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Lawmakers highlight farm investments, warn of federal cuts to Climate Smart Commodities and Nourish New York
Summary
Assembly and Senate members emphasized agricultural investments — including meat processing grants, hemp processing, Farm to School expansion and farmworker housing — and raised concerns about federal funding losses to Climate Smart Commodities and Farm to School programs.
Legislators on the Senate and Assembly environmental and agriculture committees said agriculture funding will be a priority in the 2025 budget talks, and several members urged state action to blunt recent federal funding losses.
"This year marks now the fifth year that we are significantly investing in agriculture in our budget," said Senator Michelle Hinchey, who highlighted expansions to Farm to School, universal school meals, meat processing grants and support for hemp processing.
Assembly Member Donna Lupardo, chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, told colleagues the federal cutbacks will hit key programs. "We've already been notified of a loss of $60,000,000 to a program called Climate Smart Commodities. Of that $24,000,000 went to our soil health program," she said. Lupardo also said the state has lost $36,000,000 to the Farm to School and Food Bank program and that the Assembly increased funding for its Nourish New York program to help make up some of the shortfall.
Lawmakers named additional priorities including capital investments in farmers' markets, grants to expand regional meat processing capacity, and measures to make farmworker housing easier to build and access. Senator Hinchey said expanding hemp processing could support new markets and sustainability goals because hemp products can be more biodegradable and act as a carbon sink.
Speakers framed these investments as measures to strengthen supply chains, increase local food procurement for schools, and protect farm economies that lawmakers said face rising costs and regulatory changes.
