Legislature Commends Berlin Young Farmer Award Winners

by Kieron Kramer
Two resolutions were passed at the Rensselaer County Legislative meeting on Tuesday night, January 12, relating to agriculture in Berlin and Petersburgh. The first commended Carl and Cynthia Greene for receiving the 2009 Young Farmer Achievement Award. The second carried forward from previous years the budget line for the Farmland Protection grants awarded by NY State for the Evergreen and Maple Lane Farms in Petersburgh and the Hooskip Farm, also in Petersburgh.
Young Farmer’s Award
Carl  and  Cynthia  Greene  are  the  2009  Young  Farmer Achievement Award recipients. Young farmers, ages 18-35, competed in statewide competitions during the fall sponsored by the New York State Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau honored outstanding young farmers during its Annual Meeting in Rochester; the winners were announced December 8.
The award which the Greenes won is given to young farmers for their agricultural pursuits and leadership within the community. Carl Greene is a partner in the 400-cow Mapledale Farm in Berlin, where he is responsible for labor management, cow health and reproduction and CAFO regulatory compliance.  Cynthia Greene is responsible for farm tours, community relations and office assistance. They were given $1,000 from Dodge and the New York Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Program, the use of a Kubota M Series Utility Tractor for one year, a Valvoline product voucher and an expense paid trip to compete on the national level at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Seattle in January.
The resolution commending them says, “A county  is  only as  great  as  those  persons  who  give commendable service to their community, whether through participation in voluntary programs,  through distinctive personal  achievement in their professional or other endeavors or simply through a lifetime of good citizenry…Such service, which is truly the lifeblood of the community and the county, so often goes unrecognized and unrewarded…the Clerk of the Legislature is hereby directed to transmit a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, to Carl and Cynthia Greene.
Farmland Protection In Petersburgh
In 2007 the County of Rensselaer applied to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for funding to purchase agricultural conservation easements in Rensselaer County under that Department’s Farmland Protection Program, and was awarded $621,793 for the purpose of purchasing conservation easements on the Evergreen and Maple Lane Farms in Petersburgh. In 2008 the County applied through the same program for funding to purchase agricultural conservation  easements and was awarded $455,764 for the purpose of purchasing conservation easements on the Hooskip Farm in Petersburgh.
Although the budgets for these projects were established in 2008, none of the funding for them was used in 2008, and the unexpended grant funding for the projects was rolled into the 2009 Rensselaer County Budget. The funding for these projects was again not used in 2009 so the unexpended grant funding was brought forward into the 2010 County Budget at this session by resolution. The amount to be expended is $1,077,557. According to the resolution, “These programs are fully funded by State monies and private dollars and will produce no fiscal  impact on Rensselaer County.”
Appointments To The County Environmental Management Council
Mike Crandall of Cropseyville and Denise Jacon Church of Petersburgh were reappointed at this session to the Rensselaer County Environmental Management Council. Their terms will expire on December 31, 2011. They will serve with 19 other Council members, including Omer Brenenstuhl of Hoosick, who serves in his capacity as Chairman of the County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The Environmental Management Council advises the County on environmental issues and projects. Its members are volunteers and meet several times annually to discuss environmental issues that may have a potential impact on Rensselaer County. EMC members also assist with recycling efforts, including the electronics recycling day sponsored by the Legislature and the EMC.
Shared Services
A resolution authorizing the County to enter into agreements with Petersburgh, Brunswick, Poestenkill and Schaghticoke, among other towns, for snow plowing and salt and sand application on County roads located in those towns passed Tuesday. The County has been entering into the agreements for years to help hold the line on expenses and ensure that needed snow removal services are delivered efficiently. The roads included in this agreement are easier for the towns to reach, resulting in the roads being plowed in a timely manner. The agreements run through April 30, 2010. Under the resolution, the County will pay six towns a maximum combined amount of $88,000.
Easy First Meeting For New Legislature
In an interview after the Legislative session, District 5 Legislators Stan Brownell, who is now Vice Chairman of the Legislature, and Lester Goodermote, who both represent the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, said that this first session of the year “went very smoothly.” They were happily surprised since this was the first meeting without the leadership of long-serving Chairman of the Legislature Neil Kelleher, who was defeated in his re-election bid in November. Last month Brownell said that Kelleher would serve as a Special Legislative Assistant to the Chairman for at least one year at a yearly salary of $15,000 to help the new Chairman learn the ropes of his office. To his credit, Kelleher declined the offer at the County Organizational meeting late last month, according to Brownell. There are ten new Legislators in this body as a  result of the surprising election results, but there were no controversial resolutions to be passed and no parliamentary decisions to be made.
Mike Cristo and Phillip Danaher, legislators elected from East Greenbush, were not sworn in earlier this month because a lawsuit had been filed by the Democrats in East Greenbush claiming that they could not run for two offices at once. The two legislators ran for the County Legislature and for seats on their own town board. According to Brownell, the Judge will hand down a verdict on January 22, and the Republicans are confident that the Judge will allow the two men to serve in both capacities. In the past, several Legislators have held other governmental positions while serving in the Legislature. For tonight’s meeting however, with only 17 legislators, the Republicans did not have the veto-proof majority they have held for so long in this body. Luckily for them, no votes requiring a two-thirds majority were called for at this session.