WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand expected 1,000 guests to show up at the eighth annual "New York Farm Days" event she hosted at the Senate Kennedy Caucus Room in Washington.
As she continued this event that was also hosted by former N.Y. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton who is now Secretary of State, Gillibrand said it provided guests with "a lot of good wines and an equal amount of very good food."
"New York Farm Days" features the state's award-winning wines, farm-fresh foods, sea-foods and leading restauranteurs.
Among the featured items from Western New York at the event were wines from various local wineries and Welch's juices.
"I extend an invitation to the farmers I met during my travels across the state to join in the "Farm Days" event in Washington that show cases the food produced in our state," Sen. Gillibrand said in a conference call.
She went on to say that New York farmers are a critical part of the nation's economy.
New York's agriculture contributes nearly $4 billion to the state's economy each year and the "Farm Days" event offers an opportunity to demonstrate the importance and quality of its agriculture industry, the senator says.
"The goal is to provide understanding about how important farms are to our economy," she said in the telephone conference.
She said the event also featured healthier foods, particularly those offered in school lunches.
"We must do everything possible to positively impact the problem of childhood obesity and providing students with healthy food choices is a forward step," she said.
Colors are one of the tools used to make healthier food choices attractive, the senator said.
"Red, orange and green colored fruits and vegetables are generally healthy while foods colored brown and tan, like hamburgers and french fries, are not," she said.
She is also working to address the crisis dairy farmers are facing with low milk prices and the losses grape farmers experienced with the grape crops subject to adverse weather conditions this year.
With Sen. Gillibrand's urging, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has declared 16 New York counties, including Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Erie as disaster areas, making the farmers in these areas eligible for federal aid.
"Strengthening our agriculture sector and promoting good nutrition for New Yorkers are essential to our long term health and economic growth," Sen. Gillibrand said.
As the first New York senator in 40 years to serve on the Senate's Agriculture Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on domestic and foreign marketing, inspection and plant and animal health, Gillibrand said she will continue her efforts to promote food safety and healthy food for children.