by Phillip Zema
Democratic Congressman Scott Murphy pledged to visit each of the 137 towns in his district, which includes parts of Rensselaer, Washington and Columbia counties. On January 8, he was at the Kinderhook Creek Farm in Stephentown, where he conversed with area farmers about the latest issues concerning New York State agriculture. The Agriculture Round Table was attended by Rensselaer and Columbia County dairy and livestock farmers, crop growers, landscapers and by Dean Casey, President of the Rensselaer County Farm Bureau. The discussion topics included wage and labor laws, government subsidies, immigration issues and food safety legislation.
The Agriculture Round Table took place in one of Larry Eckhardt’s barns, and Congressman Murphy, while seated on a hay bale, fielded questions and concerns from the audience. Farm owner and current
Stephentown Supervisor Larry Eckhardt introduced the Congressman. The Supervisor stressed the importance of having a local voice in Washington, especially since the New York and New England farming communities often go under appreciated or forgotten by policy makers. The Congressman, who won his seat in a special election last March, is a member of the House Agriculture Committee. He has recently sponsored and co-sponsored legislation designed to help dairy farmers overcome low milk prices and high production costs. Murphy also voted against President Obama’s health care bill, a bill the audience claimed would devastate small farms and businesses.
At the Round Table, there was concern that both State and federal legislatures ignore the interests of Upstate New York’s farmers. Accordingly, the legislation passed in Albany and Washington simply exacerbates current agricultural problems, especially those faced by small, family farms. For example, the State Assembly recently passed a bill requiring farms to pay their employees time and a half for all overtime hours; the bill also demands farmers to give their employees at least one day off per week.
Since farmers already struggle to cover production costs – or stay in business for that matter – the required overtime pay would devastate small farms. Furthermore, a mandatory day off would harm produce farmers, as the window for harvesting crops like corn and tomatoes is narrow. A day off would compromise the farm’s ability to maximize revenue. While the Congressman has no say in State legislation, audience members expressed concern that downstate Democrats are dictating agricultural policy and ignoring the interests of upstate farmers. Accordingly, Scott Murphy, a Democrat, could take a stand against harmful legislation and show downstate Democrats the right approach to agricultural policy.
The Congressman shared these concerns and discussed other pressing matters. He talked about growing problems with the visa and immigration systems, which he referred to as “broken.” Restrictions on when and how farmers can hire migrant workers create difficult obstacles. Since farmers have difficulties hiring local labor, migrant workers are a valuable asset to the agricultural community. If a small farm’s ability to hire foreign help is compromised, it would likely face a labor shortage.
There was also concern about food and safety issues. Currently, the policies passed in Washington are chiefly consumer focused; that is, the FDA and EPA, in an attempt to protect consumer health, place stringent demands on food producers. These requirements increase production costs, which force farmers to raise food prices. Producers in countries like China and Brazil, however, are not fettered by such regulations. This double standard creates an unfair market advantage. Furthermore, large, corporate farms have the resources to comply with such demands, and so they can produce food at significantly cheaper costs than smaller farms. If, on the other hand, the United States Department of Agriculture became the primary regulatory agency, agriculture policy would likely become more producer friendly, which would help small/middle-sized farms become more competitive.
Lastly, Eckhardt asked why the area was denied FEMA funding, especially considering the summer flood that caused $750,000 worth of damage in Stephentown. Congressman Murphy speculated that the total damage was not large enough to warrant Federal aid. There was also interest in increased funding for agricultural education and technological development. In the long term, these investments would be invaluable to upstate farmers. In closing, while the Congressman did not make any promises, he was enthusiastic about his support for local farms and appears genuinely committed to helping them survive and flourish.