Agriculture and Markets, Department of

Agency Web Site: http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/

Mission

The Department of Agriculture and Markets is charged with fostering a competitive and safe New York food and agricultural industry for the benefit of producers and consumers. The Department encourages the growth and economic health of the State’s agricultural and food industry and conducts various inspections and testing programs to enforce laws on food safety, animal and plant health, and accuracy of labeling. The Department also acts to preserve agricultural resources and improve soil and water quality, and operates the annual State Fair near Syracuse.

Budget Highlights

The 2015-16 Executive Budget recommends $164.4 million for the Department. This is a decrease of $7.7 million from the 2014-15 budget. The change reflects reductions in local assistance that are partially offset by a contractual increase in personal service costs.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 475 FTEs for the Department, a decrease of 1 FTE related to the transition of human resource services into the Business Services Center.

Major budget actions include:

• Funding of $1.1 million for the “Taste-NY” program, which promotes locally grown or produced food and beverages by making them readily available across the State at high traffic retail venues located at rest areas, airports and train stations. In addition to this innovative retail concept, Taste-NY also fosters increased demand for these products via strategic branding and marketing efforts.
• $350,000 in funding for the FreshConnect farmers’ market program, which benefits farmers and consumers alike by awarding competitive grants to create and expand farmers' markets in underserved communities throughout New York.
• Appropriations of $17.3 million for various programs that provide critical support to New York’s agricultural industry, including: the Migrant Childcare, Pro-Dairy, and Cornell Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory programs, among others.
• $250,000 for the Farm to School program, which would promote the purchasing of food from local farmers by school districts, while expanding access to healthy foods for students.
• $40,000 to evaluate and test hop varieties in New York for the purpose of increasing the availability of locally grown hops for the State’s growing craft brew industry.
• Capital funding of $3.5 million to address critical capital needs at the New York State Fair, including roof and façade replacement and other infrastructure improvements.
• From appropriations included in the Special Infrastructure Account budget, $50 million to assist farmers and other related businesses in the Southern Tier and Hudson Valley with maintaining and growing their businesses.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Environment and Energy (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/21/2015

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables