Borrello, Gallivan Host Agriculture Roundtable
Post Journal
News
October 7, 2026
State Senator George Borrello and Senator Patrick Gallivan brought together 40 farmers and agricultural leaders for a roundtable discussion focused on the rising costs and workforce challenges confronting New York agriculture. Held at Hidden Valley Lodge and hosted by Hans Boxler of Boxler Farms, the discussion included farmers from Wyoming, Genesee, and Erie counties, as well as representatives of leading agricultural organizations.
"Agriculture is one of New York's most important industries and an essential part of the economy and way of life here in Western New York. Yet even in the best of times, farming is a difficult business with tight margins and circumstances that are often beyond a producer's control," Borrello said. "What we heard today reinforced just how many pressures are converging on our farmers at once."
Much of the discussion centered on the widening gap between farm operating costs and farmers' earnings. Higher utility rates, difficulties obtaining electrical service for expansion, New York's high labor costs (including the farmworker overtime mandate), diesel prices, and declining milk prices were cited as key challenges.
These pressures come as New York continues to lose farms. According to the state Comptroller's Office, the state lost 500 farms and 100,000 acres of farmland between 2024 and 2025, twice the national rate. This decline is further highlighted by an 8% drop in total farms and a 40% decrease in dairy farms between the 2017 and 2022 USDA Agriculture Censuses.
"The only way for policymakers to understand the challenges of dairy farming and the volatile markets we are dealing with, especially right now, is to see first-hand the work taking place on our family farms and to have open dialogue," said A.J. Wormuth, Northeast Dairy Producers Association chair and dairy farmer. "I commend the senators and their colleagues across the state for continuing to seek out farmers to better understand the detrimental impacts rising utility, labor, diesel, and other input costs have on family farms. We simply cannot rely on importing food, and through conversations like these, we're able to work toward solutions that strengthen our local food supply and support our farmers."