Regional Roundtables
Agricultural Economic Development
Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow:
A
Region Rooted in the Economic Viability of Agriculture and Agribusiness
Agenda
Friday, November 14, 2003
1 pm - 4 pm
Genesee River Hotel & Conference Center
Mount
Morris, NY
1:00 – Overview Presentation
Why is agriculture/agri-business so important to the economic vitality of the region? Why should community stakeholders seek to better understand the importance of agriculture/agri-business? What can those in the industry do to help those who are in a position to advocate for agriculture/agri-business?
Participants with various backgrounds are encouraged to discuss these questions and other related questions in the roundtable format. The economic strength of agriculture/agri-business will be examined in terms of the connection between land use, job creation/retention, goods and people movement, tourism, future technology, development and refinement, historic preservation and environmental health.
1:10
– Review of Roundtable Rules
1:15
– Introductions
Please
be sure to provide us with your contact information on our sign in sheet
1:25 – 3:30 Discussion
3:30 – 3:45 Where Can We Go From Here?
3:45-
4:00 Wrap Up & Next Steps
~Considerations
for Today’s Discussion~
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What are the similarities and dissimilarities between agriculture, agribusiness and economic development?
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Considering both job creation and income enhancement, what power does agriculture have to improve the economy, both locally and regionally?
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Are farmers adequately represented where and when economic development issues are being discussed and planned?
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Do farmers in Western and Central New York feel that short and long term trends in agriculture provide an incentive for continued investment in agricultural activities?
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What is the effect of the family farm to corporate farm trend?
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What are the current and future market trends for the goods currently being produced?
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How can direct marketing efforts be used more effectively?
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What barriers exist that prevent farmers from selling directly to consumers?
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Are farmers adequately reacting to consumer demand?
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What emerging markets, if any, have farmers (locally, regionally, nationally) found to be profitable in recent years?
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Can the development of such markets foster an economic renaissance among Upstate agribusinesses?
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Are Upstate farmers being provided with adequate support from state and federal agencies in order to develop a leading edge in new areas of production and consumer demand?
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Do Upstate farmers perceive the rising cost of doing business (energy costs, taxes, labor, distribution, etc.) as a burden to economic growth or an opportunity for new investments?
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What is the economic effect of regulation?
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There have been a number of initiatives among public, private and not-for-profit entities to preserve farmland. How should such efforts be perceived, considering the continual decline in farm profitability and the number of farmers in general in NYS? Are these efforts misguided (especially if farmers are able to sell to developers for a profit and get out)?
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What is gained and what is lost when farm owners attempt to exit the industry in search of more profitable enterprises or retirement?
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Do Western and Central NY residents recognize the link between agriculture preservation and economic and community development?
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Do increases in agricultural productivity brought about by the Green Revolution and new technologies minimize the need for farmland preservation?
Meeting Notes
In attendance:
Paul Agan, Norbert Amberg, Louis Apend, John Bell, Greg Chamberlain, Selden P. Chase, Scott Collins, Amy D’Angelo, James Duval, Rocky R. Ellsworth, Susan Erdle, John Ferrante, David Frohlich, Wm. Joseph Graham, Jeff Hagadorn, Elmer Heimer, David Henry, Chris Hoback, Anne Humphrey, Havilah Ireland, Nora Keane-Yancy, William Keberle, Robert King, Neil E. Kingdon, Amanda Krenning, Esther Leadley, Paul R. List, Pam Madziarz, LuAnne McKenzie, Tom Nally, Brian Napoli, Clinton J. Northington, Ros Parks, John Sackett, Chip Sahler, Carl Schoenthal, Mark Schuster, Peter C. Shuster, Gene Sinclair, Thomas Sloglund, W. Jerome Smith, David Thorp, Lindsay Wickham, Bill Young
Facilitators:
Brian Slack, David Zorn
Meeting Notes:
After a brief presentation on land use and agribusiness in New York State, Brian Slack began the roundtable discussion by soliciting responses to the following question: Why is agriculture/agri-business so important to the economic vitality of the region? The following responses were given by roundtable participants:
- Preservation of open space
- Eating [fresh/diverse produce]
- Jobs
- Landscape [preservation]
- [Decreases] cost of community services
- Good start to employment
- [An overall improvement] to quality of life within the region
- History/tradition adds to the character of the region, thereby improving toursim market
- Self-sufficiency, making the region less vulnerable to outside threats such as imports
[unstable global markets]
- Multiplier Effect=the “ripple effect” of purchases and expenditures within agribusiness
can be felt throughout a wide variety of employment and industrial/service sectors
(e.g. equipment sales, processing, storage, veterinary, feed stores, exports, etc.)
- Safety/security in the post-9/11 world
- Wildlife preservation
- Natural Resource Preservation—Agriculture is an industry suited to natural resources
- Wide variety of products made available to the consumer, such as fresh/
reasonably-priced food
- Lumber/wood products
- Capable of receiving and recycling waste products from other industries (paper for
cow bedding, food wastes for livestock feed, etc.)
- Excess manure can be transformed into electricity through new technologies
(methane digesters, etc.)
- Equine industry—horse storage
- Lower Population Density
- Recreation
- Education—community awareness; people are losing their connection to nature
and have a vague understanding of natural processes (at best)
The focus of the discussion then moved toward the concerns that individuals have regarding agribusiness in the region:
- The ‘farming class’ has been steadily decreasing as each generation reaches
retirement; this phenomenon, in turn, is threatening the maintenance of an adequate
“critical mass” of farmers in the region
- The usage and popularity of trails has been increasing; in some instances, this is
putting farm owners under undue stress which is caused by 1) conflicting
uses/conflicting user groups; 2) liability/cost of liability insurance; 3) certain uses
and/or users are having a negative impact on the land and its resources (crops
[theft/damage], water, wildlife).
- Cornell Cooperative Extension support to farmers has either been decreasing or
has been ineffective
- A stronger/focused state-wide plan for agricultural economic development might
make the industry less vulnerable to competition
- Education and outreach efforts are not reaching the farmers that are in need of
and can truly benefit from such efforts
- There may very well be an oversupply of land that is devoted to agriculture, especially
considering that more can be produced on less acreage
- Economic Concerns: the ‘middle men’ in ag. and food delivery are the only ones that
are truly profiting; consumer demand has deflated prices to an artificially low level
- “Making vs. Borrowing Funds”: Individuals (both farmers and non-farmers) are given a
distorted perception of the financial circumstances experienced among farmers; this in
part can be attributed to farmers incurring significant levels of debt in order to purchase
non-essential items;
- Family Farms vs. “Corporate” Farms: family farms cannot exist unless they are able to
successfully sell directly to consumers
- Agriculture development efforts are not always focused in the right areas (e.g. market
areas, geographic areas) or to the right individuals (smaller farms)
- Family farms are steadily decreasing in number because 1) it makes little sense for young
people to take on the enormous economic risks associated with running an agricultural
operation 2) especially when considering the affordability of college/technical degrees
that young people enjoy today
- Farming as an industry cannot compete with other industries when you consider
average earnings, work hours and investment of personal time and energy, etc.
- “We can’t put the genie back into the bottle” Large-scale market trends in industry
and labor cannot be turned back or ignored; the global economy is forcing many
families to leave farming, and there’s little that can be done about it
- Municipalities have either a poorly-drafted comprehensive plan or lack one entirely,
allowing for the rapid conversion of prime agricultural lands for other uses
- These uses are often incompatible (a C.A.F.O. and a residential community do not
make good neighbors)
- The Purchasing of Development Rights (PDRs) can be too expensive to implement on
an effective scale by municipalities
- Regarding improving access to markets for farmers:
Community farm markets can be difficult to organize and operate without the
support of municipal administrators and appropriate locations
§ Selecting permanent locations for farmer’s markets has worked
elsewhere
Local zoning regulations can hinder the feasibility of having farm markets
§ Set backs, parking, etc.
Participants were asked to discuss ways in which community stakeholders can be more actively engaged regarding the concerns among those in agribusiness and the importance of agribusiness to the region:
- Education: Public schools should put greater emphasis on bringing students to farms,
illustrating the importance of farming to their community and region, help them
understand the methods of production and show them opportunities offered in
farming-related industries
- Illustrate the fundamental push/pull connection between agriculture and urban sprawl
- As long as farming is not economically effective, there’s little that can be done
- Limit the number of imports; at least level the playing field by imposing the same
standards on importers that US farmers are required to meet
o Encourage the consumption of locally-produced products through labels
- In this regard, the basic consumption model (consumers will attempt to maximize
personal utility by buying the highest quality for the lowest price) will in most cases
support exports, not locally grown products. How can we change this?
- There’s no forum (or not enough) to productively communicate and debate many of
these issues: Improve the channels of communication between the public at large
and various stakeholders
- Increase funding/support for local CCE offices
In the final portion of the discussion, participants were asked to focus on potential solutions to some of the issues that had been raised throughout the discussion; participants were also asked to consider solutions within the context of moving steadfastly into the future:
- Tax considerations: Relief and abatement programs that are enjoyed by the industrial
sector should be devised and made available for farmers
- Our locally-elected representatives should pay more attention to the concerns of
farmers and, more importantly, communicate those concerns to higher levels of
government
- More outreach initiatives to show farmers how they can make their operations more
profitable
- Farming career fairs
- More education regarding farming for K-12
- A governor that more actively advertises and promotes NY grown produce
- Update local comprehensive plans—the “cookie cutter” approach to planning and
comp. plans is completely ineffective
- More actively promote the positive aspects of farming: open space, tourism,
quality of life
- State Growth Management Plan
- Municipalities should more effectively use the tools that are available to them, such as
o PDRs
§ Maybe a PDR system could be developed that removes the permanence aspect from it; this might make farm owners more open to the idea
§ PDR funding could exist through a mortgage transfer tax
o Infrastructure: limiting where sewer and water goes
o Supporting Cluster Zoning/Developing and Implementing Conservation Subdivision Design Practices
- Emerging Markets
o What are we talking about when we discuss emerging markets vs added value?
§ Emerging markets refers to new, as-of-yet untapped markets brought about by changes in consumer demands/preferences or larger market trends. Examples of emerging markets may include organic agriculture, biomass fuel production and ethanol production; incidentally, each of these also represents an added value investment…
§ Added Value/Value-Added refers to the process of increasing the profitability and yield of an investment in terms of both monetary value and non-monetary value. Organic agriculture, for example, may be a new market that can increase profits for farmers (monetary) and may also improve the local and regional environment as a result of introducing fewer harmful chemicals (non-monetary)
- More farmers should be represented on town boards, ZBAs, planning boards, etc.
- Label foods; “CoOL” or “Country of Origin Labels” as a step in the right direction…
tie this into a state label program
In Closing
G/FLRPC will continue to incorporate the concerns and ideas expressed by the participants of today’s roundtable discussion into its work plan.
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Last Modified: May 01, 2007