The New York Farm Bureau laid out a barnful of federal public policy objectives during a Zoom press conference earlier this month.

The objectives for Washington, D.C. include agricultural labor reform, making sure farmers receive fair prices for milk, supply chain changes, addressing climate change effects, regulatory reform and farmers’ mental health.

“We continue to deal with inflation pressure and supply chain issues related to the pandemic, along with a host of regulatory changes,” said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President.

LABOR REFORM

“Probably the first and foremost, and it’s been on our list for many years, is ag labor reform,” Fisher said. “We’re looking to address both short term and long term labor needs, which would allow current trained workers who are already in the company to stay and work.”

The Farm Bureau wants changes to the H-2A federal guest workers program. It is currently open only to seasonal workers, but the bureau wants it to permit year-round work.

Answering a media question later, Fisher acknowledged the issue is tied up with illegal immigration in the minds of many senators and congressmen.

He said that leaves little appetite for reform and “it’s been that way for the last 30 years.”

DAIRY PRICING

“We’ve seen great fluctuations in the price of milk and dairy prices have rebounded currently, but it’s only starting to catch up with the higher input costs that we’re also experiencing,” Fisher said.

The Farm Bureau wants to modernize and streamline the federal government’s current milk marketing ordering system, which determines what farmers get for milk. It considers the current formula too complicated and outdated.

SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES

“The supply chain has taken a hit throughout the pandemic and it’s hurt farmers in a couple of ways,” Fisher said. “We’ve seen products not get to market, getting held up before they got to our customers. Elements broke down such as transportation or manufacturing.

“But we’ve also had problems getting a hold of equipment and parts … and it appears from experience recently that this year is going to be even worse,” he continued. “We have many parts back ordered, not available. A lot of our crop protectants may not be available … prices in many situations are double what they were last year.”

The Farm Bureau wants to a process to identify and solve supply chain problems. They hope to achieve decreased congestion in U.S. ports, reduction of barriers to good processing and transportation work, and expansion of food processing capability.

CLIMATE CHANGE

“Our farmers know all too well the impacts of extreme weather conditions on their farms and it’s really important for farmers to have a seat at the table when it comes to discussing policy changes,” said Lauren Williams, the farm bureau’s national affairs director.

“We are in favor of a voluntary, market based approach which offers incentives and technical assistance to farmers” to do climate-friendly practices, she said.

REGULATORY REFORM

Williams said the bureau is following possible changes to the Clean Water Act that could alter the definition of “navigable waters” to include fields that are flooded. That would open farmers up to costly permitting procedures and delays, she said.

“We’re also asking that USDA enforce its organic certification standards for livestock,” Williams added. “We’ve seen issues here in New York State of organic dairies losing their markets to larger farms out of state. It’s important that every farm follow the rules and regulations in place for housing and caring for livestock on organic farms.”

MENTAL HEALTH

“We’re wanting to increase the awareness of mental health resources and encourage broader availability of ag-specfic assistance,” Williams said. “This is a stressful time and we want to make sure that there are enough resources in place for our farmers and rural communities to cope with this.”