In a May speech this year Mike made his position on agriculture very clear – “We must continue to support our farmers. Period.” Mike understands that agriculture is the backbone of our region. In fact, we have the largest number of farms of any district in the state. They are the very fabric of upstate New York.

As a founding member of the Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus, Mike fights hard to protect the interests of local farmers. In 2009, he established three regional Agriculture Advisory Committees to stay in constant touch with the issues facing upstate New York farmers. He has called on Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack to assist numerous times to address the rising cost of milk production.

In November 2009, Mike introduced legislation that would eliminate transportation costs incurred after raw milk leaves the farm such as fuel surcharges and hauling fees and placing those costs on processors. He led a bi-partisan effort of congressional representatives to call on the Department of Agriculture to re-assess milk prices by taking into account the cost of production when pricing milk. He has strongly supported extension of the MILC program. He also co-sponsored the Dairy Fairness Act to help dairy farmers in difficult economic times.

Mike continues to deliver in the areas of research and development. In July of this year for example, he announced another $3.65 million of funding along with Congressman Hinchey for construction of a new grape genetics research facility in Geneva that also will ad over 30 jobs. And he funded a Biodigester in Cayuga County, helping farmers to find new revenue sources through technology.

Mike will continue to stand up for our farmers to help keep them productive and profitable.