Schoharie County’s plans to jumpstart agriculture suffered a setback when the new Ag Specialist, on the job since just mid-December, resigned effective Thursday.
Members of the Agriculture Committee were blindsided by the news at Middleburgh Supervisor Wes Laraway’s first meeting as chair.
“That’s a big kick in the gut,” said Wright Supervisor Alex Luniewski after County Administrator Steve Wilson shared the update.
Supervisors went into executive session to discuss the now-vacant post.
“Essentially, we’ll be starting over again,” Mr. Wilson said.
On Mr. Laraway’s list of goals for the Ag Committee is figuring out a direction and priorities, along with getting regular updates from the Ag Specialist--once the job’s filled again.
To that, Mr. Luniewski added topics discussed at the Ag Committee’s December meeting including “green” credits, Farm to School, the Holiday Deer Hunt, and grants for farmers.
“Not having an ag person puts us back,” Mr. Luniewski said, especially when it comes to researching grants and then getting information on them out to farmers.
Cornell Cooperative Extension has hired someone to work on Farm to School and supervisors suggested bringing in that person ASAP, possibly as soon as March.
They also discussed asking SEEC and CADE for an in-person update on a shared food processing grant.
From there, discussion turned to New York State legislation that will make farm workers eligible for overtime for anything over 40 hours a week to be phased in over the next 10 years.
The limit had been 80 hours, then 60.
New York Farm Bureau has opposed the 40-hour limit, arguing it will hurt both workers who depend on the income and farmers who struggle to find help, and are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to override the decision by the Farm Workers Labor Board.
Supervisors agree with NYFB.
“Farmers are not happy, plain and simple,” Mr. Luniewski said.
“It’s hard enough to find kids who want to work. How are you going to pay overtime when you’re not even breaking even?
“I know of a couple of dairy farmers who hire help from outside the country, they come here and work 3-5 years, then go home and live like kings. Our farmers work all their lives and then end up dividing off their land to retire.”
Gilboa Supervisor Alicia Terry, who’s been a dairy farmer and relief milks for a cousin, said Governor Hochul has discussed offsetting the increase labor costs with a tax credit.
“But the problem with that is cash flow,” she said. “The margins are so small.
“Agriculture is not a 9-5 job. You pick apples, grapes, when they’re ready. You can’t tell your employees to come back next week after they’ve hit their overtime limit. Farming doesn’t work that way.”
Mr. Laraway suggested reaching out to Assemblyman Chris Tague, the ranking Minority member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture; “Until the product isn’t on the shelves, people aren’t going to care,” added Blenheim Supervisor Don Airey of the likely fallout.