2025 New York State of the State

On Tuesday, January 14th, Governor Hochul delivered her 2025 State of the State address, outlining her priorities for the upcoming legislative session. As part of her address, the Governor provided a broad overview of proposals that aim to make New York more affordable for families, increase access to health and behavioral health services, reduce crime and drive economic development.  

Some of the major initiatives outlined by the Governor that may be of interest to you are noted below. The Governor’s full State of the State book can be viewed here:  

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/2025StateoftheStateBook.pdf  

In the 2025 State of the State, the Governor announced her intention to propose actions to: 

• Strengthen local food supply chains by establishing the Food and Fiber Small-Scale Processing Grant Program, maintaining support for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and expanding NY’s supply of locally grown seafood.  

• Invest in the growth of NY’s fiber production industry. 

• Integrate agriculture education into the public-school curriculum by offering new funding for the New York Agriculture in the Classroom program.  

• Provide additional funding to research and implement climate-resilient practices on dairy farms. 

• Increase Farmworker Housing Program funding to better align resources with demand and help farms provide safer, healthier housing for workers. 

• Improve the tracking of lost farmland and strengthen capacity within NY’s network of community-led land trusts to effectively manage Environmental Bond Act funds allocated for farmland protection.  

• Fund land conservation to protect open spaces, farmland, and enhance accessibility.  

• Launch the Low Interest Capital Program in support of small businesses.  

• Provide AI training to entrepreneurs and small businesses through the Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers.  

• Require businesses to notify DOL of worker layoffs related to its use of AI to identify workers that may utilize training programs and supports offered by DOL.  

• Establish a grant program to help businesses replace high emission refrigeration equipment with low-emission alternatives.  

• Improving the Jobs Retention Tax Credit Program to support businesses in areas impacted by disasters and emergency events. 

A number of these items were addressed in the subsequent budget release. 

FY 2026 NYS Executive Budget Proposal

By Hinman Straub

Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026 Executive Budget address on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in the “Red Room” at the State Capitol in Albany. Her Executive Budget proposal totals $252 billion, a $8.6 billion increase (3.6%) over SFY 2025.  

Tax receipts and other state revenues have increased significantly in recent months, resulting in a General Fund surplus of approximately $3.5 billion in FY 2025. The budget plan includes several actions to reduce out-year budget gaps to $4 billion in FY 2027, and $7.4 billion in FY 2028. New York now has $21 Billion in “rainy day” reserves. 

The Governor’s budget proposal includes initiatives unveiled in her State of the State of the State of the State address on January 14, and in other previous announcements. In her remarks announcing the Executive Budget proposal, she stated her priorities as being to reduce income taxes and the effects of inflation, increasing access to childcare and school meal assistance, housing, safety on subways, the transition to clean energy, and eliminating cell phone use in public schools.  

Executive Budget Highlights of the 2026 Executive budget proposal most directly related to NEAFA include: 

AGRICULTURE 

Farm Labor Specialist. The Executive Budget proposal includes $702,000 for the farm labor specialist program.  

NY Farm Viability Institute. The Executive Budget proposes $1 million for this program.  

New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University. The Executive budget proposes $8.270 million in funding to support animal health surveillance and control, avian disease, cattle health, milk production, Johnes disease and salmonella dublin bacteria, genomic surveillance, and forensic pathology programs. 

Cornell University Ruminant Center. The Executive Budget proposes $750,000 to support the Cornell University Ruminant Center. 

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. 

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. 

PRO-DAIRY. The Executive Budget proses the following support for the Cornell Pro Daily Programs:  

• Core Program: The Executive Budget proposal includes $1,463,000 to support the Pro-Dairy core program.  

• Dairy Profit Teams: The Executive Budget proposes $374,000 for the Dairy Profit Teams. 

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

Dairy Farm Modernization Grants. The Executive Budget proposes includes an new $10 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 FarmNet. The Executive Budget proposes to include $1.4 million for NY FarmNet. 

Agricultural Education and Outreach Programs. The Executive Budget proposes to include $2 million for agricultural education and outreach programs. These funds support the following programs:  

• $1 million for Future Farmers of America.  

• $1 million for Agriculture in the Classroom.  

• $500,000 for Agricultural Educators. 

• $250,000 for Cornell 4-H.  

• $250,000 for the New York City Urban Agriculture education and outreach.  

Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The Executive Budget proposes the following investments in integrated pest management: 

• Within Cornell University Integrated Pest Management program, the proposal would provide $4.25 million allocation to support this work, including support for farmers for adopting integrated pest management practices and field trials.   

• $1 million proposed to be available through community nonpoint pollution control for community integrated pest management. 

• $250,000 is proposed for Cornell for pesticide pest management control. 

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control. The Executive Budget proposes $20 million for this program.  

Agribusiness Child Development. The Executive Budget proposes includes $10.3 million in funding and $3.2 million. 

Farm to School Initiatives. The Executive Budget proposes to include $750,000 to the Department of Agriculture and Markets to support development of farm to school initiatives.   

Weigh-in-Motion Technology. The Executive Budget proposes to authorize use of weigh-in-motion technology to help keep overweight vehicles off bridges and highways and improve traffic flow. Each listed agency or authority would promulgate its own regulations for weigh-in-motion technology to automatically enforce truck weight limits and impose monetary penalties for lack of compliance.  

Agricultural Farmland Protection Program. The Executive Budget proposes to amend certain definitions to consider food security and urban agriculture lands as part of the local planning process. It would also clarify and streamline the current program’s processes and authorize additional financial assistance programs supporting various agricultural stakeholders and organizations.  

CLIMATE  

Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Projects. The Executive Budget proposes a $1 billion appropriation to support capital spending associated with the recently approved Climate Action Fund, pursuant to the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).  Eligible projects would include those intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, decarbonize and retrofit buildings, utilize renewable energy, advance clean transportation initiatives, implement thermal energy networks, and use green infrastructure. 

Clean Water Infrastructure. The Executive Budget proposes an additional $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding over two years, for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and water quality protection. 

Environmental Protection Fund. $400 million is proposed for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which provides funding for environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and environmental justice. 

Sustainable Future Program. The Executive Budget appropriates $1 billion for the Sustainable Future Program. For services and expenses of climate mitigation and adaptation projects including but not limited to: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution; decarbonizing and retrofitting buildings; creating and utilizing renewable energy; advancing clean transportation initiatives; building, repairing, and maintaining thermal energy networks; for the design, construction, repair, or improvement of green infrastructure; and for purposes consistent with the general findings of the scoping plan prepared pursuant to section 75-0103 (“CLCPA”) of the environmental conservation law, subject to a plan approved by the director of the budget. Qualifying projects funded by this appropriation shall be subject to the same standards and provisions stated in section 224-f of the labor law and section 66-v of the public service law, and treated in the same manner as if funded from section 99-qq of the state finance law (Cap-and-Invest Climate Action Fund). 

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND LABOR 

Reduced Penalties for Failing to Comply with Frequency of Payments. The Executive Budget proposes to amend the penalties imposed under Article 6, Labor Law Section 198 for employers that fail to timely pay wages as required by Labor Law Section 191 (frequency of payments for workers). 

Presently, a failure to pay wages pursuant to the requirements of Section 191 results in an employee being entitled to 100% liquidated damages for the untimely portion of the wages paid. This outcome is a result of a 2019 Appellate Division, First Department decision, Vega v. C.M. & Associates, that found an employer liable for failing to pay manual workers weekly as opposed to bi-weekly and imposed 100% liquidated damages for the first week of wages paid in the bi-weekly paycheck. 

The amendment proposed in the Executive Budget seeks to lower the penalty imposed for failure to timely pay wages, particularly considering the significant impact to employers subject to a six-year statute of limitations but will provide increased penalties for repeated violations. 

If an employer is found to be in violation, where the employer paid the employee wages on a regular payday no less frequently than semi-monthly, the penalties for failing to timely pay wages shall be amended to limit the damages as follows: 

• First Violation: no more than 100% of the lost interest due because of the delay in the payment of the wages: 

• Second Violation: no more than 300% of the lost interest due because of the delay in the payment of wages, when the employer is already subject to an order of violation. 

• Third Violation: liquidated shall be 100% of the total amount of the untimely paid wages, when the employer is already subject to two orders of violation. 

Expanded Enforcement Powers to Collect Lost Wages. The Executive Budget proposes to amend Labor Law Sections 218(3) and 219 (3) to provide the Commissioner of DOL additional powers to enforce final non-appealable orders/decisions that impose penalties and wage payments upon employers for violations of Articles 6 (Payment of Wages), 19 (Minimum Wage) or 19-a (Minimum Wage for Farm Workers) of the Labor Law. While this amendment is contained within Article 7 of the Labor Law, which applies to all employers, Articles 6, 19 or 19-a of the Labor Law do not apply to public sector employers.  

The additional powers proposed in the amendment include the Commissioner’s ability to issue warrants under its official seal directed to the Sheriff of any county in which real or personal property of the defaulting employer is found. Alternatively, the Commissioner may direct an officer or employee of the DOL to file a copy of such warrant with the county clerk in any county where such property is located. 

It should be noted that the ability to obtain poundage and/or fees that are otherwise available to the Sheriff are not available to the Commissioner. The filing of the warrant may become a lien in the same manner as a warrant issued by the Sheriff. 

Increased Child Labor Penalties in Relation to the Violations. The Executive Budget proposes to align the penalties imposed with the severity of the violation of the child labor laws. 

The proposed amendment would substantially increase labor law civil penalties for violations related to child labor. The fines for a first-time violation would increase from $1,000 to $10,000, with second violations increasing from $2,000 to a minimum fine of $2,000 with a maximum fine of $30,000, and third or subsequent violations increasing to at least $10,000 with a maximum of $75,000, which is an increase from the previous maximum of $3,000. 

The amendment would also provide for imposition of tiered and substantially higher fines when the violation involves illegal employment during which a minor is seriously injured or dies. Currently, the penalty is treble of the maximum penalty but is not set with a range of $3,000 to $30,000 for a first violation, $6,000 to $90,000 for a second violation and $30,000 to $225,000 for a third or subsequent violation. 

While these proposed fines are substantially higher, the DOL would have authority to reduce the penalty if the violation does not risk the safety or health of the minor, so long as the employer agrees to certain statutory provisions, such as immediate payment, required training, providing employees with child labor resource information and other related obligations, including a plan to ensure future compliance and submission of documentation of same. 

The proposal would increase the criminal penalties for violations of the statute, by changing the penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony with increased fines from $500 to $1,000 and imprisonment from sixty days up to one year (or a combination thereof) for a first offense and further increased penalties for second or subsequent offenses. 

The proposal would create two felony categories for “criminal negligent homicide of a child worker” and “endangering the welfare of a child” where a child dies or serious injury while employed in violation of child labor laws. 

Farmworker Housing Program. The Executive Budget proposes $5 million to support the services and expenses of the Farmworkers Housing Program.  

Extend the Authorization of the MWBE Business Program. The Executive Budget proposes to extend New York State’s Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) program for two years (July 1, 2027). According to the Governor, the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development (DMWBD) oversees the statewide MWBE program in New York State and is charged with three primary functions: 

• To encourage and assist state agencies that are engaged in contracting activities to award a fair share of state contracts to MWBEs. 

• To review applications by businesses seeking certification as a MWBE and to maintain a directory of certified MWBEs. 

• To promote the business development of MWBEs through education and outreach to agencies and MWBEs.  

Increase Discretionary Procurements for MWBEs and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses. The Executive Budget proposes to increase the state agency discretionary procurement threshold for MWBEs and SDVOBs from $750,000 to $1.5 million and increases the public authority discretionary procurement threshold in Public Authorities Law for MWBEs from $500,000 to $1.5 million and includes SDVOBs. According to the Governor, increasing the number and value of non-competitive contracts by raising the discretionary procurement threshold will increase access to contracts and help more MWBEs and SDVOBs work directly as prime contractors for state agencies and authorities. 

Digitizing Youth Working Papers. The Executive Budget proposes to update and digitize the process by which a minor applies for working papers or employment certificates. 

This proposal would provide for the creation of a database for the employment of minors by the State Department of Labor in consultation with the NYSED. This would be a confidential database not accessible to the public. Employers would be required to register and provide information to the database upon the hiring of a minor prior to the start of employment. Minors will be required to register with the database to obtain an employment certificate or permit. 

Any employment certificate issued under this provision shall be issued electronically and maintained within the DOL database. This would eliminate the employer’s requirement to maintain the physical employment certificate of the minor employee at the employer’s place of business. It would also eliminate the DOL Commissioner’s requirement f to notify the local superintendent of schools, monthly, the names of illegally employed children. 

Reform the Human Rights Complaint Process. The Executive Budget proposes to make changes addressing discrimination claims handled by the Division of Human Rights (“the Division”). These changes include: 

• Allowing for the Division to designate a required form and procedure for making signing and filing complaints.  

• Eliminating the obligation to obtain the consent of the complainant to issue a dismissal for administrative convenience in a housing discrimination case.  

The Executive Budget also proposes the creation of a “Discrimination Complaints Escrow Fund”. The fund would be used to accept the deposits for all conciliation, settlement and other monetary award funds of the Division 

TAX 

Tax Disclosure for CLCPA. The Executive Budget proposes to allow DTF to share certain tax information from returns of petroleum or fossil fuel businesses with DEC or NYSERDA to implement the CLCPA.   

Establish the CATALIST NY Program. The Executive Budget proposes to establish the Companies Attracting Talent to Advance Leading Innovations and Scale Technologies in New York (“CATALYST NY”) Program. Under the CATALIST program, the Department of Economic Development (DED) would accept applications from New York State incubators to become "CATALIST NY incubators." Selected incubators would then nominate small businesses they have supported to be designated as CATALIST NY small businesses. The CATALIST NY small businesses would be eligible to provide a personal income tax benefit for up to eight of its newly hired full time employees: the wages of these new employees would not be subject to state personal income taxes. CATALIST NY would sunset in 10 years. 

Extend and Amend the Excelsior Jobs Program. The Executive Budget (Subpart A) proposes to extend the existing excelsior jobs program for ten years, from 2029 to 2039. Additionally, the proposal would provide for enhancements to the program, including: 

• Adding semiconductor supply chain projects to the list of eligible sectors of business. It would make the semiconductor supply chain projects eligible for a benefit of up to 7% for excelsior’s jobs tax credit component, 3% for excelsior’s investment tax credit component, and up to 7% for excelsior’s research and development tax credit component. 

•  Create the new semiconductor research and development project program would provide a tax credit of up to 15% of the cost or other basis for federal income purposes on qualified investment made by a semiconductor research and development project. 

• Create the new semiconductor manufacturing workforce training incentive program would provide a tax credit equal to 75% of eligible wages, training costs and wrap around services up to $25,000 per employee, up to $1,000,000, per eligible non-semiconductor manufacturing business, and up to $5,000,000 per eligible semiconductor manufacturing business. 

• The proposal would repeal the current employee training incentive program (ETIP) effective December 31, 2028.  

This proposal would alter and expand the Jobs Retention Tax Credit Program (“JRTCP”). The proposal would update the JRTCP to assist additional emergency-impacted businesses. The program would be expanded to support small businesses at risk of leaving the state or closing operations due to the economic impact of an event leading to an emergency declaration by the Governor. 

Expand the Credit for Employment of Persons with Disabilities. The Executive Budget proposes to increase the tax incentive to employers that employ persons with disabilities. Currently, the maximum credit per qualified employee is limited to $2,100. This proposal would increase the amount of the credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, to $5,000 in qualified first-year wages earned by each qualified employee or, alternatively, where the federal work opportunity tax credit applies, $5,000 in qualified second-year wages earned by each qualified employee. 

Extend the Alternative Fuels and Electric Vehicle Recharging Property Credit for Three Years. The Executive Budget proposes to extend the alternative fuels and electric vehicle recharging property credit for three years through tax years beginning before January 1, 2029. 

Extend the Workers with Disabilities Tax Credit for Three Years. The Executive Budget proposes to extend the workers with disabilities tax credit for an additional three years through tax year 2028. The credit provides tax incentives to qualified employers for employment of persons with disabilities. The credit would otherwise expire this year. 

Extend the Hire a Vet Credit for Three Years. The Executive Budget proposes to extend the hire a vet tax credit for an additional three years. The credit would be available through tax years beginning before January 1, 2029, for veterans who begin employment before January 1, 2028. 

Increase the Article 9-A Estimated Tax Threshold. The Executive Budget proposes to increase the threshold at which corporation tax filers are required to make estimated tax payments, from $1,000 to $5,000, beginning on January 1, 2026. 

Workforce Development – Farms, Feed and People

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President 

We look forward to seeing you all next week at our Annual Meeting!  Tuesday afternoon’s agenda is packed.  We will kick off with a panel focused on our agricultural workforce.  The panel will be moderated by Dr. Richard Stup.  Dr. Stup leads the Agricultural Workforce Development program at Cornell University. He teaches leadership and management and conducts research into labor challenges facing the industry. His focus is on helping agricultural employers avoid labor risks, create engaged employee teams, and operate profitably. Cornell Ag Workforce Development focuses on helping employers with regulatory compliance, developing managers and supervisors, employee housing management, and developing the future farm workforce.  

We are thrilled to have a diverse panel representing all aspects of our industry, including: 

• Dana Politis – Associate Commissioner for Workforce Development at the NYS Department of Labor 

• Crystal Grimaldi – Office & Human Resource Manager at Ideal Dairy Farms 

• Shannon Danyow – Chief Financial Officer of Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition, Inc.   

• Anna Richards – Business Advisor and Founder of 2020 Consulting   

The goal of this panel is to discuss the opportunities for recruiting, training and retaining employees.  We hope you bring questions for the panelists. 

Over the last several months, NEAFA has been involved with meetings with collaborators around different transportation topics.  Members have ideated around the following opportunities for transportation in the Northeast: 

• Commercial Drivers License – We met with Dana Politis and NEDPA and discussed recruiting new drivers by hosting simulators (both mobile and at locations throughout NYS, including Buffalo and Utica).  We discussed getting more opportunities for driver training in rural areas.  Dr. Charlie Elrod has also met with local BOCES programs to discuss CDL training opportunities through BOCES centers throughout New York.  We appreciate all the communication and collaboration with not just our ag partners, but also the NYS Trucking Association to help educate stakeholders about opportunities and challenges with the Advanced Clean Trucks mandate. 

• Insuring younger drivers (under 21 years old) – Hinman Straub is researching opportunities for position statements, with the goal of understanding insurance rates and potential program opportunities for getting CDL drivers ages 18-21 insured. 

• Hauling perishable products during inclement weather state of emergencies – Our collaboration with NEDPA and NY Farm Bureau has resulted in several conversations to alert both the Governor’s office, as well as key legislators, with the goal of some form of exemption for perishable product as well as feed delivery to animals. 

We look forward to having you hear updates on all these topics next week! 

Executive Pen: January 2025

By Mike Thresher, NEAFA Secretary

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025!  My Dad always said the new year was like starting at the top of the ladder. As a young lad, I didn’t quite understand or appreciate his thought process, but as age (or experience) has shown me, he was right.  The New Year brings a time to reflect on the past year, but to also plan for the next year’s goals.  By being at the “Top of the Ladder”, one can see ahead to help oneself and their team plan for the upcoming year.  We are already seeing this in action, both locally and at the federal level, as new administrations are setting up in place to provide leadership for the next year. 

In Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott was re-elected, and both House and Senate saw many newly elected officials.  Our legislative session has started. It was announced by our Senate Ag Chair, that he would like to pass legislation which provides a support price for farmers throughout Vermont.  This is great news for our agriculture economy.  In addition, NOFA-VT is putting forth a bill to create a Food Security Fund, in response to the past 2 years of devasting floods that destroyed many acres of crops, from grain crops, hay, silage, vegetables and to ag infrastructure. We are very fortunate in Vermont to have a culture that truly supports agriculture and what it provides for all.  The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is another great example of support, with funding from the USDA, many grants are available to farms throughout the Northeast. 

Lastly, another great opportunity is the NEAFA Annual meeting coming next month, February 4-5th, in Albany, NY.  Some key highlights for this year’s meeting include a panel discussion on workforce development, Lead-NY, a feed mill management presentation and updates on legislation in New York and Vermont.  If you haven’t registered, here’s a link to do so (NEAFA— Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance).  I look forward to seeing you there. 

2025 NY Legislature Session Preview

By Hinman Straub

Earlier this month, both majority conferences of the legislature met for their annual re-organizational retreat, at which Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins were selected to lead their respective conferences and chambers. At these meetings they also set the legislative calendar for the coming year.

Session will resume Wednesday January 8th, with the Governor’s State of the State taking place the following Tuesday, January 14th at 1:00. This year, for the first time since assuming office the Governor has indicated that she will deliver the speech in the Hart Theater in the Egg, rather than the Assembly Chamber. In advance of the speech The Governor has announced that her first proposal will be to create an “Inflation Refund” to deliver $3 billion in direct payments to taxpayer. Her proposal would deliver $300 to single taxpayers and $500 to joint filers making less than $300,000. We anticipate additional advanced proposals will be released. Following the State if the State, the Governor has until Tuesday January 21 to release her executive budget.

In the new session, considerable advocacy efforts will be dedicated to relationship building. In the final results 21 new Assemblymembers and 5 new Senators will be seated. These new members will present NEAFA with an opportunity to grow our list of supporters and orient them to our issues. Because of the high turnover in members we also anticipate significant changes in committee chairmanships and memberships, as well as leadership positions. Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, chair of the prominent Assembly Ways and Means committee retired this year, and it was just announced that long time member Gary Pretlow will be the new Ways and Means chair. This opens up the chairmanship of his current committee, Racing and Wagering. Changes at this high level will generally have a cascading effect with multiple parties moving, but no additional assignments have been made.

There are some items that we anticipate continued action. Environmental protection proposals, including those impacting NEAFA members will continue to be advanced. We anticipate the first round of regulations associated with the implementation of the CLCPA and scoping plan to be published shortly. The Advanced Clean Truck regulations, which will start to require a certain percentage of new trucks be zero emission are slated to go into effect in 2025. NEAFA will continue to advocate for issues of importance to the membership including addressing transportation challenges, increasing insurance rates, and other issues.

Renew Your Membership Now!

By Charlie Elrod, NEAFA Vice-President

It’s that time of year again when we all need to renew our membership in NEAFA. Without our members, our voice in support of agriculture in the Northeast would be silenced. We have several very important issues about which we will be actively advocating including transportation, litigation finance, insurance, extended producer responsibility and the TEMP act to name a few. These are all issues which affect our members’ businesses directly as well as those of our customers. And by collaborating closely in our advocacy efforts with NY Farm Bureau, Northeast Dairy Producers Association, Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, the Trucking Association of NY and Cornell’s College of Ag & Life Sciences we multiply and unify our voices in the hallways where regulation and legislation happen.

It really is crucial to grow our member base so that we remain relevant for our members and the industry we serve. I would challenge each of you reading this newsletter to page through the membership directory, thinking about who within your sphere of influence is not listed there. I am confident that several of your suppliers, lenders, insurers, equipment dealers, etc. are not members. Make a point to reach out and invite them to join NEAFA this year. They could join as an Individual Membership for only $100. Or better yet, join as their company and support our mission with their $500 membership fee. Feel free to send them this link once you’ve convinced them to join!

Based on member feedback and the thoughtful efforts of the Membership Committee, last year we adopted a simplified membership structure which is much less complicated and more fair to all members. As mentioned above, $500 will cover two people from any feed manufacturer, supplier or service provider company. Individual members, who may be public servants, producers or other ag supporters, can join for $100. Academics and researchers can also join for $100. With any of these membership levels come voting rights and the ability to serve on any NEAFA committee or the board of directors.

Your 2025 membership invoice has recently been sent out through the PayPal payment system. You do not need a PayPal account to pay directly online with your credit card. Or, you can print your invoice and mail it back to NEAFA with your check. Today our member directory lists 219 individuals as members. If we ALL get on the membership committee and recruit a few more members, I’m confident we can grow this to 300 by this time next year. We all owe it to the incredible agriculture industry that we serve to make sure this is a vibrant and growing alliance.

NEAFA Member Highlight: Bonnie Bargstedt, Novonesis

Bonnie Bargstedt, Key Account Manager for Novonesis. Photo provided.

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month’s NEAFA highlight is on Bonnie Bargstedt, a Key Account Manager at Novonesis for the past six years. Novonesis is a new company with deep roots. It was formed earlier this year as Novozymes and Chr. Hansen joined together to create a leading company in biosolutions. “Chr. Hansen started in 1874 in Denmark by extracting rennet to make the enzymes for cheese. To this day people make cheese with our rennet.

We currently have more than 10,000 employees working in 30 different industries across the globe. Our biosolutions enable feeding and fueling the world more sustainably, from healthy and sustainable nutrition to biofuel. They also reduce the use of fossil-based resources, chemicals, energy and water.”

“Our US headquarters is in Milwaukee, WI, while our corporate headquarters is in Copenhagen Denmark.,” said Bargstedt

Beyond her work with Novonesis, Bargstedt is no stranger to agriculture. “I grew up on a dairy farm in Fonda, NY,” said Bargstedt. “My entire career has always been in agriculture where I have been fortunate to have good jobs and great leadership. Agriculture, particularly dairy, is engrained in me, and providing solutions to customers that have become my friends is very important to me. Selling products that make a farmer’s life easier and their business more profitable is rewarding. Personally, I am a partner at Envision Dairy where we milk 580 cows. When you are a dairy farmer and in sales you understand the challenges that your customers face. I wouldn’t sell my customers something that I don’t believe enough in to use myself.”

Bargstedt’s participation in NEAFA began when she first joined Novonesis. “There was a NEAFA annual meeting that my boss asked me to attend,” said Bargstedt. “He felt that it was important for me to be involved since NEAFA does so much to represent agribusiness in the Northeast. I think it’s important to develop policies that represent the interests of agriculture and agribusiness in the Northeast. The opportunity to network is a huge plus as well. Networking with your peers and developing an understanding of issues that you may not come across in your day-to-day life but that effect the industry at large is important.”

Looking at the future of agriculture in the Northeast from a personal level, Bargstedt is excited for the growth of new dairy processing facilities in New York State. "That expansion is going to offer many opportunities for the agricultural industry moving forward,” said Bargstedt. “It’s not just dairy producers, the industry as a whole will benefit. Feed mills, veterinarians, trucking companies, milking equipment companies, nutritionists, etc., will all benefit from having increased processing capacity in the Northeast.”

For more information on Novonesis, you can visit: https://www.novonesis.com/en

Happy Holidays from the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

As we approach the end of the calendar year, it is a time for reflection, planning and gratitude. Many articles in this newsletter will focus on the reflection of NEAFA’s vision for advocacy, education and collaboration the past several months. Planning is in full swing for the Annual meeting – mark your calendars for February 4 and 5 in Albany! For the rest of this article, I would like to focus on gratitude.

Our membership is the heart and soul of what we do – as a member of NEAFA, you help guide what legislative priorities to focus on, coordinate our education efforts, raise thousands of dollars for youth in agriculture and collaborate with other agricultural organizations throughout the Northeast. The result of your efforts as a member has been the continued recognition of NEAFA as a key partner and “chamber of commerce for agriculture.” Thank you for your continued support of NEAFA. Your membership matters!

I am also thankful to our partners who have worked with us on important issues. In New York, a huge thank you to the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), NY Farm Bureau, Cornell CALS and PRO-Dairy at Cornell for navigating many issues important to agriculture, including transportation obstacles, offering solutions, and working together to brainstorm solutions for policy. Our partnership with Hinman Straub has opened legislative office doors (literally) that we haven’t visited with before. I appreciate their collaborative approach with our partners’ advocacy firms and the many hours of brainstorming as we navigate tough issues in Albany (thank you Julie Marlette for all the Friday night chats!). In Vermont, a huge thank you to the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance for the collaboration in advocacy in Montpelier. We appreciate the work that Shouldice and Associates have completed on behalf of agricultural advocacy in Vermont. Our partnership in communications with Morning Ag Clips continues to result in higher open rates on our electronic newsletter. Thank you Kate Ziehm and Eric Jenks for the leadership on the newsletter. Eric – thank you for keeping our newsletter on time and increasing readership through strategic timing of our email blasts and the member profiles that you coordinate. You will be proud to know this article is only six hours late!

Lastly, I am grateful for the support we have from our board and staff. We made some tough choices two years ago to not have an Executive Director and rely on our active committee system, under the guidance of our Executive Administrator, Sue VanAmburgh. Our strategy has worked because Sue is detail oriented, an effective communicator and is passionate about our mission to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast. We appreciate all that Sue, joined now by Keith VanAmburgh, do to make our meetings, emails, social media, fundraising and communications seamless. Our board is comprised of volunteers. I cannot thank each of the board members enough, especially our committee chairs, for their commitment to making NEAFA a stronger brand and more active in the industry. A special shout out to our Executive Committee, including Charlie Elrod (Vice President), Matt Sheffer (Treasurer), Mike Thresher (Secretary) and Danielle Penney-Stroop (Past President) for taking extra time to approve and discuss issues to keep our organization fiscally strong. I really appreciate the time and miles that Charlie continues to put in as Vice President. His vision and enthusiasm to grow NEAFA gives me confidence in the future of our member-based organization. Thank you for being a great partner!

With gratitude and optimism for the future of NEAFA, I look forward to seeing you at our Annual Meeting February 4 and 5. Happy Holidays to each of you and your families!

Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Update Webinar Report

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

As part of NEAFA’s transportation initiatives, a webinar was hosted to further understand the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation for the dairy and feed industries on Tuesday November 5.  Scott Wajda-Griffin, Chief, Heavy-Duty Vehicle Programs Section and James Clyne, Director, Bureau of Mobile Sources & Technology Development from the NYS DEC presented on the regulations which start in 2025 in New York.  In addition, Kendra Hems from the NY Trucking Association discussed implications of the ACT regulations on the trucking industry.  The webinar was well attended with over 80 participants. 

To watch the video of the webinar, please follow this link: 

Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation for the dairy and feed industries - Video on Demand 

Some key takeaways from the messaging from DEC: 

• NYS adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks Act in 2021 

• Supports NYS legislative goal of 100% zero-emission Medium /Heavy Duty Vehicle sales by 2045 (Ch. 423, 2021)  

• Includes annual ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicles) sales mandate for applicable Class 2b-8 trucks and school buses 

• ACT regulatory compliance applies to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – not fleets or purchasers 

• Starts with model year 2025 in NYS 

• OEM exemption: Emergency vehicles, transit buses, motor coaches.  The DEC is working to apply exemption to heavy-duty vehicles used for: Snowplowing, including dedicated plows and intermittent plows (e.g., dump trucks and refuse trucks that are converted as needed) as well as street cleaning, including street sweepers and catch basin trucks. 

• The goal in 2025 is to have 7% of Class 7 and 8 (larger trucks and tractor trailers) vehicle sales as zero emission vehicles 

• A need for strategy for building infrastructure for ZEV (including charging stations and necessary grid upgrades) especially along main routes (thruway) was brought to DEC’s attention. 

• The DEC also went through credits and incentive programs.  Please see the video link for more information 

After the DEC presentation, a robust question and answer session was held.  Kendra Hems then discussed the challenges and opportunities with the new regulations for the trucking industry in New York.  A follow up meeting will be scheduled as more information is available.  The webinar was hosted with several of our collaborators, including the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, PRO-Dairy and Farm Bureau. 

New York State Agricultural Society Annual Meeting and Forum to Take Place January 9, 2025

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today encouraged members  of the agricultural community to join the 193rd Annual Meeting and Agricultural Forum, hosted by the New York State Agricultural Society on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Held at the OnCenter in Syracuse, this year’s Forum offers an opportunity for farmers and other key partners to examine how emerging trends and technological advancements are helping shape the future of agriculture. Commissioner Ball will also deliver the 2025 State of Agriculture Address and provide an update on New York State’s ongoing efforts to support New York farmers and agricultural businesses. Registration for the Forum is now open. Those who register prior to December 20 will save $25. To register or learn more about the event, visit nysagsociety.org.  

Commissioner Ball said, “I always say that this is our industry’s biggest and best family reunion. Every year, the Forum gives New York’s farm community the opportunity to come together to reflect on the past year and prepare for what’s coming down the pipeline in the years to come, as well as recognize the achievements of our colleagues who are doing excellent work advancing our industry. I look forward to this event every year, and have no doubt that this year’s theme, ‘Trends, Tech and Teachable Moments,’ will facilitate fruitful discussions in policy areas that are a priority for New York agriculture.”

2025 Agricultural Society Forum Program
The 2025 Agricultural Society Forum includes a full day of panels and guest speakers, which will be capped off with Commissioner Ball’s State of Agriculture Address. The theme for the upcoming year’s forum is “Trends, Tech and Teachable Moments.”

Keynote speakers and panelists will discuss the opportunities that technological innovations can offer the agricultural industry, including advancing research in disease resistance, soil health and crop yields, improving food systems, and more. First, Eric Schilling and Dr. Dennis Buckmaster will kick off the Forum’s Morning Keynote session. Mr. Schilling focuses on new innovations in the sustainability marketplace as director of U.S. Dairy Business Unit for Elanco, a global leader in animal health dedicated to preventing and treating disease in farm animals and pets. Dr.Buckmaster, a Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Dean’s Fellow for Digital Agriculture at Purdue University, coordinates and supports work to collect data for improved agriculture and food systems.

During lunch, Todd Lighthall, Executive Director of NYS FFA Leadership Foundation, will lead a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the NY FFA.

After lunch, Dr. Yu Jiang will provide a glimpse into how Cornell AgriTech is harnessing  significant advancements in artificial intelligence and robotic systems to better understand disease resistance, in-season disease and weed management, harvesting, and postharvest quality assessment. Dr. Jiang is an Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering and Data Analytics for Specialty Crops in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, and leads the Cyber-Agricultural Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) Lab.

The afternoon session panel, moderated by Dr. Buckmaster, will highlight ‘The Delicate Dance of Using Technology Intelligently.’ Dr. Buckmaster will be joined by Heidi Lott of Lott Farms LLC; Brett Chedzoy, regional forester with Schuyler County Cornell  Cooperative Extension and forest manager for Cornell’s Arnot Teaching and Research Forest; and Kristen DeMarree of Donald DeMarree Fruit Farm.

Honorees in Eight Award Categories to be Recognized
New Yplatform to honor individuals and businesses who have lifted the state’s agricultural and food industries to new heights in terms of environmental stewardship, consumer outreach, farm safety, and the production of quality, safe foodstuffs. New York State Agricultural Society honors will be presented in eight categories throughout the day-long program, including farm safety, journalism, agricultural promotion, FFA Chapter of the Year, next generation farmers, business of the year, distinguished service, and century farms.

About the New York State Agricultural Society

Established in 1832, the mission of the New York State Agricultural Society is to build a robust future for New York’s food, agricultural, and natural resource industries by providing networking and educational opportunities for its strongest advocates, decision-makers, and aspiring leaders. Agriculture is a major economic driver in New York State, generating more than $5 billion worth of annual economic activity statewide and providing a livelihood for residents across all 62 counties. More than 800 members
of the New York State Agricultural Society strive to build a better understanding and positive working relationships with neighbors, consumers, and government leaders.

VDPA - Post Election Report for VT

Governor Phil Scott-(R) won easily against an unknown challenger and will begin his fifth term as Governor in January. Governor Phil Scott has never enjoyed campaigning but this cycle he campaigned and helped fund strong candidates to try to bring more balance to Montpelier. 

Many were surprised to see that both the Vermont Senate and House of Representatives lost their super majority as well as the incumbent Lt. Governor. This year, 60% of legislative seats were contested, including 24 of 30 Senate seats and 84 of 150 House seats. The theme that resonated with Vermonters was to elect more pragmatic, common sense and fiscally conservative Vermonters. While we wait for the official final numbers, it looks like a total of 24 seats were picked up by the Republicans in the House and Senate. 

The Republicans got their message out that voters are fatigued over increased costs and taxes. Property tax bills put a finer point on how unaffordable Vermont is becoming. Add that to the over 15% health insurance premium increase and fear of the anticipated increased cost of fuel. Many candidates, both Independent and Republican, stated similar reasons for running for the General Assembly. 

What’s next? Once the ballots are certified and all recounts have been settled, the General Assembly will consider who will be in leadership positions. The current Speaker, Jill Krowinski, is being challenged by Laura Sibilia, an Independent from Dover. The long-time Senate majority leader Sen. Alison Clarkson is also being challenged. Vermont legislature leadership could be turned on its head in the coming weeks, which is important because committee assignments are chosen by leadership. It is important to note that both House and Senate Agriculture committees were largely dismantled by retirements and elections.  

The next legislative session will be critical in many areas, including education finance and property taxes, rising health care costs, lack of housing and heating costs.  Agriculture could be a bit of a sleepy topic with so many economic pressures in Vermont. 

The agricultural sector will look for opportunities to amend Act 182 An act relating to banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.  With the hopes that the effective date can be pushed out and if New Yorks law is repealed that Vermont’s law would automatically be repealed.  We will also be looking for opportunities to provide farms protect from nuisance lawsuits by passing a “Right to Farm” bill.   

Lastly, the Vermont General Assembly will receiving a report, which VDPA has testified and provided information, that will consider the rights for farm workers to organize for collective bargaining and the right to strike.   

Overview of Elections: 

Governor’s Race – Republicans retain the Governor’s Office 

• Phil Scott (R) 70.87 % 

X   Esther Charlestin (D/P) 21.29 % 

Lt. Governor’s Race  

• John Rodgers (R) 46.24 % 

X   David Zuckerman (P/D) 44.64% 

Vermont House:  Total 150 seats  

• Democrats 87 

• Republicans 56 (+18 seats) 

• Progressives 4 

• Independents 3 

Vermont Senate:  Total of 30 seats 

• Democrats 16 

• Republicans 13 (+6 seats) 

• Progressive 1 

*Votes have not been certified and several recounts are likely 

Committee assignments will be announced in January when the General Assembly returns to Montpelier. 

Notable losses: 

• Rep. Diane Lanpher Addison-3 district (Chair of House Appropriations) 

• Rep. Josie Leavitt in the Grand Isle-Chittenden district (Agriculture) 

• Re. Mike Rice in the Rutland- Bennington District ( Agriculture) 

• Rep. Robin Chestnut-Tangerman in the Bennington-Rutland district (House General) 

• Rep. William Notte Rutland-7 House district (House Asst. Majority Leader) 

• Sen. Mark MacDonald- Orange District (served over 40 years in the Legislature) 

• Sen. Chris Bray – Addison District (Chair of Natural Resources & Energy), generally not a supporter of agriculture. 

NEAFA Testifies at Albany Hearing

Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Donna Lupardo (D-Binghamton), convening the hearing on 11/14

By Hinman Straub

NEAFA submitted testimony at New York State Assembly hearing held in Albany on November 13.  The Assembly’s Agriculture Committee convened an oversight hearing related to “developing needs in agriculture.”   

The hearing focused on “current and developing needs in agriculture with a specific focus on dairy and seafood, along with emerging crops and products.  NEAFA’s testimony requests new state support for the Cornell University Ruminant Center (CURC).  CURC is a research dairy, and the only one in the nation able to conduct research at scale to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions while also identifying strategies to improve production of milk and milk components.   

NEAFA is also supporting increased funding for Pro-Dairy in the FY 2025-2026 State Budget, particularly for climate leadership, staffing and for applied research and extension support. 

To read the testimony, click here.

2024 New York Election Results

By Hinman Straub

In yet another interesting Election Night in the Empire State, the New York State Legislature will once again have a number of new members from across the state and on both sides of the aisle.  A review of the election results in New York follows.  

Federal  

A reliably “Blue State,” Vice President Kamala Harris won all New York’s 28 electoral votes over President-elect Trump 54.64% to 43.27%. This 12-percentage point win is a significant underperformance compared to previous presidential elections, including 2020 where President Biden won New York by 23-percentage points. Of the 26 U.S. House seats, three seats were “flipped,” where new Democratic representatives defeated Republican incumbents.  

• On Long Island, Laura Gillen defeated Republican incumbent Anthony D’Esposito.  

• In the Hudson Valley, Democratic challenger Josh Riley prevailed over Republican incumbent Marc Molinaro.  

• In Central New York, Democrat John Mannion won the seat currently held by Republican incumbent Brandon Williams.  

Heading into 2025, New York’s Congressional Delegation will have 19 Democrats and 7 Republicans from across the state. Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also won reelection. 

State Senate 

Senate Democrats appear to have lost their Supermajority, which requires 42 seats in the 63-seat body. While they have maintained a clear majority, winning at least 40 seats, incumbent Senator Iwen Chu (D-Brooklyn) conceded to Republican Stephen Chan.  The one race that appears too close to call is the seat being. Democrat Christopher Ryan won an open seat vacated by John Mannion (D-Syracuse), who chose to run for Congress, prevailing over Republican Nicholas Paro.  

In all, 58 incumbents appear to have been re-elected; four incumbents (all Democrats) sought not to seek office either choosing to run for Congress or to retire from the Senate. These seats will continue to be represented by Democrats: 

State Assembly 

In the Assembly, Democrats will retain their large majority, in the 150-seat chamber. Republicans flipped two Democratic seats, with Republican Patrick Chludzinski ousting Monica Wallace (D-Cheektowaga), and Republican Daniel Norber defeating Gina Sillitti (D-Nassau). Also in Nassau County, Republican Edward Flood was defeated by the Democratic candidate, Rebecca Kassay.  

In total 15 Assembly Members chose not to seek re-election. Each of those seats appears to have been retained by the same party as the incumbent.  

The 2025 Legislative Session will begin in early January, when all 63 State Senators and 150 Members of Assembly will formally take office.  

Get Registered for a Great Annual Meeting!

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D. , NEAFA V.P. 

Sue and the Conventions Committee have been working diligently since this summer to put together a fantastic agenda for the 2025 Annual Meeting to be held February 4th and 5th at the Albany Marriott Hotel.  Whether you’re an active member of NEAFA or just an avid reader of the NEAFA News, there will be valuable information and ideas that you can put to work in your day-to-day job. 

Whether you’re returning from Lobby Day on Tuesday morning, or just arriving in Albany for the meeting, we’ll kick off the program at 2:00 with an informative panel discussion led by Cornell CALS’ Workforce Specialist, Dr. Rich Stup.  The panel will include a variety of panelists who each bring their own unique perspective and expertise to share with attendees.  Dana Politis from the NYS Department of Labor will bring her knowledge of local resources available to New York businesses, through regional workforce development offices which can help companies locate, connect and train people to meet their labor needs.  Crystal Grimaldi, from Ideal Dairy, will discuss their very progressive approach to managing, training and retaining employees.  Ideal does a great job recognizing talent, training employees for advancement and providing an attractive work environment.  Shannon Kayhart, from Phoenix Feeds, will focus her comments on the value they have found in turning Phoenix Feeds into an employee-owned company through the formation of an ESOP; an option that should be of great interest to NEAFA members.  Lastly, the panel will be rounded out with Anna Richards, of 2020 Consulting.  Anna has built 2020 Consulting as broad spectrum business consulting service, offering everything from accounting services to building  staffing, growth, financing or succession plans.  Under Rich’s expert moderation this will prove to be a highlight of the annual meeting. 

Next up, Kristi Krafka, V.P. of Regulatory Affairs at Kemin will provide us with a valuable update on the ever-shifting regulatory environment in which we all work.  Given the recent changes in the relationship between AFIA, AAFCO and the FDA this topic should be top-of-mind for any member who works in the feed industry.  Marking a change to our typical agenda, this year we’ll have a breakout session in which those interested in feedmill management can hear about new advances in feedmill technology from Dr. Caitlin Evans from AB Vista and a graduate of the renowned Feed Science and Technology program at Kansas State University.  Concurrently, our other session will be lead by Larry Van de Valk, Executive Director of LEAD New York, will provide some oversight of what the program is and what benefits can be had through supporting young leaders in your company to participate in LEAD NY. 

Wednesday morning will start off with the NEAFA Elections and General Session.  NYS Department of Ag & Markets Commissioner Richard Ball will provide some opening remarks followed by the ever popular and insightful Dairy Markets and Outlook from Dr. Chris Wolf.  The morning program will be filled out with updates from the NEAFA Sesquicentennial Fellows, Drs. Joe McFadden and Kristan Reed, followed by legislative updates from our NY and VT lobbyists.  Finally, before we adjourn to the Awards Luncheon, Leah Wilkinson from AFIA will provide us with an update on broader trends and AFIA priorities impacting the dairy and feed industries. 

An annual highlight of this NEAFA meeting is the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award, recognizing one of our own who has consistently given back to our industry through their leadership and involvement.  Our keynote speaker, Kim Bremmer from Ag Inspirations, will provide us with practical and readily accessible ways that each of us can tell the story of agriculture, our own businesses and farms to our friends, neighbors or fellow citizens who are increasingly distanced from agriculture.  Several of us heard Kim speak at the Mercer Milling Summit this past spring and found great value in her message.   

If you haven’t already, visit the Annual Meeting page to register and reserve your hotel room.  Lobby day registration is separate and can be signed up for here. 

NEAFA Member Highlight: Kemin Animal Nutrition & Health

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA 

For this NEAFA member highlight, NEAFA spoke with Natalie Glunz, the Key Account Manager for the Northeast at Kemin Animal Nutrition & Health. "My focus for Kemin is on dairy and beef cattle segments," said Glunz. "I've worked for Kemin covering Virginia to Vermont for the past seven years. Kemin is a global biotechnology company that has been in business since 1961 when R.W. Nelson started to mix his own sheep de-wormer in the drum of a Maytag® washer in an old wool barn at his residence. You can actually see the washer on display at our worldwide headquarters. Even today, the company remains family-owned-and-operated. It's based out of Des Moines, Iowa. The CEO, Chris Nelson, is the second generation to run the business, and has a PhD in biochemistry; he's a super smart guy." 

As a global company, Kemin works in many different markets. "We do a lot with human food processing, ensuring a safe food supply with natural antioxidants, plus we extract molecules, such as lutein, from plants that are used in human supplements," said Glunz. "Everything that we do is backed by peer reviewed research. We also operate in the pet food space, where we have pioneered innovations in palatants, food safety, and antioxidant solutions for rendering. In animal agriculture, we work in all aspects of food animal production. We're a monogastric first company; meaning that we develop products and do research on monogastrics (poultry and swine) first, because you can obtain data so much more quickly than you can with cattle. We often look at those products for poultry and swine, and then work on ways to apply to all species after they've been proven to be effective. In animal nutrition, we’re focused on helping farmers, nutritionists and feed mills make the best quality feed that they can. That includes feed quality, nutrition, and gut health solutions to foster healthier animals while increasing the profitability for our producers." 

Agriculture is a life long love for Glunz. "I'm a native of Maryland, a typical 4-H and FFA kid," said Glunz. "I grew up on a 4 acre farmette, and went to college at Virginia Tech, where I received a degree in Animal Science. I was hired by Agway shortly after school. I was very blessed to have two mentors that took me under their wing and taught me everything I needed to know to be a successful dairy nutritionist. I worked in Pennsylvania doing that for 10 years. That work really made me fall in love with the industry, and that’s what kept me in it ever since. I really enjoy working for a science first company like Kemin; we develop a lot of innovative technologies and get to nerd out about fun stuff. I enjoy working for a company that is focused on bringing sustainably made products to market that foster healthier animals."  

At Kemin's suggestion, Glunz joined NEAFA when she started working for them. "I’ve always found value in the NEAFA meetings because it gave me an opportunity to interface with people in the business that I don’t often get to meet," said Glunz. "The feed mill managers, logistics members and upper management. I really like the educational aspect that NEAFA has as well. I have enough other things going on in my life that I don’t always stay current on legislation, and NEAFA provides a forum where I can have a succinct amount of information in one place." 

Glunz sees a bright future for agriculture in the Northeast. "I think that the US, and agribusiness in Northeast in particular, is extremely adaptable at figuring out how to feed the world efficiently," said Glunz. "I love working with the people that are so very good at this. When met with a challenge, no one rises to that challenge better than Northeast dairy producers." 

To learn more about Kemin, visit www.kemin.com/dairy  

Executive Pen: A Harvest Holiday

By Matt Sheffer, NEAFA Treasurer

Harvest is complete, football season has brought excitement or disappointment for your favorite team, and we begin the transition into the holiday season. Thanksgiving to many of us, me included, is a time spent with family, food, and the high probability of a post-meal nap. Happily, in our industry the historical context and tradition of Thanksgiving is still honored as a harvest celebration.  

While the holiday combines old and new traditions, one that is constant is taking a moment to reflect and give thanks. As I look through the lens of NEAFA there is much to be thankful for. As an organization we continue to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast. To do so we need and rely on our members to be active in the organization by becoming sustaining sponsors, attending the Golf for Good Works tournament, the Annual Meeting, and volunteering time by serving on committees and the board of directors. It is due to this active membership we can continue our Good Works donation program, NEAFA scholarship, and opportunistic giving as there is an industry need.  

A great benefit of NEAFA is our self-sustainment. As we begin to wrap up CY2024, our organizations financials are again strong. Sue and our events committee do a great job keeping costs in line. Both our income and expenses are within 5% of budget on our financial statements. This financial freedom allows us to donate to many worthy causes in our industry. I have shared below a list of past recipients of our Good Works funds.  

Thank you for your continued support of the organization and speaking for both the executive board, and board of directors, we hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  

Matt Sheffer 
NEAFA Treasurer   

o    4-H Junior Dairy Leaders Program & 4-H Foundation 
o    FFA Foundation & FFA Scholarship Program 
o    NY Animal Agriculture Coalition Birthing Center at the NYS Fair 
o    Madison County Junior Holstein Association 
o    NY Holstein Spring Dairy Carousel 
o    NY Holstein Association All Breeds Senior Convention 
o    New England Green Pastures Program 
o    4-H Junior Dairy Leader Programs 
o    4-H Dairy Judging Teams 
o    Northeast Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge 
o    Cornell University Alliance for Science 
o    Vermont State Dairy 4-H 
o    Cobleskill Dairy Judging Team 
o    LEAD NY 
o    Maine 4-H Foundation 
o    Clinton County Farm Bureau – Day on the Farm 
o    Food and Farm Experience, NYFB Foundation  
o 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Teams 
o Cornell Dairy Fellows Program 
o Oakfield Corners Dairy - Growing Through Showing Program 
o Vermont Breakfast on the Farm 

Executive Pen: A Big Take Home from the Cornell Nutrition Conference

Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

NEAFA VP

For those of you that were there, this year’s CNC had a distinct emphasis and multiple points of view on the ways that agriculture, and the dairy industry in particular, can contribute to mitigating the effects of carbon emissions on our climate.  For me, one highlight was the Wednesday afternoon panel of PRO-Dairy, Nutrient Management Spear Program and Department of Animal Science experts discussing this topic.  Context for the panel was set by Karl Czymmek, PRO-Dairy’s Dairy Climate Leadership Specialist (a position which NEAFA advocated strenuously for during last year’s NYS budget negotiations).  While many in the dairy industry object to the focus on cattle as major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Karl very persuasively demonstrated that indeed, while we are a small part of total emissions, our industry has an outsized influence on methane and nitrous oxide emissions, two of the most potent of GHG.  Consequently, we all have to do our part to contribute to the global reductions in GHG.

The panel consisted of PRO-Dairy Specialists Kirsten Workman and Lauren Ray, agronomist and engineer, respectively; Olivia Godber, an environmental modeler from the CNM Spear Program and Mike Van Amburgh, who needs no introduction to this audience.  The overlapping expertise of the panel, covering cropping, manure and nutrition influences on the dairy industry’s GHG emissions presented a very integrated overview of the challenges to, and also the successes of, the Northeast dairy industry.  I hope our membership appreciates that we are blessed with a very cohesive, collaborative and progressive collection of dairy farmers, researchers, regulators, and service and product providers in what we know as the Northeast dairy industry.  Because of that, we are national leaders in the adoption and validation of best practices to aid in reducing GHG emissions.   On a regional level, our dairy industry has among the lowest carbon intensity per unit of milk produced of any region in the country.  

However, the expert panel was adamant that there was much more progress to be made.  On the engineering front, designing and building manure storage which prevented dilution of manure nutrients with rainwater while also reducing the volatilization of (especially nitrogen) from storage structures is a major emphasis.  Validating methods, e.g lasers and gas sensors, to measure gaseous emissions from manure storage is another high priority.  Only through accurate measurement can we document the improvements made over years.  Evaluating cropping practices, cover crops, tillage practices and manure application on the agronomic side are crucial for reducing nitrous oxide releases from soil.  And while much attention has been paid to reducing cow methane emissions through feed additives, increasing the nitrogen efficiency of our diets should also be a major focus.  There is still a lot of work to be done.

For me, the bottom line was that the agronomists, nutritionists, ag engineers and lenders who serve our dairies must get better at integrating their efforts, sharing their knowledge and expertise to bring an integrated solution to each farm, which in the aggregate, can result in the GHG reductions that we all strive for to reach our goal of having a net zero dairy industry in the near future.

NEAFA Submits Comments on NY Cap and Invest Investment Framework

By Hinman Straub

On September 30, NEAFA President Jenny Mills submitted formal comments to New York officials on the State’s proposed Cap and Invest Investment Framework.  Public comment is being sought on the use of “Climate Investment Account” proceeds, expected to be generated under New York’s Cap-and-Invest Program to meet the State’s greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives. Read NEAFA’s comments by clicking here.

Election Day Approaches

By Hinman Straub

November 5, 2024 is Election Day, and early voting in New York State begins on October 26.  Beyond the presidential race, every seat in the State Assembly and Senate are on the ballot, as well as all of New York’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the New York’s two U.S. Senate seats.   

17 current members of the State Senate and Assembly have announced their retirements or are running for other offices. Several very senior leadership and committee chair positions will be open (e.g. Assembly Speaker Pro Tem, Assembly Ways & Means Committee chair), and be filled by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie early in 2025.

The appointment of legislators to chair certain committees will impact NEAFA’s advocacy in Albany. The following state legislators are not running for reelection in November:

State 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 a candidacy for a seat in Congress. Senate Consumer Protection Committee chair

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

State Assembly

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

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

• Taylor Darling (D-Suffolk) – lost June primary 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.

• Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Nassau & Suffolk) – 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.

ACT Regulation Webinar 11/5

New York State has adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation, which requires the manufacture of zero emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles beginning in 2025. NYS DEC speakers on this webinar will clear up confusion on the intent of this regulation and its impact. The Trucking Association of New York (TANY) is advocating for the delay of the regulation due to the economic burdens and significant challenges for implementing the ACT mandate. TANY will present concerns with ACT and their efforts to delay it.

There is an informational meeting about this November 5th at 12:00 PM, EST. To signup, click here.