Food and Farms
COVID Vaccine Pop-up Sites Come To New York Farms
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Some farm workers are hesitant to get the vaccine because they are wary of interacting with the government.
Food and Farms
New York Restaurants And Bars Seek Extended Alcohol To-Go Rule
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Restaurants, financially devastated by months-long indoor dining bans to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, say the rule helped some of them turn enough profit to keep from closing.
Relief Act Means ‘A Good Night’s Sleep’ For Food Industry, Says New York Restaurateur
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Chef Amanda Cohen, owner of Dirt Candy in New York City, says the coronavirus relief package’s $28.6 billion for independent and small-chain restaurants means many in the industry can stay afloat.
covid
After Months Of Waiting, PA Grocery Worker Celebrates Her Vaccination
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The 1B group, estimated at just under one million people, includes postal workers, manufacturing laborers, and others considered essential workers who risk contracting the virus at their job.
Food and Farms
PA Restaurants Expand Service While Grappling With COVID-19 Case Increase
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Looser restrictions are complicated by a rise in cases fueled in part by more infectious variants.
App NEWS
NYS Legislature Votes To Legalize Marijuana
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An estimated $350 million in annual revenue is expected from the 13 percent sales tax on the drug, with 40 percent of the revenue going to a community reinvestment fund.
App NEWS
Vote To Legalize Cannabis In New York Could Come Tuesday
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By late 2022, adults in the state would be able to buy cannabis in retail stores, and could also sample the drug in tasting rooms.
As Planting Season Nears, Farm Workers Want Vaccines Now
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Hundreds of migrant workers have already started coming to the region for seasonal farm jobs. As they work in fields, barns and greenhouses, there is a chance of spreading the coronavirus.
Economy
Advocates, Opponents Skeptical Of Governor’s Marijuana Plan
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“What we’ve seen in other states like Colorado — less taxes and lower barrier to entry — means more revenue. More revenue means more money for community reinvestment.”
App NEWS
PA Bars And Restaurants Can Apply For New State Grants Starting This Month
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Restaurant and bar owners have pressured state lawmakers for months to give their struggling businesses more help.
Food Pantry Workers Welcome New York’s Extension Of Their Vaccine Eligibility
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“It will help protect our most vulnerable clients who rely on the staff and volunteers to provide them with nutritious food and critical services.”
Food and Farms
Pandemic Creates ‘Perfect storm’ For Eating Disorders, But Treatment Could Be Hours Away
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Some adolescents with eating disorders require an extended stay in a residential treatment program where they and their families learn how to manage their daily meals and lives.
anna kelles
Legislature, Cuomo, Still Far Apart On Marijuana Legalization
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Legislative Democrats’ qualms don’t stop at the social equity funding, there are additional concerns as well with the taxation structure, criminal penalties and oversight of the Governor’s proposed Office of Cannabis Management.
As They Merge, Tops And Price Chopper To Retain Their Identities
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“We’re both happy with what we do and none of that will change. And there’ll be no attempt to close any stores.”
App NEWS
Binghamton Pantry Expands Outreach Amid Winter Obstacles
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“Transportation’s a huge problem for them to get here. The winter’s been harder.”
App NEWS
Hemp Farmers Prepare for Lawsuit Against Cuomo Administration
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Hemp farmers are laying the groundwork for a lawsuit against New York in response to proposed state regulations that would prohibit the sale of hemp flower.
Economy
Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets Merging
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Officials with the two companies say it will nearly double their collective footprint in the Northeast.
App NEWS
Analysis Finds Southern Tier Food Insecurity Grew Nearly 5% In 2020
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According to Feeding America, 50 million people nationally may experience food insecurity because of COVID-19.
App NEWS
Senate Republicans Propose COVID-19 Relief Package for New York Restaurants
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“The state needs to step up and help us ensure that this industry is able to continue on and prosper. It is the lifeblood of New York state.”
Democrats, Unions Seek Workplace Protections Against Infectious Diseases through NY HERO Act
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“We saw in the first big wave here in New York that the people who bore the brunt, the sacrifice and health problems, were the people who had to go to work.”
App NEWS
Grocery Store Opens In Longtime Binghamton Food Desert
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“The opening of Greater Good Grocery ends a 25-year void that left thousands of North Side residents struggling to access healthy, affordable food for their families.”
App NEWS
Food Pantries Worry About Getting Food To Clients After Winter Storm
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“Over 85 families are depending on this food for their Christmas dinners, so we are very concerned about being able to get the plowing done.”
Food and Farms
Indoor Dining Banned In NYC, But Cuomo Adds Home Gatherings Are The Biggest Virus Spreaders
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Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled details of what he calls the “winter plan” for limiting the spread of COVID-19 in New York State.
Food and Farms
Amid COVID-19 Resurgence, PA Governor Halts Indoor Dining And Limits Gatherings
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The new public health measures come as COVID-19 cases near all-time highs and hospital intensive care units are nearing capacity.
Environment
New York State Moves To Halt The Migration Of Lanternflies
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Possessing a voracious appetite, the biggest concerns with the spotted lanternfly are their impacts on fruit trees, maples, and especially on vineyards.
Food and Farms
New York Restaurants Say Governor’s New Rules Will Permanently Close More Doors
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Restaurant owners are finding Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new criteria difficult to decipher, and worry it will mean more eateries will soon be out of business.
App NEWS
Gillibrand Floats $6 Billion Increase For Federal Food Assistance Program
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“Increasing access to food has not been a bipartisan goal. And it’s really troubling, because the need is so great. And obviously it’s not about whether you’re a Democrat or Republican when you’re hungry.”
Food and Farms
New York’s Democrats Gain Supermajority In State Senate
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“New Yorkers have not only chosen to return to a Democratic Majority, but they’ve chosen to return a super majority.”
COVID-19
Business Owner Worries About Impact Of Another Shutdown
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“So yeah, we hope by the time this ends we’ll still have some money in the bank and we‘ll still be viable.”
App NEWS
Broome Executive Doubts State’s New Gathering Rules Are Enforceable
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“I think that’s something that we should all work to follow because that just makes good public health sense, but I think that’s one that would be very, very hard to enforce.”
App NEWS
PA Governor Begins Enforcement Of New Restaurant Dine-In Rules
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“Restaurant self-certification is just one tool in the toolbox we can use to increase customer competence, protect ourselves, and grow our businesses.”
Food and Farms
Hemp Growers Call On Governor To Release State Regulations Before Harvest
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“We cannot continue operating our businesses in New York without a clear regulatory framework, while competing with out of state products being shipped in the state.”
Food and Farms
‘Truly Outrageous’: Trump Administration Rejects PA Plea For Extra Food Benefits
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The Pa. Department Human Services had been planning to distribute $42 million to the parents of about 330,000 kids later this month, but learned recently that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had rejected their plan.
Food and Farms
Indoor Dining Can Resume in New York City on Sept. 30, Cuomo Says
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Thousands of restaurants in the five boroughs have three weeks to prepare their establishments to comply with the state’s guidance for reopening.
Economy
New York Farms Prepare For Fall Activities With New Precautions
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“We’ve been planning this all for a while, so the regulations were about what we thought they were gonna be.”
Food and Farms
Wegmans Responds To Concerns From Animal Activists Over Coconut Harvest
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Thai officials have disputed the claims about how prevalent the situation is with monkeys being used to harvest coconuts.
State Senate Republicans, Farm Owners Urge Farm Labor Board Not To Lower Overtime Threshold
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“Our most urgent responsibility right now is to prevent further damage by delaying any decision on the 60-hour threshold until 2024.”
ag department
Officials: USDA Hemp Regulations Are Onerous
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“We really are asking our farmers to be patient as we try to work this out with the federal government.”
To Stay In Business, New York City Restaurants Spill Out Onto The Asphalt
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Many of New York’s streets have come alive with fenced-in dining areas with tables and umbrellas and decorated with flower boxes and hanging plants.
Economy
How A Black-Owned Farm In Windsor Is Building Generational Wealth
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“We’re promoting the message of black is beautiful and black excellence and being able to pass this down to generations to come.”
Food and Farms
New York Farm Bureau: ‘No Farm Untouched By Pandemic’
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65% of farmers in New York state say their business has been negatively or very negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Food and Farms
New York Wineries Adjust to Cuomo’s New Alcohol Rules
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“This isn’t a small or large winery thing. It’s adding an expense, and expenses are high.”
App NEWS
To Curb COVID- 19, Cuomo Imposes New Restrictions, Penalties On Bars And Restaurants
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“New Yorkers are outraged at these establishments, we’re getting thousands of complaints, pictures, videos. This is a question of public health.”
Inside Seating? A Harlem Bar Owner Navigates COVID-19’s Changing Rules
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67 Orange Street makes do with take-out and outdoor service while waiting for a decision on inside dining in NYC.
App NEWS
With COVID Compliance Slipping, Cuomo Postpones Indoor Dining In New York City
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Cuomo blames local governments, who are supposed to enforce rules at restaurants, bars, stores and other public places.
Economy
New York State Disburses Additional Food Aid For 4th Straight Month
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Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will be getting more money than usual to help with groceries this month.
App NEWS
Advocates For Binghamton Northside Grocery Store Hope New Funds Ensure Long-Term Viability
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“Not being a chain gives us the opportunity to really listen to the community, put in the grocery store what they want in the grocery store.”
Food and Farms
Caravans Gather Across New York To Support Undocumented, Essential Workers
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“We’re asking for access to child care for food chain workers, financial relief for undocumented workers and health and safety regulations for all workers on the job, especially farmworkers.”
In New York City, 2 Million Residents Face Food Insecurity, Officials Say
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“Before the coronavirus, we thought somewhere around a million people were food insecure and needed food,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Now, 1 in 4 New Yorkers may be going hungry.
Food and Farms
Food Bank Of CNY Hosts Large Food Giveaway At State Fairgrounds
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“A typical month for us pre-COVID would be 1.4-1.5 million pounds per month range. And now in April we are in the two million pound range.”
App NEWS
What Does The Future Of Restaurants Look Like As PA Eases Guidelines?
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The repercussions have been devastating. Nearly 1,000 out of 26,000 restaurants operating in the state have permanently closed due to coronavirus.
Food and Farms
In The Age Of COVID-19, Farmers Markets Are All Business
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“A good farmers market is like a weekly fair or festival. People are wanting that back, but it won’t be the same.”
App NEWS
139 Coronavirus Cases At Upstate Farm; Health Officials Say More Cases Likely
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State health officials started testing nearly 200 seasonal workers at the giant hydroponic greenhouse last weekend because of concerns it might be a COVID hotspot.
App NEWS
Pandemic’s Economic Shutdown Continues To Plague New York Farmers
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Farmers argue that if we keep breaking the food chain, there will be a lot of farms that aren’t going to survive this.
Antonio Delgado
Federal, State Programs Available For Farmers In Need
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“Folks who deal in dairy and specialty crops will be provided meaningful support when it comes to price losses.”
Food and Farms
Farmers Can Now Apply For COVID-19 Disaster Assistance Through SBA
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“Our farmers, who are now eligible for the economic injury disaster loan, had been told that while they’re eligible in name only, they’re not eligible in practice.”
App NEWS
Supermarkets Temporarily Limit Some Meat Purchases
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The coronavirus pandemic has also closed some meatpacking plants, although PresidentTrump last week ordered large meat processors remain open.
Cortland Groups Plan Drive-Thru Dairy Giveaway
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“The plan is for us to continue to get dairy into the county through the food pantries and other food programs as long as the donations keep flowing.”
App NEWS
PA Governor Talks Food Supply, Meat Processing With AG Secretary
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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is sending a message about the food supply: there’s plenty of food and the state is adjusting to get it to people.
Finger Lakes Cheesemaker Buys Excess Milk, Donates Dairy Products To Food Banks
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“That’s awful, awful, heart breaking when you watch your milk go down the drain when it’s a perfectly good, sellable product,”
Food and Farms
New York State Will Coordinate New Markets For Dairy Farmers
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“It’s very frustrating. We have excess milk but we can’t get it to people who are in need at this time.”
Featured in Category
Farmers Have Too Much Food to Sell. New York Might Buy It
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The New York Farm Bureau has asked the state, in recent days, to ramp up testing for COVID-19 in rural areas of the state, particularly at farms.
Southern Tier Food Bank Doubles Delivery Due To COVID-19
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As need has increased, donations have decreased.
agriculture
Warmer, Wetter Weather Will Bring More Chicken Farms To Pennsylvania, Report Says
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DEP’s Climate Change Impact Assessment report focuses on livestock and watershed
Food and Farms
Small Farms And Markets Rethink How To Get Local Food To Customers
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“One of the questions about markets is, will we be able to provide enough…safety measures for people to feel comfortable in those spaces?”
App NEWS
Essential Yet Marginalized, Migrant Farmworkers Face Healthcare Insecurities
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As essential workers, migrant farm laborers are continuing operations. However, they are also one of the most vulnerable populations if exposed to the virus.
COVID-19 Adds Another Uncertainty To New York’s Spring Growing Season
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Farmer Dennis Brawdy said this year is stranger than most because major customers are closed.
Food and Farms
New York Farm Bureau Hopeful USDA Emergency Aid Will Provide Relief For Farmers
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“It’s an important support to make sure we have a viable food system and that farmers can still farm.”
Coronavirus Fears Prompt Suspensions Of Bans On Single-Use Plastic Bags
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Manufacturers, lawmakers and grocery store workers say the reusable bags could transmit the virus, but according to scientists there aren’t enough studies to know whether that’s true.
App NEWS
Dairy Industry Upended By COVID-19
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“Right now, we are dumping on average one trailer load a day.”
Food and Farms
How Safe Is Take-Out In A COVID-19 World?
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“So where everything would be wiped down, now it’s probably just ten times as much”
Food and Farms
Wegmans Provides Face Masks To Employees
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Wegmans will be supplying face masks to its employees in line with federal guidelines designed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Food and Farms
With More Families In Need, Orders Increase At Food Bank
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“These past few weeks have been pretty heavy with orders and agencies trying to get their pantries restocked as they’re seeing more people come to them for help.”
Economy
Local Distilleries Use Facilities To Make Hand Sanitizer
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“Our goal here is to not become, you know, wealthy off of a tragedy.”
App NEWS
CHOW Deliveries Provided To People In Quarantine
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There’s also home-delivery where food pantries have closed.
Amid COVID-19, Ithaca City School District Delivers Meals By School Bus
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“They may not be getting a meal at home, that’s heartbreaking.”
Food and Farms
PA Officials To Farmers: “We Need Local Agriculture Now More Than Ever.”
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“Agriculture’s role is unquestionable: access to food is a right; we need local agriculture now more than ever.”
App NEWS
Tompkins County Declares State of Emergency, Closes Schools Over COVID-19
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As of Friday night, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins, but several are in isolation.
Featured in Category
Food CO-OP Calls New York’s Upcoming Plastic Bag Ban No Big Deal
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“We’re lucky that over half of our shoppers are already using reusable bags. We sell dozens of different kinds. It’s kind of a normal thing here.”
‘Gives Me Hope’: How New York Workers Rose Up Against Stagnant Wages
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When some fast-food workers in New York went on strike one morning in 2012, they had no idea it was the beginning of an unusual movement that would propel an economic revolution.
Economy
Study Shows New York Wineries Have A Major Economic Impact
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The study found the wine and grape industry in New York directly creates 71,950 jobs, generating $2.79 billion in wages and $6.65 billion in direct economic impact.
binghamton
Wegmans’ Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Begins
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The grocery chain is getting an early start on the state-wide ban, which begins in March.
App NEWS
New York State Fair Expands To 18 Days This Summer
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There will be new features. Organizers envision sensory friendly days. They may program a health care worker or school employee day.
App NEWS
New Food Stamp Rule Could Increase Demand On Local Food Pantries
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“Many of them are already accessing the emergency food network, so they’re turning to their local food pantry or soup kitchen just to make ends meet.”
Food and Farms
Some PA Farmers Have Trouble Budgeting Money From New State Grant
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Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary says several grant recipients were taken by surprise that they had to pay contracted workers prevailing wages.
Food and Farms
Butter Gritty (And Friends) Take The PA Farm Show
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“There were skeptics who didn’t think that Butter Gritty would ever come. But today is triumphant.”
Farm Groups Sue To Clarify Language In New York’s Revised Labor Law
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Farm workers would be entitled to overtime pay, a guaranteed rest day each week, disability and Paid Family Leave coverage, unemployment benefits and the right to collective bargaining.
agriculture
Seneca Nation Enters The Hemp Industry
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It’s going to be open for our people to apply and try their hand at it. Whether that means they’re putting it in the ground or they’re growing it indoors, we’ll definitely help facilitate that and we’ll see where it goes,”
Anthony Brindisi
Upstate Representatives Praise USMCA
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The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, clearing a major hurdle towards approving a new North American trade deal. The bill now heads to the Senate where it’s likely to be taken up in the new year.
App NEWS
Broome County To Decide On Canopy Growth Tax Exemption
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The industrial hemp company would save $1.7 million over the next 15 years.
Andrew Cuomo
NY Governor Signs Lupardo-Backed Hemp Bill
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The measure creates regulatory standards for hemp products.
App NEWS
Thousands Could Lose Food Stamp Benefits In New York
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Benefits would be cut to roughly 688,000 recipients nationwide, and food advocates say benefits for thousands of New Yorkers would also be in jeopardy.
App NEWS
PA Officials Concerned Over Trump Administration’s Planned Cuts To Food Stamps
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The proposed changes would slash federal food assistance to low-income families by $4.5 billion over five years.
App NEWS
Public Comment Period Closing On Proposed Changes To Food Stamps
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According to Feeding America, the proposal stands to save the government $4.5 billion and would impact 7-million Americans.
Congress To Consider Bill That May Help New York Dairy Workers
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The new bill will allow visas for year-round workers and it provides a path to legal status for current farm workers already in the U.S.
Food and Farms
‘It’s Just Baffling: Apple Growers Face An Unknown Threat That’s Killing Trees
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“You have a beautiful crop on, especially August-September. And then, all of a sudden, you’d come back a week later, and it would be dead.”
PA Vineyards Facing An Insect Invasion May Turn To Aliens For Help
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A stowaway from China, the spotted lanternfly, is eating its way across Pennsylvania, killing trees and grapevines. Scientists are considering importing the bug’s natural enemies from back home.
App NEWS
Cornell’s Dairy Barn Offers A Look At The Modern Dairy Farm
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These cows don’t go out on pastures. That’s becoming more common, unless the farm is certified organic.
App NEWS
Mitrano Re-Launches Congressional Campaign In Corning
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Mitrano first announced her intent to again challenge Reed shortly after her defeat in the 2018 mid-term elections.
App NEWS
What Happens to All That Butter?
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This year’s 800-ound butter sculpture depicts a grandfather and child dunking cookies, and a young couple sharing a milkshake.
Antonio Delgado
President Signs Delgado-Sponsored Farm Relief Bill
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Farmers gain breathing room during tough financial times.
agricultural equipment
After Incinerator Project Failed, Romulus Looks At New Options On Seneca Army Depot
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The town has to wait for the completion of state environmental review before it can move forward.
Arts & Culture
2019 New York State Fair Open For Business
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The New York State Fair opens its gates for a 13-day run today, with more than a million visitors expected to descend on the Syracuse fairgrounds.
Economy
Hemp Farmers Struggle With Rejection From Banks, Social Media Ads
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“It was really difficult because when you’re trying to run a business and you can’t have a bank account, it doesn’t really work.”
Finger Lakes Hosts Nation’s First Hemp Seed Bank
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U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently announced that the project will get $500,000 of federal funding. The new seed bank will be located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
Finger Lakes Farms Offer A Variety Of Public Tours This Weekend
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Residents and visitors to the Finger Lakes have the opportunity this weekend to visit working farms.
Environment
Senator Says USDA Wrongly Halted Research Into Honeybees
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“At this time, when our bees are dying off, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a very quiet but very dumb thing. They’ve stopped collecting critical scientific data on honeybees.”
App NEWS
Cortland County Dairy Farm Receives Environmental Award
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Whey Street Dairy received the 2019 State Agricultural Environmental Management Award.
App NEWS
Basil Recall Prompted By Food Borne Parasite
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The New York state health department said 69 cases of cyclosporiasis have been identified in people who ate at restaurants or attended events in the capital region, but local authorities warned people across the state to be careful.
App NEWS
Governor Says SNAP Restriction Could Impact 200,000 Pennsylvanians
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Democratic state lawmakers are criticizing the Trump Administration over its proposed plan to restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for certain people.
PA Drinkers Try Out A Hard Coffee Brewed By Pabst
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Americans are buying less beer from big breweries, so companies are getting creative to attract customers. Pabst is testing what one customer describes as a “Frappuccino” — with an alcoholic kick.
PA School District Reverses Course And Will Accept Donations To Cover Lunch Debt
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The financially struggling school district in northeast Pennsylvania that threatened foster care over unpaid lunch debt is now apologizing for dozens of letters officials sent this month to parents.
Don’t Have Your Lunch Money? This Northeast PA School District Threatens Foster Care
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Wyoming Valley West School District in Northeastern Pennsylvania sent families a letter stating that their children would be removed from their homes if unpaid cafeteria meal debt was not settled.
Food and Farms
New York Governor Signs Farmworkers Rights Bill
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Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a farmworkers’ rights bill into law Wednesday that will for the first time give the workers benefits other employees get, including time off and overtime pay.
Food and Farms
Death Of 3-Year-Old Reveals No One Inspects New York’s Grease Traps
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Police said the boy fell through a lid on a grease trap while his mother was working at the restaurant. Grease traps collect oil and other wastes to prevent them from leaking into sewers.
App NEWS
Tompkins/Cortland Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton On 2019 Legislative Session
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ITHACA, NY (WSKG) – The 2019 New York legislative session saw the passage of a raft of legislation that has been blocked in previous years. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton spoke with WSKG’s Celia Clarke in the Ithaca studio. She represents Tompkins County and part of Cortland County in the state Assembly. Lifton spoke about the new farm labor rights, legalization of electrically-assisted bicycles and scooters, and why she thinks marijuana legalization is inevitable. The conversation begins with Lifton talking what she considers the most important accomplishment of the session.
Economy
Researchers Rush To Answer Questions About Newly-Legal Hemp Crops
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HARRISBURG, PA (WITF) – Alyssa Collins said she has been fielding around five phone calls every day from people with questions about hemp–and that’s not even counting the emails. Collins directs Penn State’s Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Lancaster County, where researchers are part of a multi-state, USDA-supported study into different varieties of hemp that can be used for food and fiber. Pennsylvania approved more than 300 permits to farm industrial hemp this growing season, after Congress loosened restrictions on the crop last year. Hemp was long banned because of its relationship to marijuana, but it does not have enough of the psychoactive compound THC to produce a high. So now, researchers like Collins are trying to clear up uncertainties about the crop.
Using Food Stamps For Online Grocery Shopping Gets Easier In New York
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Walmart is expanding a program for food stamp recipients to buy groceries online and pick them up in stores. It’s the latest move to give them more options in the era of online shopping.
App NEWS
Schuyler County Warns Of Hepatitis A At Local Restaurant
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Schuyler County health officials say people who dined at the Seneca Harbor Station restaurant in Watkins Glen this month may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.
agriculture
New York Legislature And Governor Agree To New Protections For Farm Workers
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Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, a Republican from Western New York, comes from a long line of farmers. He predicts the new requirements will be too onerous and that farms will close.
Food and Farms
PA Congressmen Bring Their Milk Crusade To State Capitol
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“If you look at the decline in milk consumption in our schools over the past nine years as a result of that misguided legislation, it actually tracks with the financial decline within the dairy industry.”
App NEWS
SUNY Conference Addresses College Student Hunger
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“They’re used to access to food from school. And then, of course, when you get to college — especially when you live on a campus — you’re expected to pay for those meals.”
Food and Farms
Farmers Open To Compromise On Farm Worker Rights
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Some New York farmers say they’re open to compromise on legislation designed to help farm workers.
antibiotic free beef
Tompkins County Schools Sign Contracts With Farmers Who Use Fewer Antibiotics
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“Our improvements in management which includes feeding and housing and veterinary care, disease control…we’ve been able to control infectious diseases to a greater extent than ever before.”
Cannabis
World’s Weed Industry Converges On New York
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Thousands of visitors converged on the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this week for the sixth annual Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo.
Food and Farms
Workers Center Of Central New York Wins Lawsuit Allowing Farm Workers To Organize
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“To all the workers – this is a tool for you that you can use this to have a voice, to improve your working conditions, to fight against wage theft, bad housing, discrimination in the workplace. This is something you can use to change that.”
Anthony Brindisi
Brindisi Weighs In On Farm Workers Rights
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Democratic Congressman Anthony Brindisi (NY-22) was back in his district this week, in part to discuss farm issues.
agriculture
Upstate Hosts Ag Secretary; Pushed For Immigration, North American Trade Deals
|
“China (has) used the American consumer and producer for many years by creating barriers to letting our products in their country, while they want to overwhelm us with their products.”
Anthony Brindisi
Ag Secretary Visit Allows Congressman To Highlight Damage Done By Farm Tariffs
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is touring upstate New York on Wednesday.
Economy
Tompkins Solar Farm Stays Mowed Thanks To Sheep
|
There’s a new solar project in Tompkins County that has farmers and solar companies helping each other.
Andrew Cuomo
Palmesano Pushes Back On Farm Labor Bill
|
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano is pushing back against a bill that would give farm workers the same rights as all workers in the state.
agriculture
If You Spot A Swarm, Here’s What You Can Do To Help Honeybees
|
“If a beekeeper is able to take a honeybee swarm, they can care for them and manage them if they need it, instead of having these colonies kind of inhabit people’s homes.”
PA-12 Candidates Discuss Farm Deregulation Ahead Of Special Election
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Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district is full of farmland. Candidates in Tuesday’s special election discuss one issue affecting small farmers.
agriculture
Farmers Find Little Help In Trump’s New Immigration Plan
|
The New York Farm Bureau said farmers need more workers and it wants the President to consider an expansion of a visa program.
Food and Farms
PA’s Governor Derides ‘Lack Of Strategy’ In Trump’s Trade War
|
“It’s not just the tariffs. I think there’s chaos surrounding the tariffs. There’s a frustrating lack of strategy on the part of the administration.”
agriculture
How To Make Farming More Stable? The PA Senate Has Seven Ideas.
|
“One of the reasons why young people aren’t going into it (farming) is, they can’t make a dollar, can’t make a living.”
agriculture
Farmworkers’ Bill Of Rights Stands Good Chance Of Clearing New York Assembly
|
“We haven’t really prioritized them as the workforce and the backbone of the agricultural industry that they are.”
Cornell Scientists Find Natural Fungi That Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternfly
|
The spotted lanternfly eats away at the bark of trees. It’s a threat to some commercial crops that are big in New York like grapes and apples.
Ithaca Legalizes Backyard Chickens
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The ordinance would only allow for hens. No roosters! Only six per household will be allowed, a property must be at least 2,000 square feet and there are other requirements for the chickens shelter and regular inspections.
App NEWS
Wegmans App Lets Customers Scan And Bag Groceries As They Shop
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A Wegmans senior vice president says as technology has evolved to enable more self-service, customers are increasingly looking for options that save time and allow them to shop how they want.
How The Pennsylvania Dutch Turned A Rural Town Into A Snack Food Empire
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In a food landscape dominated by multinational conglomerates like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, the small town of Hanover, Pa., has produced homegrown snacks for a century and is still thriving today.
Farmworkers Can’t Get Overtime, Collectively Bargain. NYS Lawmakers Considers Changing Labor Law.
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Crispin Hernandez used to work on a North Country dairy farm. He and others workers tried to organize and were fired. Now he works for a workers’ rights group.
1.5 degrees
Binghamton Undergraduates Call For Faster Action Against Climate Change
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BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) – Some Binghamton University students are pushing Congressman Anthony Brindisi to do more to address climate change.
Liat David is 19, a sophomore at the University. At a recent forum she helped organize, she said climate change has made her re-think having children. “Do I have that right as a woman that I can have a child and be proud of the earth that I live in and say that this child is going to be living in a regenerative and sustainable future?” she said. “I can’t necessarily say that right now, which is very sad to say because that is my right as a woman to say that I can have a child if I want to, but I really feel like that was taken away from me this past generation.”
Farmers Concerned With Proposed Changes To New York Labor Law
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“Farm workers are excluded from labor laws that protect all other workers. So, do we want to level the playing field and ensure that those protections are in place?”
Too Many Eggs For One Basket! PA Chicken Farmers Scramble To Give Them Away
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Some food pantries are benefiting from home chicken keepers’ desire to keep collecting the birds as pets, which results in more eggs than they can handle. But sometimes it can be hard to find takers.
App NEWS
PA Farmer’s Fight Over Definition Of Skim Milk Proceeds In Federal Court
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To sell across state lines, dairy farmer can’t call his product skim milk unless he adds vitamins A and D.
Weill Cornell Researchers Find High Fructose Corn Syrup Feeds Colon Tumors
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“The sugar is being directly eaten by the tumor, and the tumor can use that sugar to grow.”
Uncategorized
New York Joins Other States In Federal Suit Over School Nutrition Rollbacks
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The suit, filed on behalf of six states and the District of Columbia, says the weakened federal nutrition standards for school meals are putting kids at greater risk of health problems linked to diet.
App NEWS
Is New York’s Ban On Single Use Plastic Bags Sustainable?
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By this time next year, single use plastic bags will be officially banned in New York State. But this new rule has some wondering, will we just end up with a paper bag problem?
App NEWS
Longtime New York Maple Producers Look To Next Generation To Take Over
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“My great uncle back in 1870 was the number one maple producer in New York State. He did it all by buckets.”
New York Senate Votes Unanimously To Ban Finger Lakes Trash Incinerator
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It is the latest step in efforts to block the construction of the trash incinerator in the town of Romulus.
Economy
Romulus Residents Eager For NYS Senate To Ban Finger Lakes Incinerators
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“We are really, really thrilled,” said Mary Anne Kowalski, Seneca Lake resident. “I think the fact that is impressing me most is that we’ve got bipartisan support on this bill.”
Small Farmers, Rural Homeowners File Petition, But Re-Zoning Process Continues In Town Of Ulysses
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Small farmers and rural homeowners argue they set aside too much land for preservation.
Food and Farms
NYS Agriculture & Markets Issues Advisory About A Virus Infecting Some Horses
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The virus is not a threat to humans, but people can also spread the virus from infected horses to other horses.
Landowners, Farmers Oppose Zoning Plan For Tompkins County Town
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A group of landowners and farmers are trying to stop some zoning changes designed to preserve open space in the Town of Ulysses. Some say agricultural needs haven’t been considered. The town disagrees.
Economy
Cornell Study: New York Apples Are An Even Bigger Business Than Traditionally Thought
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New York’s apple industry has about a 21 percent higher economic impact than traditional studies have found.
Featured in Category
PA Looks For New Ways To Fight Spotted Lanternfly
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Pennsylvania is looking for new ways to fight the invasive spotted lanternfly, nearly five years after it was first discovered in Berks County.
Food and Farms
Hemp Looks Like A Bright Spot For PA’s Farm Advocates
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Pennsylvania’s farming industry is changing. And the challenges—from falling dairy prices to young people leaving the industry to climate change—were front and center at a recent Agriculture Department budget hearing before a state House committee.
concord grapes
Cornell Gets $68.9 Million For Grape Genetics Research
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Cornell University has received over $68 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to build a new federal research facility for grape genetics. The site will be in Geneva, New York, home to ongoing collaborations between Cornell and the USDA.
Central New York
New York Farmers Want Immigration, Visa Reforms For Workers’ Status
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The New York Farm Bureau has announced their federal policy priorities on Wednesday. Immigration is top leading issues they want Congress to address.
Food and Farms
Farming Communities Train Residents To Spot Mental Illness
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There are about 20 people in a basement conference room at the Wyoming County Agriculture and Business Center, sipping coffee and playing an introductory name game. Today, participants will learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts and more in a course called Mental Health First Aid.
Food and Farms
Pennsylvania ‘Fake Milk’ Concerns Get A (Minor) Spotlight In DC
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Pennsylvania’s dairy industry woes are finding their way to a national stage. Milk sales are down. And in Pennsylvania and other major dairy states, the situation is getting difficult for farmers.
Food and Farms
With Backlog Affecting New York Brewers, Schumer Urges Action
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A backlog on the federal level is hurting local brewers. Sen. Chuck Schumer brought that message to Rochester’s Genesee Brewery on Monday. Schumer said brewers are heavily regulated and must file applications with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in order to release new flavors, update labels or change the size of a bottle.
Food and Farms
Advocates Want More Protections For New York Farmworkers
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Workers rights advocates are planning rallies across the state for a bill that would give farmworkers access to labor protections they don’t have.
Food and Farms
Neediest Pennsylvanians On SNAP Scrambling In Wake Of Shutdown
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Government reopened a week after the double payment. And now, nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians on food stamps have to wait until March before the next round of benefits.
VIDEO: New York Inventor Inspired By Childhood Memories Of Fungus
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As a child on a New York farm, Eben Bayer helped his dad shovel wood chips in the barn. That’s where he noticed a stretchy web of fungus that became the basis of his biodegradable packing material.
binghamton
For Struggling New York Farmers Out Of Options, FarmNet Offers Help
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For upstate counties, particularly in rural areas, the suicide rate can sometimes be double or even triple the rate of New York City counties. The upstate farming industry has been struggling in recent years, but there is help for farmers who need it.
Food and Farms
Genesee Brews Up A Hemp-Related Beverage
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The product is hemp, and it’s been getting more hype lately for various types of industrial and consumer uses.
Immigration, Shutdown Dominate Talk at Reed Town Hall
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Over the weekend, Republican congressman Tom Reed hosted a series of three town halls around his Southern Tier district. They came just after the partial federal shutdown ended.
ag department
Federal Farm Agency Reopens Temporarily
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Beginning January 26, Farm Service Agency offices across New York and Pennsylvania will reopen. Nationwide, the USDA is recalling almost 10,000 workers to help farmers affected by the partial federal shutdown.
For Pennsylvanians Who Need Assistance, The Lingering Shutdown Could Mean A Food Crisis
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Food assistance in the form of SNAP benefits came early this month owing to the shutdown. But in Pennsylvania, recipients are spending the benefits quickly, and there may be no new funds for February.
agriculture
PA Plans To Open Industrial Hemp Program To Commercial Growers
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Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Department is opening up its hemp program, pending approval from the federal government. The commonwealth has run a pilot program for industrial hemp over the past two years, but it was only open to entities growing the crop for research.
Economy
Farmers Say New York’s Lawmakers Can Help Out In A Number Of Ways
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New York’s Farm Bureau says even though the legislature is under Democratic control, the needs of farmers don’t change. The group, that represents New York farmers, has announced its legislative priorities.
Uncategorized
Despite Shutdown, SNAP Recipients To Receive February Funds
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New Yorkers who receive federal food assistance, also known SNAP, will get their February payments early. SNAP, which a federal program and part of the Agriculture Department, is caught up in the federal shutdown, but earlier this month the USDA instructed states to issue the February payments early.
Food and Farms
Industrial Hemp Could Become Common Sight In PA Once Again
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Industrial hemp used to be grown across the commonwealth and used for things like clothing, rope, and animal feed. Its popularity started to decline with the rise of cotton about 150 years ago, but the industry really suffered a setback when Congress outlawed it in the 1930s because of its similarities to marijuana.
Food and Farms
Schumer Predicts Hemp Investments Could Bring Hundreds Of Jobs To The Southern Tier
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A Canadian cannabis company could be bringing hundreds of jobs to the Southern Tier. The company is Canopy Growth; that’s the business that locally-based Constellation Brands has taken a major stake in.
food
PA Food Bank Boosts Services As Federal Workers Miss Paychecks
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The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is launching extra services for federal employees struggling during ongoing government shutdown furloughs.
binghamton
Government Shutdown Closes Taps On New Brews
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The partial federal government shutdown continues, impacting everything from airport security to national parks and food stamps. Even craft brewers are feeling the pinch.
Food and Farms
At PA Farm Show (And Beyond), Women Cut Their Own Paths Into Agriculture
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Women are finding their own, nontraditional routes into the agriculture business.
