Senator Nozzolio Receives “Circle of Friends” Award From New York Farm Bureau

In recognition of his efforts to help New York State farmers grow and create jobs, State Senator Mike Nozzolio has been honored by the New York Farm Bureau with its “Circle of Friends” award.  The “Circle of Friends” award acknowledges Senator Nozzolio’s active support of New York agriculture and the New York Farm Bureau.

“In the Finger Lakes region, agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Virtually every business, family and individual in our region directly or indirectly depends on agriculture, the single largest job producing enterprise in New York State,” said Senator Nozzolio. “It is an honor for me to receive this recognition from the New York Farm Bureau and I commend them for their continued advocacy on issues important to our farm families in Upstate New York.”

Earlier this year, Senator Nozzolio helped to achieve a major victory on behalf of the New York agriculture industry when the Farm Labor Bill, which would have devastated our Upstate farming industry, was rejected by the New York State Senate.  Senator Nozzolio lead the debate on the Senate floor against this legislation, which would have imposed the most repressive labor mandates in the entire country on our farmers, hitting them with devastating new costs and regulations. 

“The Farm Labor bill was a clear example of the New York City agenda that is being pushed by legislators who lack an understanding of the unique needs of the Upstate farm community,” said Senator Nozzolio. “The effects of this ill-conceived legislation would have been catastrophic to our State’s top industry. Thousands of Upstate farms would have gone bankrupt and been lost forever.   Countless jobs at local farms, orchards, processing plants and farm supply businesses would have been lost.”

Senator Nozzolio also continues to support New York State agriculture through his work with the Ag Tech Park at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, which he fought to establish. The Ag-Tech Park is a state-of-the art food laboratory that provides expert analytical testing for food safety and focuses on developing agriculture, food, and biological-based enterprises. Senator Nozzolio also worked to establish the Farm To School program to promote the purchase of homegrown products in our schools. He has also fought for State aid to assist area farmers, including apple growers, vegetable growers and wine and grape producers.

“At a time when farms are struggling, we need to do everything we can to support our Upstate farmers so that they can remain on their land and continue to feed their fellow New Yorkers,” said Senator Nozzolio. “I will continue to fight to cut taxes for our farmers, oppose intrusive regulations that make it harder for them to survive and strongly support programs that provide badly-needed relief for our State’s farms at a time when they need it most.”

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