Senator Helming Visits Ontario County Dairy Farms

HOPEWELL – Senator Pam Helming invited Senator Rob Ortt to visit two Ontario County dairy farms recently. Senator Helming is a member of the New York State Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Ortt is the ranking member of the Agriculture Committee. First, they toured Hilton Farms in the Town of Hopewell. Hilton Farms is a family-owned and -operated farm with a 600-cow dairy and 1,200 acres of corn, hay, and soybeans. Later, they toured Hemdale Farms in the Town of Seneca. Hemdale Farms’ 1,300-cow dairy uses modern robotic milking management systems, and it also contains 3,000 acres of crops to feed the herd as well as specialty crops such as cabbage.

“Agriculture is the largest industry in the Wayne-Finger Lakes region and one of the largest industries in New York State. With that in mind, Senator Ortt and I are committed to doing everything we can to help all of our farmers and especially our family farms – which make up 98 percent of farms across the state – succeed in their operations. This visit was an important opportunity to share the very real and negative impact the proposed Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act would have on local farmers, farmworkers, and agriculture. Our farmers work hard seven days a week, 365 days a year not only to produce our food and care for their animals and crops but also to create local jobs and help our local economy thrive. We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to our farmers for the outstanding work they do each and every day. Thank you to the Hilton and Hemminger families for allowing us to see their operations up close, and thank you to Senator Ortt for joining us,” Senator Helming said.