Letter to Secretary Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture - Start Process Of Unlocking More Fed Support To Help Ny Beer, Distilleries And Local Barley Growers Keep Up With Summer's Demand & Tourism

Letter

Dear Secretary Perdue:

I write to bring to your attention an emerging problem that may affect New York farmers and small businesses in the near future. I would like to thank the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for recently agreeing to expand the availability of crop insurance for malt barley in New York State to 44 counties for 2018. However it is imperative that the USDA takes the necessary steps towards offering the malt barley endorsement (MBE) throughout these counties to provide further protection for our growers while continuing to promote the businesses that rely on this important crop.

As you know, the demand for malt barley is growing across New York in part because of the New York State farm Brewing Law that went into effect on January 1st, 2013. This law requires New York farm brewery licensed brewers to source 60% of their ingredients from New York state farms or producers by 2019 and no less than 90% by 2024. This major increase in demand for locally grown malt barley is a great boon to our New York State producers and agricultural industry. However, without access to the MBE, some producers may decide to forgo planting this crop, which will hold back agriculture and craft breweries across the state.

As you are aware, malt barley carries greater risks for loss and lower yields than barley grown for livestock feed because in order to be viable for malting, the grain must meet rigorous quality standards. It has come to my attention that without the MBE, some growers who are covered by malt barley crop insurance may run into obstacles collecting payments in certain situations. In New York State, which can endure both heavy rains and long dry spells, entire crops can be rendered unusable if malt barley becomes too moist and prematurely germinates in the field, or conversely dries out and is unable to germinate during the malting process. Due to the high risks for growers throughout my state, I urge you to dedicate the necessary resources to begin the process towards offering the MBE across upstate New York, which would provide additional quality protection for growers, as soon as possible. Additionally, to help expedite this effort, I ask that the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) invests resources into their surveys of New York malt barley production to aid in the data driven introduction of this product to New York farmers.

I appreciate your consideration of this request that will help remove obstacles to scaling up New York's malt barley supply chain while providing farmers with the opportunity to farm higher value-added malt barley I look forward to working with you on this important issue.

Source