new york farm bureau - Design Your Own Handbag

Page 22 Grassroots January 2009
LEWIS COUNTY FARM BUREAU delegates Kathleen and Ronald Zehr talk with Field
Advisor Kirby Selkirk (left) during the State Annual Meeting.
FIELD: New county officers installed
▼ Continued from PG. 7
another legislative farm tour for the spring.
Peggy Shultz was honored for her many
years of service to the county during their
annual meeting.
Her duties have
been divided
among three of the
board members.
Robert Wilson
and Blake
SELKIRK
REGION 7
Jendebien were
elected to the St.
Lawrence County
FB Board of
Directors. Wilson
has been instrumental
in developing
the sheep industry
in northern New
York. Jendebien is involved with the family
dairy farm.
Elaine Torrey, Dennis Egan and Joanne
McElwain have returned to the Franklin
County FB Board. All have served in years
past and are involved with the dairy industry.
ed 1,500 jobs in agriculture and other sectors
of the economy.
“This is the type of investment that makes
perfect sense for the upstate New York economy,
for the Retirement Fund, for the environment
and for famers,” he said.
DiNapoli also noted that he continues to
scrutinize the Thruway Authority and
opposes toll hikes, which impact the upstate
economy, and is auditing the
Franklin County, and the whole North
Country, heartily congratulate Heath Eisele
for winning the 2008 Excellence in
Agriculture Award. Eisele also produced an
outstanding video presentation for the
Young Farmers award ceremony.
The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes
young farmers for their contributions
to agriculture and to Farm Bureau.
Contestants were judged on their involvement
in agriculture, leadership ability, and
their participation in Farm Bureau and
other organizations. Eisele works as a soil
conservationist. He received $1,000 from
Dodge and the New York Farm Bureau
Young Farmer & Rancher Program, a Stihl
MS 290 Farm Boss Chainsaw and an
expense-paid trip to compete at the
American Farm Bureau Federation
Convention.
Clinton, Franklin and Lewis Counties
received several Silver Key awards in recognition
of their programs through the year.
St. Lawrence, Franklin and Lewis received
recognition for their membership efforts.
NEW YORK COMPTROLLER Thomas DiNapoli, second from right, is seen with, from
left, John Lincoln, New York Farm Bureau Director of Public Policy Julie Suarez and Long
Island Farm Bureau Executive Director Joe Gergela.
COMPTROLLER: Thruway Authority
among subjects of DiNapoli’s scrutiny
▼ Continued from PG. 15
Environmental Protection Fund to ensure
the money is being expedited for effective
use in key projects.
“Necessity is the author of change. The
current fiscal crisis gives us an opportunity
to rethink and redesign our most critical —
and expensive — programs. It’s an opportunity
to reshape how we do things to create a
more sustainable future,” DiNapoli said.
“Agriculture must be a part of that future.”
BUDGET: Paterson details his cuts
▼ Continued from PG. 1
reputation of spending above our means,
and farmers, business owners and organizations
have been concerned about the relatively
high cost of doing business here
because of high taxes and excessive red tape
and regulation.
If we can turn the current fiscal crisis into a
real examination of the duplicative regulations
and governmental layers, then we may
have a real opportunity to change the state
around and curb the appetite for spending
more than we can afford. The governor’s proposed
budget does start to make some
progress in critical areas and doesn’t cut
spending by simply cost-shifting to already
over-burdened local governments.
Farmer members were justifiably angered
by the governor’s proposed cuts in the
November session due to the disproportionate
nature of many of the cuts on agriculture
and agricultural environmental management
programs. The governor’s proposed 2009-10
budget starts agriculture on a better footing.
Generally, funding for the Agricultural
Environmental Management program and
non-point source pollution prevention have
been retained. Most animal health and several
important research programs, as well as
agricultural education programs are off to a
relatively good start.
However, there are a number of rather glaring
discrepancies and oddities that will hopefully
be corrected as time moves on, especially
in the area of funding for agricultural promotion
programs that are critical to encourage
consumers to buy New York products
and which provide great and needed economic
development for the apple, maple,
and grape and wine sectors of agriculture.
Be assured NYFB’s public policy division
staff and our grassroots farmer leaders will be
working on the budget and continuing to
advocate for changes in several areas critical
PRESIDENT: Norton, Ooms installed
▼ Continued from PG. 1
York,” Norton said. “I’d also like to thank
John Lincoln, the former president, for his
continual commitment to working for the
agricultural industry in New York and
nationally.”
Norton is involved in his family’s dairy
farm in Batavia, and is a partner in the family
custom trucking operation for forage and
commodity harvesting. Norton is an agriculture
consultant for an accounting firm.
Norton has served on NYFB’s state board
of directors since 2004 and was the Genesee
County Farm Bureau president from 2000-
2004. Norton and his wife, Melanie, have
two young children, Callee and Kyle
Norton.
During a speech before voters, Norton
outlined an aggressive and ambitious plan to
increase membership and continue to
improve on NYFB’s excellent record of
achievements and service to the agricultural
community.
Ooms owns and operates a 425-cow dairy
farm with his father and brothers in
Kinderhook in Columbia County. Ooms
ran unopposed for the VP spot, which is
also a two-year term.
He has served New York Farm Bureau for
10 years as Columbia County Farm Bureau
President, and six years on the State Board
EPA: ‘Cow tax’ draws ridicule
▼ Continued from PG. 1
Federation. Even hogs would be taxed under
the EPA scheme.
At issue is the methane emitted by livestock,
which is purported to have an impact
on global warming. While there is no concrete
evidence that cow belching is depleting
the ozone layer, there is no doubt that the
EPA is eyeing agriculture as a culprit. And
farmers could pay the price.
NYFB aggressively fought against the proposal
in November and December.
Members were effective in getting comments
in to the EPA before the comment
period deadline of Nov. 28. Other Farm
Bureaus across the nation also spoke out.
The biggest blitz came through the media,
which latched onto the “cow tax” story,
making headlines across the country.
The New York Times reported on the
story based on a press release issued by New
York Farm Bureau in late November. The
New York Post, the Associated Press and all
of the major upstate daily newspapers all did
stories based on the NYFB press release.
Numerous TV stations also did reports on
the issue.
Please see FEES PG. 23 ➤
as Young Farmer and Rancher Chair and
District 10 Director. He won the NYFB
Discussion Meet in 2001 and the Excellence
in Agriculture Award in 2005.
Ooms has a strong record of service to
NYFB and the agricultural industry, starting
with his early involvement in the Northeast
Interstate Dairy Compact fight. Ooms and
his wife, Catherine Joy, have a 1-year-old
son, Arendt.
“It truly is an honor to be selected by the
membership to help lead this great organization,”
said Ooms. “I look forward to continuing
to serve the organization, and
appreciate the service and example set by
Paul Zittel, the former Vice President.”
Three new members also joined the
NYFB Board of Directors. Paul Bencal, a
grape grower from Niagara County, was
elected the District 2 director, replacing
Norton.
Charles Larsen, a retired dairy farmer
from Columbia County, was elected to fill
the District 10 position vacated by Ooms.
Ann Peck, of Ontario County, was elected
chair of the Promotion and Education
Committee and will also sit on the board,
replacing retiring chair Nancy Weber.
In virtually all of the media, the story
angled in favor of the farmer and the
incredulity of the federal government taxing
cows.
“This is probably the biggest media coverage
we’ve had on an issue all year,” said Peter
Gregg, NYFB’s public relations director.
Talk radio grabbed onto the story with
gusto. Bob Lonsberry, a controversial talk
show host on WHAM 1180 in Rochester,
covered the issue on both his show and a
column he writes on his web site. Al Roney,
a host on WGY 810 in Albany also did a
show on the issue.
The coverage was so intense, the EPA
itself issued a media response saying it does
not plan on imposing a “cow tax.” It did not
come out and say agriculture would be
exempt from its new regulations.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., also held a
press conference on the issue, urging the
EPA to leave agriculture out of its proposal.
The issue will likely continue into next
year as the EPA considers comments and
devises its final rule.
That may not come until 2010, according
to experts.