Senator Nozzolio Named to New York Farm Bureau’s “Circle of Friends” for 2012

In recognition of his continued efforts to help New York State farmers grow and create jobs, State Senator Mike Nozzolio has once again 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.”

Senator Nozzolio has been named to the “Circle of Friends” by the Farm Bureau each year since he was elected to the State Senate for his long-standing support of New York State agriculture. This year he helped secure funding for the Finger Lakes Community College to construct a new state-of-the-art Viticulture Center at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. The funding will expand FLCC’s innovative Viticulture and Wine Technology program, which is critically important to the Finger Lakes Region’s continued emergence as one of the premier winemaking areas of the Country. In the past he led the fight in defeating the New York City-driven Farm Labor Bill, which would have devastated Upstate farmers with the most repressive and costly labor mandates in the entire country. 

Earlier this year, Senator Nozzolio fought to enact legislation known as the “Buy From the Backyard Act” (S.2468), which would require State agencies with food contracts to purchase at least 20 percent of their food from growers and producers here in New York. He also worked to adopt legislation that was signed into State law (S.7727A) creating a “Farm Brewery” license, which would provide opportunities for local breweries to expand and prosper. 

“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.”