U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has announced her ideas for improving nutrition and addressing food insecurity ahead of the 2023 Farm Bill.

More than 33 million people in the United States live in households that are food insecure, with roughly 2.9 million people in New York relying on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Gillibrand’s priorities to combat food insecurity and increase access to nutritious meals in the Farm Bill include strengthening SNAP benefits, expanding the SNAP program to people living in Puerto Rico, and ensuring disadvantaged populations always have a pathway to food.

Gillibrand’s announcement follows her questioning of USDA officials at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing where she pushed experts on the importance of maintaining adequate SNAP benefits, improving the SNAP Employment & Training program, improving the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and more.

With the current legislation set to expire on September 30, 2023, Congress is working to draft a new, five-year Farm Bill with congressional hearings already underway to determine public and private stakeholders’ priorities for the reauthorization.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has reintroduced her Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill negotiations.

The Farm Bill is re-visited and needs congressional approval every five years.

With nearly 3,500 dairy farmers, Gillibrand noted that the state is the fifth-largest producer of milk in the nation and the largest producer of yogurt and cheese.

The Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act would give dairy farmers the ability to review proposals, which could change the class one milk pricing for things like skim and whole milk. Currently, milk is separated into four classes – milk used for beverages is Class I; milk used for products like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, frozen desserts, sour cream, yogurt and other foods is Class II; milk used for cream cheese, spreadable cheeses and hard cheese or shredded, grated or crumbled cheese is Class III, and Class IV is milk used for butter, evaporated or sweetened condensed milk.

If the bill is passed, it would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hold public hearings within six months.

Gillibrand is also asking the U.S. trade representative to review what she says is Canada’s failure to uphold its dairy trade obligations.

Nick Langworthy

Congressman Nick Langworthy has been appointed to the House Agriculture Committee.

Langworthy issued a statement saying he was honored to be selected to serve on the committee.

He added, “Western New York and the Southern Tier have a rich agriculture history from small family farms getting passed down from generation to generation to an up-and-coming agritourism destination. However, family farms have struggled as a result of policy changes from people who do not understand the agriculture industry. I will be a tireless fighter to protect their livelihood when the Farm Bill is up for negotiation and deliver results they need to thrive.”

ALBANY – The use of CBD oils has been exploding across New York and that’s leading to some health officials and lawmakers questioning how safe the product actually is for consumers.

CBD (aka cannabidiol) is an active ingredient in hemp and marijuana plants that, unlike THC (the main psychoactive compound in marijuana), doesn’t get get the user high. While it’s marketed as a health and wellness product capable of relieving anxiety, stress, pain and insomnia, CBD remains largely unregulated on both a federal and state level.

According to the Albany Times Union – the industry around CBD continues to skyrocket across the state and that has attracted unscrupulous players whose interest in making a buck overrides concern for product transparency and consumer safety.

In the last four years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued dozens of warning letters to CBD companies selling mislabeled, falsely advertised, adulterated and contaminated products.

The federal 2018 Farm Bill, enacted in December, was intended in part to clear up the legal status of CBD. But the law also created new confusion for businesses wanting to sell CBD food or drink. For some, it is impossible to follow one set of regulations without being in breach of another.

In New York, for example, officials at the state Department of Agriculture issued guidance in December saying it was legal to sell “CBD tea,” “chocolates with CBD drizzle” and other CBD edibles, so long as the products are made and marketed as dietary supplements, which are governed by more stringent standards than ordinary food.

But the department also warns that doing this will run afoul of rules issued by the FDA, which said it was unlawful to add CBD to food or to market it as a dietary supplement.

The difference between state and federal law led to  a recent crackdown in New York City, based on safety concerns regarding some CBD edibles that were being sold at local shops.

In New York, hemp farmers and processors have teamed up with lawmakers in hopes of clarifying rules around the industry.

In the meantime, some retailers are trying to get the word out to consumers about ways to stay smart and safe when trying CBD products. According to the Times-Union article, some questions consumers need to ask before purchasing the now-legal product from a business include has it been third-party tested? Does the business have proof? And can the customer see it?

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

WASHINGTON – After the government shutdown stalled the enactment of critical Federal Farm Bill provisions, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Wednesday called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fast-track Farm Bill implementation and provide much-needed relief to dairy farmers and other producers across New York State as soon as possible.

Gillibrand, who is a a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said dairy farmers work extremely hard but have been suffering from historically low milk prices, a reckless trade war, and a failed dairy insurance program that did nothing to help them when they needed it.

She said that it was good news When Congress passed the Farm Bill last year and included her provision to refund insurance payments into the failed dairy insurance program, but because of the government shutdown, they haven’t seen a penny of the refunds that they’re owed.

U.S. Senate Candidate Chele Farley (center) made an appearance at the Mid-Knight Dairy Farm in Jamestown to promote her agriculture agenda.

JAMESTOWN – The Republican candidate challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in this year’s election was in Chautauqua County on Monday to promote her platform for helping dairy and agriculture in New York State.

U.S. Senate candidate Chele Farley of New York City said that if she was elected, she would do a better job ensuring farmers in New York State were getting the help they needed – including pushing for better deals in Trade Pacts as well as ensuring more aid would be available when the market struggles.

“Sen. Gillibrand’s very first bill that she put forward was a Farm Bill, which I would absolutely support. Unfortunately that, like the next 304 bills that she put forward, didn’t get passed. We need somebody in Washington who can actually get things done and help New York,” Farley said.

Farley said the proposed U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico that was announced last month will provide some help and New Yorkers need a Senator who will work on and support revised trade deals with other global partners as well – claiming that Sen. Gillibrand would rather fight the Trump administration and its proposals rather than work with the administration to ensure New Yorkers are getting their fair share. That not only includes reworking trade pacts, but also crafting and passing the overdue federal farm Farm Bill.

“Reauthorization of the Farm Bill is two years overdue and while farmers struggle here in New York, Sen. Gillibrand is busy campaigning in Georgia and around the country,” Farley said. “While there was good news last week as Canada agreed to end its so-called ‘Class 7’ trade quotas and tariffs with the US as part of an agreement to modernize NAFTA, more help is needed now. Dairy prices have been on a long decline and the impacts of the new trade agreement won’t be felt immediately.”

Farley appeared with both Senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Andy Goodell as well as County Executive George Borrello Monday afternoon at Mid-Knight Dairy, located off of Fluvanna Town Line Road in Jamestown.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – Chautauqua County’s Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning), along with 216 other Republicans in the House of Representatives, voted in favor of a bill Thursday that would significantly reduce funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as the federal food stamp program. The funding cuts come by way of the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act.

According to supporters, including Reed, the bill would provide meaningful improvements to the food stamp program, which hasn’t been reformed since 1996. In all, the republican-backed measure would cut food stamp funding by $40 Billion over a 10-year period.

In a statement, Reed said the House food stamp bill refocuses the program on those who need it most, and gives individuals the tools they need to help themselves and their families become self-sufficient. 

Under the bill, all adult recipients who meet income and asset tests and are willing to comply with work requirements will continue to receive benefits. In order to comply with the work requirement, beneficiaries will participate job activities like job training or community service and volunteering opportunities.

New York’s Junior Senator in Washington Kirsten Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and has led the fight to preserve full food stamp funding. In response to the house vote and passage of the new food stamp bill, Gillibrand said the plan directly punishes the hungry, including children, seniors, troops and veterans. Gillibrand said she will urge her Senate colleagues to stand together and fight the cuts in conference.

The Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act is the corresponding nutrition title to the five-year Farm Bill passed through the House in July.

On Tuesday, Gillibrand voted against the Farm Bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee, although it still received enough votes to move to the full Senate for consideration. Gillibrand said that despite her best effort, the committee version of the bill slashes $4.1 billion over 10 years to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Gillibrand said under the Senate version of the bill, an average family would lose out on more than $90 a month in food assistance.

New York’s Junior Senator also said that she is deeply concerned with the drastic cuts the bill makes to SNAP, which she says will literally take food away from hungry children, seniors and veterans. Gilllibrand said even worse is the fact that the bill protects corporate welfare for insurance companies based in Bermuda, Australia and Switzerland.

The bill now moves on to the full senate for its consideration. The house is also currently working on hammering out its own version of the bill.

With the U.S. Senate set to debate the 2013 Farm Bill this week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D – New York) – a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee – is leading a coalition of one-third of her Senate colleagues pushing the Committee to fully fund the nation’s food stamp program and restore cuts that have already been proposed by other lawmakers.

During a press conference on Friday, Gillibrand announced her plans to introduce an amendment to the Farm Bill to restore the proposed Senate cuts, as she did last year when the bill was on the Senate floor. The 2012 Farm Bill passed the Senate but was never signed into law due to the House not taking up their version of the Farm Bill.

Starting this week, the Senate Ag Committee will again move forward on proposed legislation, which is expected to slash an estimated $4.1 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – commonly referred to as SNAP – over the next decade. These cuts would result in an average benefit reduction of $90 per month for nearly a half a million households.

Gillibrand said that under this proposal, New York State would lose nearly $300 million per year in SNAP funding, with upstate set to lose $94,000 in funding.

Gillibrand said more than half of food stamp recipients are children, eight percent are seniors and more veterans are using food stamps than any other time in history. She added that in this tough economy, a family losing this access to food assistance would be devastating.

This week, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced a plan that would do just that. In a media release sent out on Tuesday, Gillibrand said the bipartisan Gillibrand-Collins Dairy Pricing Reform Act will reform the way the United States Department of Agriculture sets dairy prices.   

The Farm Bill that passed the Senate last fall included many programs to help New York farmers, but the House of Representatives failed to complete their work on the bill, and none of the new programs became law.

Gillibrand said that while dairy remains New York’s leading agricultural product – producing nearly 13 billion pounds for a value of $2.75 billion – dairy farmers are suffering from a range of setbacks. High fuel costs, and severe grain and hay shortages continue to push up the cost of production, yet the price paid to farmers remains stagnant.

As a result of the loss in business from flawed policy, dairy farms across New York State are forced to cut resources, and sell off cows. Nearly 65,000 cows were lost from New York dairy farms from 2002 to 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To prevent further problems for dairy farmers, Gill Senator Gillibrand and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) will be introducing the Dairy Pricing Reform Act next week when the Senate returns to session.

The bill forces the USDA to begin the hearing process to restructure the pricing system and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release the Department’s recommendations to Congress. This bill also builds on language Senator Gillibrand secured in the Senate Farm Bill (S. 10) that requires the USDA to study different methods of determining prices, including competitive pay pricing or shifting from a 4 class system to a 2 class system.