Press Releases

Binghamton, NY – Local farmers, agriculture organizations, and nutrition advocates today thanked U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) for voting to advance the bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill to the House Floor. The 2024 Farm Bill delivers relief for farmers and working families struggling with rising costs and includes ten bipartisan Molinaro-authored bills.

Rep. Molinaro said, “After holding 11 town hall meetings, three Farm Bill listening sessions, and meeting with hundreds of farmers, working families, and nutrition advocates across Upstate New York, I am proud to deliver a Farm Bill that provides real relief to working families and farmers. This bill expands SNAP, enhancing food assistance programs so no one is left behind, and makes significant, tailored improvements to meet the needs of Upstate New York’s farmers.”

Matt Siegel, President of National Pipe and Plastics in Endicott said, “Congressman Molinaro has worked across the aisle to craft sensible, bipartisan energy efficiency and water conservation measures that are now part of the House Farm Bill. On behalf of the 400 employees of National Pipe, I want to thank Congressman Molinaro for his approach to legislating.  Providing farmers information on energy efficiency and water conservation should not be a partisan issue and Marc made sure it wasn’t.”

Michael Michaud, Executive Director of Hydraulic Institute said, “Energy efficient pumping systems offer one of the most effective ways to reduce energy use and energy costs on America’s Farms where pumping water for livestock and crops is a major fixed cost. In dairy farms across upstate New York, a single milking dairy cow consumes between 30 to 50 gallons of water per day. Promoting the use of more energy efficient pumping systems on farms will save farmers money, lower energy usage on farms, and reduce carbon emissions from farms. The bipartisan energy efficiency legislation recently advanced by Congressman Molinaro requires USDA to provide America’s farmers with the information and assessment tools to make informed decisions on the value of energy efficient pumping systems in providing water for cows and crops. This bipartisan measure makes eminent economic, environment and energy sense.”

David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President said, "There is no greater piece of legislation that supports New York's family farms and our greater food system than the Farm Bill. New York Farm Bureau appreciates Rep. Molinaro's strong support for moving the legislation forward during the House Agriculture Committee's markup and bipartisan passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. The bill provides farmers with sustained support for risk management, conservation, and research funding along with important nutrition access. Ultimately, the Farm Bill helps our farms give us the ability to feed our country, something that impacts every New Yorker."

The Northeast Dairy Farmer Cooperatives said, "The Northeast Dairy Farmer Cooperatives, representing over 800 dairy farm families in New York and New England, who have a century-plus legacy of commitment to providing fresh, high-quality milk and award-winning dairy products, applaud Rep. Molinaro’s prodigious work on behalf of our producers and industry as it relates to the dairy title and beyond in the 2024 Farm Bill!"

Brett Baker, Vice Chairman for USApple said, “Passing a new Farm Bill is incredibly important for apple growers in New York and across the country. We thank Congressman Molinaro for his support of these efforts and look forward to working with him and other members of Congress to get a strong bipartisan bill to the President this year.”

A full list of Molinaro’s bipartisan bills in the Farm Bill can be found here:

• Dairy Farm Resiliency Act: This bill strengthens the Dairy Margin Coverage safety net program by insuring more milk production.

• Delivering for Rural Seniors Act: This bill allows seniors living in rural areas, seniors with disabilities, and those with mobility or transportation issues to receive home delivery services from food banks participating in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

• ThinkDIFFERENTLY Nutrition and Opportunities Act: Under current law, students with disabilities are allowed to be in secondary school until they’re 21. If a student with disability aged 18 to 21 gets a part time job, their income gets counted for the purposes of SNAP and can result in a reduction of family benefits. This bipartisan bill prevents these working students from losing benefits.
• ThinkDIFFERENTLY Agriculture Accessibility Act: This bill reauthorizes and increases funding for AgrAbility, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides funding for support services and assistive technology farmers/farm families with disabilities.
• Flooding Prevention, Assessment, and Restoration Act: This bill incentivizes the construction of more resilient flood infrastructure and helps rural communities access federal funding for these projects.
• Training and Nutrition Stability Act: This bill exempts income earned from SNAP Education and Training Programs from impacting participants’ SNAP benefits. Currently, participants who earn income under these temporary workforce development programs can inadvertently disqualify themselves from SNAP.

• Organic Dairy Data Collection Act: This bill supports organic dairy farmers in Upstate New York by enhancing data collection at the USDA, allowing the agency and farmers to better understand the costs associated with producing organic milk.

• Food Supply Chain Capacity and Resiliency Act: This bill lowers food costs by providing low-interest loans to businesses investing in food supply chain operations.

• The Freight for Farms Act: This bill ensures the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program includes freight rail infrastructure, so federal funds can be used to increase farmers access to freight rail, which will decrease costs.

• Leveraging Efficiency Awareness for Pumping Systems (LEAPS) Act: This bill makes efficient pump & irrigation systems more accessible to farmers and will support workers at National Pipe & Plastics in Endicott. Specifically, it requires the USDA to update a webpage to offer accessible information on energy efficient pumps, highlighting the benefits of efficient irrigation systems and helping farmers implement these efficient practices.

Other key provisions in the Farm Bill:

• Expands SNAP eligibility while protecting SNAP funding.

• Allows families to purchase more fruits and vegetables through food assistance programs.

• Increases federal funding for food banks.