June, 1998

There's a new force in New York state politics

The New York State Horticultural Society has jumped into the political arena to try and increase its clout both locally and nationally.
"Our ability to farm profitably is being influenced by an increasing extent by what is happening in Albany and Washington," said George Lamont, the society's president. "In order to influence those things that are affecting us we have to be at the table continually. It's much easier to influence things when they are on the drawing board rather than try to react once they've passed."
On the state level New York fruit growers are dealing with many issues including: a vocal farm labor advocacy movement which is supported by the unions; state agencies that aggressively regulate pesticide applications and registrations and labor laws; and trying to get legislators to realize that agriculture is the biggest industry in the state.
On the federal level fruit growers are also trying to cope with labor shortages made worse by an aggressive INS presence in the state, food safety issues and the Food Quality Protection Act which may take away many effective pesticides.
Over the last year the New York hort society has been crafting a plan to have a bigger presence in the political process. This month it is unveiling it to fruit growers in hopes of raising enough money to sustain a full-time lobbying effort to counteract years of silence at the state capitol.
Under the plan the society is increasing its staff to the equivalent of three full-time positions. Current executive secretary Dan Donahue who was half time is now full time and the society will be adding a full-time office manager and two part-time positions to work in the areas of communications and research.
The hort society had relied primarily on revenues from its trade show at its annual convention for most of its budget in the past. As the number of growers and farms decreased so has the revenue stream from the convention so the society is now nearly entirely dependent on membership fees and contributions to finance the organization, Donahue said.
To fund this increase in staffing the dues have been increased substantially. They are now $195 plus $1 an acre for tree fruit producers and $95 plus $1 an acre for grape and berry producers and tree fruit producers under 20 acres. It is also looking for support industries to join and give anywhere from the "supporter" level of $500 to the "platinum" level of $5,000 or more.
The new membership structure will increase the society's budget from $50,000 annually to $160,000 if sign-up goals are met. It is hoped that 41,000 of the state's 88,000 acres of fruit can be signed up. Currently there is a commitment for 8,000 acres.
"Growers as a rule support the need for this, although they wish it wasn't so expensive, but they realize that this is what's necessary," Donahue said. "To date we haven't had the resources to adequately or effectively carry out an extensive public policy program and it is the sense of the board that it really should be a priority."
Donahue has already had success with the state government by opening up the lines of communication. In New York the Department of Environmental Quality oversees pesticides registrations and is very strict. Most chemicals that are registered take an extra year in New York because the DEC has its own review process over and above the EPA's. Donahue was able to get the agency to give Pyramite an emergency Section 18 registration in a week last year in time for that season's use, when before it never would have occurred. This year he got them to fully register it in the state early in the spring so growers would be able to have a bigger selection in their miticide program.
"Dan is in a position to spend 100% of his time doing this type of thing, and you must have that follow through to make things happen," Lamont said. "These agencies don't know what are needs are so we continually have to tell them."
The response from the legislature, bureaucrats and other groups has been very positive so far, Lamont said.
"We are also reaching out to other organizations that we haven't looked at as being friendly to agriculture and finding that we have many things in common and they are very willing to support us if they understand our position," he said. "Your enemies can never become your friends unless you talk to them."
New York Apple Association President Mike Durando said he welcomes the hort society's new endeavor.
"My perception is there has been a void in the fruit specific or apple specific advocacy or representation for the New York industry in Albany and Washington D.C.," he said. "If the hort society will grow into the preeminent fruit advocacy group of the state it will allow us to focus more on marketing issues. We will continue to provide effort, but it will allow us to delegate the advocacy to hort society."
Durando also thinks the new effort can slide over to the vegetable industry.
"Dan is aggressive and has the fire in the gut that one needs to take on this type of job and he will grow into that position," Durando said. "Our fruit and vegetable industries aren't huge and those two could serve themselves well by joining forces in an advocacy role. It would improve their clout in state capitol and Washington."

Priorities

Donahue is already charging ahead with the new political direction of the New York hort society visiting politicians and bureaucrats several days a week.
The society currently has two big priorities including changing the state pesticide application regulations and increasing state funding of the fruit Extension program.
The society would like to see a statewide fruit team that is no longer based on county lines. It currently has a Lake Ontario regional fruit team that it is using as a model for the whole state.
"One of the problems is there are so many state-mandated county programs that the counties don't have funding to support a modern-day, effective and efficient Extension program," Lamont said.
A committee is currently putting a plan together that would look to increase funding to support a 17-person Extension team compared to the 12 agents now serving the state's fruit growers. Once the program is worked out the society will take the idea to the legislature and try to get it funded.
"This will involve a change in philosophy and participation of the counties," Lamont said. "All of them are more than willing to take more money, but less are willing to give up control."
The second major legislative thrust of the society is to rework the state's pesticide application law. The DEC has been fining growers for using less than the labeled rate of pesticides in their orchards. The law was written to make sure resistance didn't occur in orchards, but due to smaller trees and canopy-sensitive sprayers growers can still get good control with less than the minimum labeled rate.
"The grower is in the best position to determine what rates are needed," Lamont said. "We have to build reason into the system and to do this we have to talk to people in the legislature."
Other issues Donahue is working to lift the burden of growers paying state unemployment tax on H2A workers. Even though employers have to pay it, the workers can't collect it, costing farms about $300,000 a year.
For more information on the new lobbying effort by the New York Horticultural Society call its office at (315) 787-2404.