed to ensure the DEC and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) can successfully implement this new law while allowing New York's agriculture sector to continue operations. Changes were necessary to provide DEC and AGM with regulatory authority to develop a waiver process for farmers to address problem pests, to provide additional time for  the regulated community, many  of  which  are already taking steps to move towards more sustainable and integrated pest management  practices, to come into compliance  with  this law, and to make technical changes so that DEC and AGM can successfully implement this nation leading law.
 
I have reached an agreement with the Legislature to enact these changes. On the basis of this agreement, I am pleased to sign this bill.”
 
Our understanding is that the details of the agreed to changes include:
 
Delaying implementation for several additional years.

Authorizing the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Agriculture and Markets establish regulations that would for a waiver process that will allow some farmers to use treated seeds.

Our understanding is that this waiver would be renewable.

Because this process would be established in regulation, stakeholders will have additional opportunities to comment. 

Because this bill was signed, the next step will be for the legislature to introduce and pass the agreed upon changes in a new piece of legislation. We will keep you informed when  that bill is introduced (likely after the first of the year), and of its movement through the legislative process.

2024 State of the Dairy Industry in The Northeast

By Drew Frommelt, Special to NEAFA

Milk Production in The Northeast

According to the USDA, milk production in the Northeast states of Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont experienced modest gains in 2023 when compared to 2022. Year to date through November 2023, milk production increased 1.3 percent in the Northeast from the year prior, while the U.S. saw an increase of 0.26 percent. Milk production increases stagnated across the U.S. in the second half of 2023 due to decreases in the total U.S. herd size, which was down 26,000 cows from 2022. However, 17,000 cows were sadly lost in fire on a dairy farm in Texas, which inflates the 26,000-cow statistic, thus without this single event, the change in U.S. milking cows is minimal. Milk per cow had only a marginal increase in 2023, up 0.12 percent from 2022 or 28 pounds per cow per year in 2023. The decrease in the U.S. herd size could be due to higher beef prices in 2023. The stagnation in the growth for milk per cow is likely due to temperature increases and droughts across the country in the second half of 2023. While total production stagnated in 2023, milk components underwent a notable increase. USDA data shows that as of November 2023 the average butterfat percentage increased .8 percent and the average protein percentage increased .2 percent, these positive trends would be welcomed to continue in 2024.  

Milk production in the Northeast is expected to grow at modest levels during 2024. New dairy manufacturing plants are expected to come online in many areas across the U.S., including in the Northeast in the latter half’s of 2024 and 2025. This increase in demand will likely be met with growing milk production if margins allow for it and replacements are available to expand. 

Market Conditions and Prices

On-farm profitability and capital investments were down in 2023, per the USDA. Within Federal Milk Marketing Order 1, the average blend price for Suffolk County in 2023 was $20.01 per hundredweight, while the average blend price in 2022 was $24.96 per hundredweight. Class I prices averaged $22.43 per hundredweight in Federal Order 1 during 2023, as compared to an average price of $26.87 per hundredweight in 2022. Per CME Group Data, Feed ration prices were elevated for the first half of 2023. Feed ration prices started trending down in May 2023, but remained above the $10 per hundredweight mark for most of the year. On-farm investments were also likely hindered by increases in interest rates during 2023, in fact, data from the Federal Reserve showed interest rates reaching their highest levels since 2007. Further, USDA data shows milk-feed margins were at their lowest levels since 2012, break-even levels were not met until August.

The economic outlook for 2024 is optimistic. Blend prices are forecasted to be somewhat flat from 2023 in Federal Order 1 for most months in 2024 with an estimated average of $20.41 per hundredweight. Current projections show Class III prices to be lower in the first half of 2024 compared to the second half. Class III prices in the second half of 2024 could rise due to global cheese prices trading at a premium compared to domestic cheese, indicating an opportunity for U.S. cheese manufacturers to increase cheese exports, which could have a positive impact on Class III prices. Feed ration prices are forecasted to hover between $9.10 and $9.60 per hundredweight in 2024. Milk-feed margins are expected to be above break-even levels for all of 2024, this is an indication that dairy farmers could have relatively cheaper production costs in 2024. Finally, interest rates are expected to keep slowly deflating during 2024. These factors could lead to with increases in profitability and more investments in capital projects for farms in the Northeast in 2024.

NEAFA Member Profile: NOVUS International, Inc.

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

For January, NEAFA sat down with Alexi Pierce and Danielle Penney-Stroop (past NEAFA President) from NOVUS International, Inc.  “I’ve been at NOVUS for five years,” said Pierce. “I work on the global marketing and communications team supporting strategic planning for dairy globally but working with the regional teams in North America and Europe. NOVUS is based out of St. Louis, Missouri. 

For many at NEAFA, Penney-Stroop has been  a well-known name due to her service on the board of directors and as a past president of NEAFA. “I have been with NOVUS for eight and a half years,” said Penney-Stroop. “I am the East Executive Ruminant Manager. I work with the NOVUS teams from Eastern Canada and in the US from the Dakotas East. I was drawn to NOVUS for two primary reasons: their scientific product portfolio and the C.O.W.S.® Program. I was drawn to the fact that NOVUS strives to be part of the community through collaborating and educating nutritionists and producers to become more viable and economically sustainable for many years to come.”

It’s an important time at NOVUS according to Pierce. “NOVUS is celebrating 40 years of amino acid nutrition,” said Pierce. “That’s where our roots started in the poultry, swine, and dairy industries. Even after 40 years of research, we continue to work at learning more and finding more answers to solve producer challenges. We’re also celebrating 30 years of trace mineral nutrition. Those are the pillars of NOVUS. We’re also continuing to grow in other markets besides the US. In this past year, we expanded into the European Union and India, with Australia coming this year. We see a bright future for the dairy industry; we see a lot of possibilities. It’s exciting to see that even with all of the challenges that we face in the dairy industry, there’s the opportunity to work together globally to see a better future for the industry. NOVUS  is investing in that future throughout the world.”

When asking Pierce what she appreciates the most about NOVUS she says, “The first thing is that they’re a science based company. A lot of companies say that, but I get to see every day NOVUS’ dedication to sound, accurate data, and a desire from the company to be part of bettering the industry through that research. They regularly publish in the Journal of Animal Science, the Journal of Dairy Science, and other publications around the world. That helps the industry move forward into a new era of nutrition.”

For NOVUS, NEAFA is an important organization to be a part of. “NOVUS has been extremely generous in supporting NEAFA, not only from a membership and sponsorship standpoint, but also recognizing the value of allowing me to serve on our board as a director, Vice President, President, and now Past President,” said Penney-Stroop. “Our company values coincide and compliment NEAFA’s 3 pillars of Advocacy, Collaboration, and Education. NOVUS prides themselves on being advocates for intelligent nutrition, providing solutions that our producers need instead of just treating problems. They recognize the importance that NEAFA has on the legislative front, advocating for our producers and industry as a whole.”

To learn more about NOVUS,, visit their website at  https://www.novusint.com/ 

Navigating the New Frontier - Hope to See You in Albany February 6-7!

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

If you haven’t had a chance to make your reservations for the NEAFA Annual meeting, we encourage you to do so!  The link for reservations is here: https://www.memberplanet.com/s/neafa/23sum-amreg_1

As we navigate a new legislative session in Albany, Tuesday February 6 will kick off with our annual Lobby Day at the Legislative office building at 9:00am to advocate for funding various ag programs.  Hinman Straub has secured us some great meetings with key legislators!

Our annual meeting kickoff will start at the Marriott on Wolf Rd immediately following Lobby Day.  We are thrilled to have Tonya Van Slyke, Executive Director of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association moderate a panel discussion to follow up from our transportation summit last year.   Panelists include Joe Painting from Vermont Rail System; Keith Kimball, dairy producer who transports milk (Keith is also Chairman of the NEDPA board); Kendra Hems from NYS Trucking Association and representatives from NY Ag and Markets.  We will discuss progress and opportunities moving forward in the transportation sector.

We are also excited to have Nichole Price from the Bigelow Institute give an update on navigating algae as livestock feed from a coast, cow and consumer perspective.

Tuesday evening will feature our reception. Join us for drinks and appetizers as we network with fellow members, speakers and guests from LEAD NY.  Dinner will be on your own, we can help make recommendations!

Wednesday February 7 our annual meeting continues.  After a continental breakfast, our business meeting will take place.  We are excited to welcome back the NY FFA Leadership team to open our meeting ceremony.  Trent Loos will be our emcee as well as our keynote speaker at lunch.  An amazing speaker bridging the gap between rural and urban America, get a sneak peek of Trent at his website: www.loostales.com

In addition to the business meeting, don’t miss out on the following topics on Wednesday morning:

  •  Discussing dairy markets will be Mike North from Ever.Ag

  • Dr. Kristan Reed and Dr. Joe McFadden will provide research updates from their programs at Cornell.  Both Kristan and Joe are Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Faculty Fellows.

  • Legislative updates from Hinman Straub (NY) and Vermont Dairy Producers (VT)

  • Constance Cullman will provide an update from AFIA - there are many policy and regulation happenings with our feed industry at the federal and regional levels.

The final part of our Annual Meeting is the Awards Luncheon.  In addition to Trent Loos giving the keynote talk, we take this time to honor those who have served NEAFA with the Distinguished Service Award and recognize retiring board members.

On behalf of NEAFA, I hope we see you at our Annual Meeting February 6 and 7 in Albany!!!

NY Executive Budget Released

By Hinman-Straub

Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her FY 2024-25 Executive Budget address on Tuesday, January 16, in the “Red Room” at the State Capitol in Albany.  Her Executive Budget proposal totals $233 billion, a $6 billion increase (4.5%) over FY 2023-24.  She reiterated her recent pledge not to raise taxes this year, while at the same time stating her intent to use increased revenues (identified in recent months) to not only close gaps but increase reserves. 

Tax receipts have increased in recent months, resulting in a General Fund surplus of approximately $2.2 billion. $1.7 billion will be used in FY 2024-25 to reduce the $4.3 billion current year budget gap, and $500 million set aside for costs related to assisting asylum seekers.  The budget plan includes several actions to reduce out-year budget gaps to $5 billion in FY 2026, $5.2 billion in FY 2027, and $9.9 billion in FY 2028.  

The Governor’s budget proposal includes initiatives unveiled in her State of the State address on January 9. In her remarks announcing her Executive Budget proposal, she stated her priorities as being initiatives in fighting crime, mental health, children and families, housing, healthcare, economic competitiveness, infrastructure, climate change, education, and migrants.

Highlights of the 2025 Executive budget proposal most directly related to NEAFA include:

Farm Labor Specialist

The Executive Budget proposal includes $702,000 for the farm labor specialist program, an increase of $301,000 over the SFY 24 Enacted Budget.

Dairy Farm Modernization Grants

The Executive Budget proposal includes a new $24 million in capital appropriation to implement the dairy farm good and growth fund to allow for increased investment in on-farm milk storage capacity and improve in efficiencies in milk transfer systems and cooling technologies. 

NY Farm Viability Institute

The Executive Budget proposal includes $1 million for this program. 

New York State Occupational Health Clinic Network (OHCN) and New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)

The Executive Budget proposal includes $9,560,000 for this program. 

On-Farm Health

The Executive Budget proposal includes $1.25 million for the on-farm health and safety program administered by Mary Imogene Basset hospital. This is a $1 million increase over last year’s enacted budget. 

PRO-DAIRY 

Core Program: The Executive Budget proposal includes $1,213,000 to support the Pro-Dairy core program. 

Dairy Profit Teams: The Executive Budget proposal includes $374,000 for the Dairy Profit Teams. 

Dairy Advancement Program: The Executive Budget proposal includes $700,000 for the Dairy Advancement Program. 

NY FarmNet

The Executive Budget proposal includes $1.4 million for NY FarmNet. 

Agricultural Education and Outreach Programs

The Executive Budget proposal includes $2 million for existing agricultural education and outreach programs. These funds support the following programs: 

  • $1 million for Future Farmers of America 

  • $500,000 for Agriculture in the Classroom 

  • $500,000 for Agricultural Educators

This proposal would also include a new allocation of $250,000 to support the inaugural agricultural youth leadership conference. 

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

 The Executive Budget Proposal would include $19 million for this program. This represents a $500,000 reduction from the SFY 2024 Enacted Budget. 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Within Cornell University Integrated Pest Management program, the Executive Budget proposal includes a new proposed $2.25 million allocation to support this work, including support for farmers for adopting integrated pest management practices and field trials.  

Within the agricultural nonpoint solution control allocation, $2 million is provided for integrated pest management in the Executive Budget proposal. Additionally, the Executive Budget proposal makes $1 million available through community nonpoint pollution control for community integrated pest management. 

Agribusiness Child Development

The Executive Budget proposal includes $10.3 million in funding and $3.2 million in Capital for the Agribusiness child development program. 

Farm to School Initiatives

The Executive Budget proposal would include $1,508,000 to the Department of Agriculture and Markets to support development of farm to school initiatives, which maintains the Legislative add included in last year’s enacted budget.  

The Executive Budget proposal would include $10 million to support an increase for reimbursement for school lunches from $0.06 per meal to $0.25 per meal for any school districts that purchase at least 30% of its food from New York farmers and growers. 

Reflecting on NEAFA, the Treasurer’s Perspective

By Barry Baetz, Exiting NEAFA Treasurer

As my final term as a board member for NEAFA comes to a close, I thought it may be beneficial for members to hear what has been done with the stewardship of the funds that NEAFA is entrusted with, and how we’re positioned for the future.

When I became a member of the board 15 years ago, our organization didn’t have term limits. Those were put into place more recently. I’m one of the last board members that were on the board prior to terms. I’ve been the treasurer for approximately 8 years. I took over the position mid-term due to the movement of the prior treasurer into the executive board. A new treasurer will be appointed by the board during the annual meeting happening in just a few days.

It’s important to look back at the strength of the organization from a financial standpoint as we have a changing of the guard. Over the years, we have been a conservative steward of extra funds, but at the same time we have also been trying to have conservative growth in mutual funds as well to make the best use of the members money. This approach has done well, and provides for funding when and if it is needed. For members interested in the specifics of the finances, they can receive updates at the annual meeting, or they can reach out to the current treasurer of the alliance through Sue Van Amburgh. 

Our operation of the organization is self sustained; we budget membership dues each year to be self-sustaining of both the operation and activities of the board and of the organization at large. Most of the funds that NEAFA manages are actually from historical activities from before the two previous organizations came together to form NEAFA. These funds currently act as a rainy day fund.

The strength of the organization isn’t just because of a nest egg however. We’re active throughout the industry through lobbying and education. When there is an industry need or a specific project, there are funds available for special projects beyond the normal operating budget. 

Throughout agriculture and agribusiness, we have seen consolidation in the past several decades. Throughout this period however, the value of the organization has continued to shine, with a membership pool that remains remarkably steady. That maintenance of membership has been able to allow us to operate in a self-sustaining manner without going into the savings. This is due in part to the strength of the three pillars of our organization; education, advocacy, collaboration. Through our operations we’re able to support advocacy issues as they arise for Northeast agriculture as a whole. 

Looking to the future, I believe that the next step for NEAFA is to increase and strengthen industry collaboration with other industry organizations. I look to NEAFA to be the foundation that brings Northeast agricultural organizations together. We are all aligned towards the same goal of strengthening agriculture.

Being in the treasurer’s role has been very gratifying. Having the opportunity to serve as the treasurer and gatekeeper for the funds of the alliance members, I’ve been proud of that responsibility. As NEAFA moves forward, I look forward to seeing new members seated to the board. It allows for new ideas and new directions, which is important in the ever changing landscape that we are seeing every year. I’m sure that the new treasurer will be as diligent of a gatekeeper as I was for our members’ funds, and I look forward to seeing where the organization continues to go in the future.

NEAFA Member Profile: Vetagro

For December, NEAFA caught up with Steven E. Smith, the East Coast Technical Sales Manager for Vetagro. “I’m part of the United States Ruminant Team for Vetagro,” said Smith. “While I generally work out of the Northeast US, I am a member of the ruminant team that supports the US as well as global business.”

Based out of Reggio Emilia, Italy, Vetagro began working with feed additives for animals in 1982. “We’re an industry leader in micro-encapsulation,” said Smith. “As a company, we’ve been researched based since day one, and we’re currently in the second generation of being led by top researchers. Our slogan is that we are like no one else, because we understand nutrients and what you need to do to insure their bioavailability for animals. We’re on the cutting edge of creating products that excel in the delivery of important compounds for lower gut health and toxin load management during key transitional periods of animal’s life; that includes poultry, aquatics, swine, and ruminants.”

Agriculture is a lifelong passion for Smith, who received an associate degree in Dairy Herd Management from SUNY Cobleskill, and a bachelor’s in Animal Science, as well as a master’s in Agricultural Education from SUNY Oswego. “I was fortunate to be born on a dairy farm,” said Smith. “I started developing my skills and appreciation for the dairy cow as soon as I could help my parents on our farm. I developed a passion for dairy cattle early in life. From a science perspective, it’s an exciting time to work in the dairy field. Nutrition has advanced and made great strides in the past 15 years. We are coupling the advancements in understanding of ruminant nutrition with technological advancements in herd management and biometric application to achieve amazing productivity in the dairy cattle of today. There’s an emphasis of nutrient and dairy ration balancing, coupled with dairy record analysis to achieve the goals of production and environmental sustainability. Assisting with the inclusion of our rumen bypass products that deliver key nutrients in dairy cattle diets is where I focus my role at Vetagro.”

Working in the Northeast, Smith quickly saw value in Vetagro’s membership in NEAFA. “I recognized the value in NEAFA early on, as an agribusiness person,” said Smith “They provide opportunities to learn from my peers and maintain a strong network. It’s great to participate in committee work, lobbying, education, etc. There is strength in numbers and having agricultural voices heard by legislators. Vetagro appreciates NEAFA because our emphasis is also on education, collaboration and representation to support all agriculture. It’s important to us to work with our state and federal legislatures, and that our universities are staffed by the best educators and to help educate farm managers looking to do the best in their job.”

Going into the new year, Smith believes that looking forward is necessary for the industry to continue to grow. “It’s easy to look back at the past and say that those were the good old days without thinking about the challenges that were in place then,” said Smith. “When we reflect on the past, we need to model ourself after the efforts that past leaders took to look for opportunities to grow and innovate, to collaborate and learn. I believe that we’ll get the yield and sustainability that we’re looking for in the dairy industry. We can do both.”

Smith believes that one of the reasons that the dairy industry can meet those goals is because of the animals themselves. “We work with the dairy cow, which I think is the most complimentary animal for upcycling byproducts and coproducts,” said Smith. “They continue to respond to dietary precision as technology advances.There’s a wide range of things we can do with them. They’ve very adaptive for milk, meat, and byproducts. What may be even more important is that ruminants host microbes that can do enzyme work that we are not producing to scale with plant based systems. Examples of this are found in recent research with mammalian milk, identifying more than 400 fatty acids and an amino acid profile that is very supportive of human muscle accretion and repair.  As research reveals the actual amino and fatty acid profies of foods produced in animal agriculture systems, we begin to see that the mechanism to create certain biological compounds may be exclusive to animal biology. At Vetagro, we make solutions that provide animals with the resources that they need to do that, and we’re excited to continue to innovate into the future.”

For more information, visit Vetagro’s US based website at us.vetagro.com.

December 2023 Legislative Update: Treated Seed (Neonicotinoid) Bill Delivered to the Governor

On Tuesday December 12th, Senate bill S1856a (Hoylman-Sigal)/A7640 (Glick), which would  ban the use of certain neonicotinoid treated seeds was delivered to the Governor for her final approval or veto. 

In the time that has elapsed since delivery, both proponents and opponents of the legislation have engaged in significant outreach to the Executive pushing for their preferred outcome. There has been a significant uptick in media coverage on this issue. 

The NEAFA partnered with other advocates to send another veto request to the Governor. That letter can be viewed by clicking here.

There is still time left – members who wish to weigh in directly on this bill can utilize a link provided by our partners at the Farm Bureau, located here: https://www.votervoice.net/iframes/NewYorkFB/Campaigns/103317/Respond

The Governor has until this Saturday, December 23rd to take final action on this legislation. An update will be shared with the membership when final action is taken. 

Secretary's Pen: A Parting Note from Corwin Holtz

Corwin Holtz, Exiting NEAFA Secretary

It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since I was contacted by Peter Karnezos about my possible interest in being a member of the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Board of Directors.  I was standing in a freestall barn somewhere in Germany when I answered the call.  One of my first questions to Peter was “what is NEAFA”?  I truly had no idea what role this organization played in Northeast agriculture but was curious to learn more.  Following more conversations with Peter and others associated with NEAFA I agreed to be considered for a board seat.  After ten years I can’t express enough my gratitude to be a member of this great organization. 

The changes and growth in NEAFA that I have witnessed over these ten years is both extraordinary and exciting.  As with any industry, change is inevitable, and we have certainly seen and continue to see this in agriculture and our members that NEAFA board listens to and advocates for.  One of these continuing changes is that of company consolidation.  I have often made the comment that I need to read Feedstuffs regularly to find out who bought who and who changed companies as an employee.  This consolidation has presented challenges for NEAFA and other agriculture advocacy groups as we shrink in numbers but still have ever-present issues that face us.  Who would have thought ten years ago that topics impacting Northeast agriculture would be things such as climate change, transportation and labor regulations being forefront for our members and the producers they serve.    

Your NEAFA board is dedicated to our three organizational pillars of Advocacy, Collaboration and Education.  

ADVOCACY – we must have a voice in Northeast statehouses to ensure that the challenges we face are conveyed to political decision makers so that rules and regulations are not onerous and punitive to our members and the producers they service.  As I noted above, we need to have our pulse on what the new political challenges are and how we best address them.  The Board’s decision in late 2022 to employee the resources of Himan Straub for our lobbying activities has exceeded all expectations that we had.  They continue to be an invaluable resource for us.  Our most recent venture has been our very close involvement with the Vermont Dairy Producers Association.  This venture expands our political reach to a significant portion of our membership.

COLLABORATION – as consolidation in our industry continues and our numbers shrink, we know that we must collaborate with other organizations that share common challenges.  Over the past two years our growing collaboration with the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA) and New York Farm Bureau has been extremely positive.  Messaging the same challenges to decision makers from differing industry points of view leads to impactful discussions within statehouses across the Northeast.

EDUCATION – I view this NEAFA pillar from two different standpoints.  First is our continued relationship with Cornell and ProDairy.  Our annual Herd Health and Nutrition Conference is always viewed as a very relevant and take-home message meeting.  Along with this we continue to advocate for the funding of ProDairy to allow them to continue to educate the industry through the many subjects they cover.  Secondly, our education efforts tie back to ADOCACY as our lobbying efforts involve a great deal of education of political decision makers to keep them in check with the realities of agriculture.

As 2024 comes upon us I encourage all of our members to convey your thoughts, ideas and concerns to the Board so that we can best serve you.  It is our presence in front of the right people and addressing the right topics that will continue be our strength in serving NEAFA membership.  

We have an excellent agenda for our upcoming Annual meeting in Albany on February 6-7.  I encourage you to attend to be educated, interact with your Northeast agribusiness colleagues and express any thoughts you might have on how NEAFA can better serve you.  Also, please take time to read the NEAFA Accomplishments flyer that is included in your membership renewal.  It is a great summary of what your organization has accomplished over the past few years.  Lastly, if you know of any prospective members that we should be recruiting please encourage them to join or let us know and we will pursue their membership.

It has been my honor and privilege to serve NEAFA for these past ten years.  As I exit the Board, I know that NEAFA leadership is in very good hands and look forward to my continued involvement in this great organization.

My best to everyone for a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you in Albany!