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In recognition of his continued efforts to help New York State farmers grow and create jobs, State Senator Mike Nozzolio has once again been honored by the New York Farm Bureau with its “Circle of Friends” award.  The “Circle of Friends” award acknowledges Nozzolio’s active support of New York agriculture and the New York Farm Bureau.

“In the Finger Lakes region, agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Virtually every business, family and individual in our region directly or indirectly depends on agriculture, the single largest job producing enterprise in New York State,” said Nozzolio. “It is an honor for me to receive this recognition from the New York Farm Bureau and I commend them for their continued advocacy on issues important to our farm families in Upstate New York.”

Nozzolio has been named to the “Circle of Friends” by the Farm Bureau each year since he was elected to the State Senate for his long-standing support of New York State agriculture. In the past, he worked to establish the Ag Tech Park at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, a state-of-the art food laboratory that focuses on job growth and development in agriculture, food, and biological-based enterprises. He also led the fight in defeating the New York City-driven Farm Labor Bill, which would have devastated Upstate farmers with the most repressive and costly labor mandates in the entire country.

Earlier this year, Nozzolio fought to enact legislation known as the “Buy From the Backyard Act” (S.2468), which would require State agencies with food contracts to purchase at least 20 percent of their food from growers and producers here in New York. He also worked to adopt legislation that was signed into State law (S.4143A) to reduce regulatory burdens from the State on farm wineries, which are critically important to both agriculture and tourism, and fought for a measure to eliminate the requirement that farmers have to re-apply every year for land exemptions.

“At a time when farms are struggling, we need to do everything we can to support our Upstate farmers so that they can remain on their land and continue to feed their fellow New Yorkers,” said Nozzolio. “I will continue to fight to cut taxes for our farmers, oppose intrusive regulations that make it harder for them to survive and strongly support programs that provide badly-needed relief for our State’s farms at a time when they need it most.”

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