The Assembly Republican Task Force on the State of New York Agriculture heard testimony at a public forum from Western New York farmers about the key challenges facing the region's farming community and discussed ideas to strengthen the agricultural economy. The Albion forum is the seventh in a statewide series of farm tours and public forums hosted by the Task Force to develop ways to improve New York's agricultural industry and increase public awareness of the local products that the many regions of the state have to offer. "Western New York farmers have been hit hard over the last several years. Bad weather, including vicious ice and hail storms, have wiped out entire orchards and devastated local crops," Assembly Republican Leader Charles H. Nesbitt (R,C-Albion) said. "While we cannot control the weather, the Task Force is working to create solutions for the problems we can control. I established the Task Force at the request of the farmers in this area and I am pleased to bring the Task Force to Albion to hear what they have to say." Prior to the forum, the Task Force toured the Brown's Berry Patch fruit farm in Waterport, viewed potato harvesting at the Triple G vegetable processing plant in Elba and visited the Watt Farms Country Market in Albion. |
