At the end of February, local elected officials, including New York State Sen. Joe Griffo and NYS Assemblymembers Ken Blankenbush, Brian Miller, Marianne Buttenschon and Robert Smullen, signed and sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul asking her to look into the devastating snowstorms that occurred in January, February and early March that caused significant, major damage throughout central and northern New York.
Thank you to all of our elected officials for always listening to our concerns. We remain hopeful that some relief may come our way.
On March 3 and 4, I joined Pat VanLieshout and John Collins in Albany to lobby on behalf of the Oneida County Farm Bureau advocating for funding for county fairs, agricultural programs and research and the state FFA program. We also discussed the newly proposed and outdated unfunded mandates that are negatively affecting our farms (or may do so).
I was able to meet with Gov. Hochul and State Ag Commissioner Richard Ball and to discuss the devastating snowstorms that affected Oneida and surrounding counties east of Lake Ontario. As a result of our conversation, the governor asked the commissioner to look into this issue and report back to her.
On March 7, Terri DiNitto of Dinitto Farms in Marcy set up a tour of storm-damaged farms with Ball, Griffo, Executive Director Maryann Snider and Program Analyst Brittany Radell of the Oneida/Herkimer FSA, Farm Bureau Representative John Wagner and myself. A total of three farms suffered storm-related barn collapses that were visited, two of which suffered a loss of cattle.
The first stop was at Troy and Stephanie Finn’s Finndale Farms in Steuben. They had a partial barn collapse and a loss of six cows. The next stop was at Evan and Cassandra Sokoloff’s farm in Western that had two large barns collapse with a loss of 25 cattle. The final stop was in Boonville at the Flower Hill Farm & Greenhouses, owned by Nicole Pitt, that had a greenhouse collapse and an old barn that is compromised with broken beams that will negatively impact her spring planting business.
I want to publicly thank Terri DiNitto for taking time to set up and give our agricultural leaders a grim but very informative tour.
(L – R) At Finndale Farms, State Sen. Joe Griffo, Farm Manager Steve Adams and Ag Commissioner Richard Ball surveyed storm damage. Photo by Ben Simons
Ball is requesting that everyone who suffered storm-related damage to their farms and/or ag businesses in January, February or early March to report their losses to their local FSA. They are compiling data and reporting to USDA to see if it meets the threshold to qualify for a disaster declaration. That would make available low interest loans or possibly some assistance, depending on the total devastation in our area . That’s why it so important to report to your county FSA.
I also reached out to Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. and explained the situation regarding the storm-related losses many of our county’s farmers are facing. Picente immediately took action and contacted the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority to assist in the disposal of building demolition debris and deceased animals.
I am so thankful that Picente, the Oneida County Board of Legislators and the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority all stepped up to help the ag community in a time of need.
The following is a statement released by Picente: “I am deeply saddened to see the devastating impact that this relentless winter weather has had on our local farmers. The recent heavy snowfall has placed an immense burden on our agricultural community, leading to tragic barn collapses that threaten the livelihoods of so many hardworking men and women. Farming is not just the number one industry here in Oneida County – it is a way of life, built on generations of dedication, perseverance and sacrifice.
“My heart goes out to every farmer who has suffered loss during these difficult times. I can only imagine the stressing hardship that comes with seeing years of hard work buried under the weight of this unprecedented snow. Please know that as a community, we stand with you and you are not alone. We will get through this together, as we always do.”
by Ben Simons
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