Senator Gillibrand to Showcase New York Food and Farms at the Nation's Capital

Press Release

Senator Gillibrand to Showcase New York Food and Farms at the Nation's Capital

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today that she will host the eighth annual "New York Farm Day" on Wednesday, October 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in the Senate Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Building in Washington D.C. Senator Gillibrand has invited producers of New York's award-winning wines, farm-fresh products and fresh seafood, as well as leading restaurateurs to travel to Washington to showcase the quality and diversity of New York's agriculture, and its importance to the state's economy. Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted New York Farm Day during her time as New York's junior senator, and Senator Gillibrand is continuing the tradition.

"I'm proud to continue the Farm Day tradition in Washington, DC, where we will highlight the fantastic produce and foods from across New York State," Senator Gillibrand said. "As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I am focused on improving the health and well-being of our families. From rising childhood obesity and outdated nutritional standards to the crisis facing our dairy farmers and the opportunities with specialty crops, agriculture issues in Washington affect families in every corner of New York. New York's farmers are a critical part of our economy and we must ensure their success. Strengthening our agricultural sector and promoting good nutrition for New Yorkers are essential to our long-term health and economic growth."

Over the years, New York Farm Day has become one of the most popular events at our nation's Capitol. Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend. With approximately one-quarter of New York made up of farmland and an agriculture sector contributing nearly $4 billion to the state's economy each year, Farm Day offers an ideal opportunity to showcase the importance and quality of New York's agricultural industry.

Farm Day is organized by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation in conjunction with numerous other organizations and individuals who have contributed their time, products and services for the good of New York, including: CoBank, Constellation Brands, Farm Credit of Western New York, First Pioneer Farm Credit, MasterCraft Glassware, New York Farm Bureau, the New York State Restaurant Association, the New York State Maple Producers Association, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Pride of New York (New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets), and Yankee Farm Credit.

A complete list of all the participants in this year's Farm Day can be found at the bottom of the release.

Senator Gillibrand is the first New York Senator in nearly 40 years to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee. As Chair of the Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant & Animal Health, Senator Gillibrand plans to hold hearings on food safety modernization, marketing healthy food to children and dairy pricing.

DAIRY:
Senator Gillibrand is working to support New York's dairy farmers during these difficult economic times. In June, Senator Gillibrand introduced legislation that would double the amount of money farmers get from the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program retroactive to the low point of the crisis in March. She also introduced legislation that would index the MILC rate of $16.94 to inflation. The MILC program payments were originally designed to help dairy farmers in their time of need, but have remained stagnant. The price floor of $16.94 per hundredweight has not changed since the 1990's, yet the cost of production has increased exponentially.

In July, after meeting with Senator Gillibrand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced immediate action to support struggling dairy farmers by increasing the amount paid for dairy products through the Dairy Product Support Program (DPPSP). The increase went into effect in August and will continue through the end of October. The increase is expected to generate an additional $243 million in revenue for dairy farmers.

In August, Senator Gillibrand held a field hearing in Batavia, New York that focused on identifying major problems with the current dairy pricing system and determining effective solutions moving forward. This was the first of a series of hearings she plans to hold both in Washington, D.C. and New York State that will focus on needed reforms for the daily pricing system. Senator Gillibrand is working with stakeholders and economists to develop a proposal before the next Farm Bill is written in 2012.

Just last week, Senator Gillibrand announced $350 million for the USDA to help New York farmers struggling during the dairy crisis in the final Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The agreement includes $60 million in cheese and dairy product purchases for food banks and other nutrition and feeding programs, and $290 million in direct support to dairy farmers using guidelines to be determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Senator Gillibrand said the direct payments will be important to help keep dairy farmers solvent during this current crisis.

SPECIALTY CROPS:
In July, Senator Gillibrand introduced legislation that would allow New York fruit growers to take full advantage of federal recovery tax breaks. As a way of encouraging businesses to make more capital investments in the short term, the Recovery Act allowed companies to depreciate capital investment property "placed in service" in 2009 at a faster rate. However, under current law, fruit and nut trees are not considered "placed in service" until the taxable year in which they actually produce fruit that can be sold, which often takes years. Senator Gillibrand's legislation would change - only for the purpose of bonus depreciation - the "placed in service" date for permanent crops to the date on which the crop is planted, putting fruit growers on par with other farmers eligible for bonus depreciation for capital expenditures made this year.

Senator Gillibrand has been a strong advocate for programs that develop fresh, local food for New York's families and supports programs providing technical assistance, training, and equipment for the procurement of local foods in our schools. This summer, Senator Gillibrand secured a commitment from the USDA to create a task force to promote and develop sustainable local and regional food systems.

And just last month, after leading the fight on behalf of New York farmers, Senator Gillibrand secured a commitment from the USDA to allow New York farmers to process fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables for children to snack on in New York schools. In February, Senator Gillibrand sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that he change an administrative rule barring local farmers from delivering pre-cut and packaged fruit and vegetables to schoolchildren.

SAVING FARMS FROM FORECLOSURE:
New York has been hit hard by the economic crisis, and Senator Gillibrand is working to help families keep their farms. In a March letter, Senator Gillibrand and 17 of her Senate colleagues called on the USDA and Treasury Department to consider a foreclosure mitigation program that includes loan restructuring for farmers, as they have already done for home loans. In response to Senator Gillibrand's efforts, a report by the Congressional Oversight Panel (COP) for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was released outlining different methods that could be used to help farmers and ranchers restructure their loans as an alternative to foreclosure either through a mandatory program or a voluntary program that could be opened up to more than just TARP recipients.

AGRICULTURE DISASTERS:
From the devastating freeze in Northern New York early this spring to the excessive rainfall and flooding this summer, Senator Gillibrand has pushed the USDA for prompt responses to the natural disasters faced by New York's farmers. A disaster declaration clears the way for affected farmers to apply for emergency loans, which can often mean the difference between staying in business and closing the farm.

With much of federal agricultural aid going to farmers outside of New York, Senator Gillibrand is committed to ensuring that New York's farmers receive the federal help they deserve. She will continue to fight to ensure that farmers in need receive the disaster aid they deserve.

The USDA has issued disaster declarations for 16 New York Counties: Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Columbia, Clinton, Dutchess, Erie, Greene, Oneida, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan and Ulster.

COMBATING CHILD OBESITY, PROMOTING CHILD NUTRITION:
In her time in the Senate, Senator Gillibrand has established herself as a leader in efforts to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy nutrition for children and families. She has launched a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of school lunches, eliminate junk food from our schools, and provide more physical exercise opportunities.

The current federal reimbursement rate for school lunches has not kept pace with inflation or the increased costs of providing quality meals. Senator Gillibrand proposes increasing the current reimbursement rate by 70 cents in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill - from $2.57 per meal to $3.27 per meal. In today's typical school lunch, a child may have chicken nuggets, chips, canned peas and canned fruit cocktail. Under this new plan, a student could have grilled chicken breast on a seven-grain roll, steamed broccoli and a fresh fruit cup.

Senator Gillibrand is also working to provide targeted relief to high cost areas like New York City and other communities around the state, including Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Ulster, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Dutchess Counties. Her legislation entitled the LUNCHES Act would provide targeted relief to high cost areas.

Senator Gillibrand also authored legislation that would ban trans-fats in public schools. Any school that receives federal reimbursements would be required to remove food containing trans fat from the school. Schools would have a five year window to implement the policy.

Senator Gillibrand is working on legislation that would expand USDA authority to regulate all food served in schools, including vending machines. This would force all food served on school grounds during school hours to meet federal nutritional standards. This legislation will enable the USDA to eliminate sugary sodas and candy from school during school hours, so that children are more likely to eat the fruits, vegetables and other nutritious food served in cafeterias.

Senator Gillibrand is also pushing the Student Breakfast and Education Improvement Act, which would provide $2 million in competitive grants to schools with creative breakfast programming including serving breakfast during the school day, incorporating local foods into breakfasts and providing nutritional education to students.

Source