NEAFA Advocating in Albany, Montpelier
Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance advocates were at it in Albany and Montpelier earlier this month fortifying our relationships with legislative leaders and lobbying for industry priorities. The February 11th Albany Lobby day included over a dozen NEAFA volunteers and allies and they focused on priority state budget issues including PRO-DAIRY, FarmNet, Farm Viability Institute and Agricultural Workforce Specialist. The state budget process will continue through the end of March.
NEAFA advocates were in Montpelier February 14th promoting a PRO-DAIRY Program for Vermont dairy farmers. NEAFA, working in coalition with Vermont’s dairy industry, presented before House and Senate Agriculture Committees, encouraging their support for a state appropriation to bring PRO-DAIRY to Vermont. Jim Walsh, of Phoenix Feeds and Caroline Potter of NY PRO-DAIRY, promoted the program’s abilities to provide dairy farmers with necessary management skills to weather the current economic downturn and thrive when milk prices improve.
