Committee members voice concern about reported 700‑cow cap proposal and possible impact on small dairies

Members of the Allegany County Resource Management Committee discussed news that Governor Kathy Hochul was reportedly proposing a 700‑cow maximum for dairy operations. The committee did not take formal action; the discussion was informational and staff offered to gather official details.

A committee member raised the report: “there's, for instance, that she's determining that, there should be a 700 cow max in a dairy firm. You know?” Cooperative Extension’s Loris Hunsberger said she was not the best person to answer policy specifics but offered to get more information and to share it with the committee: “If you want to shoot me an email with the specifics, I can ask all of our smarter than me people that have better answers.”

Committee members expressed concern for small dairy farmers. One member said small operators are unlikely to survive if they remain unable to sell off premises; Hunsberger echoed that small dairies face challenges and that she would provide information to the group when available. Another committee speaker questioned whether the policy attribution belonged to the governor or to other officials, noting uncertainty about the source of the proposal.

Why it matters: A mandatory herd‑size cap would change farm operations and could affect local dairy producers’ business models; committee members indicated the county lacks information and requested staff follow up.

No statutory citations, formal motions or votes were recorded during the discussion. Staff committed to obtain more authoritative information and report back to the committee.