Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is joining the New York State Association of Counties in the call for New York State government to reconsider its proposed plan to intercept $625 million in enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Money.

Counties, statewide, oversee Medicaid programs and operate on different fiscal calendars compared to the state government. Hawley, as always, prefers more local control as to state oversight, and sees this proposal as more of the latter.

“The management of Medicaid is a difficult job, and the last thing counties statewide need is another layer of red tape from the state government as they try to ensure their beneficiaries are covered properly,” Hawley said. “Not only are costs likely to rise with these new levels of government intersections, but the costs to counties’ Medicaid expenditures could be dire. I wholly oppose this proposal and will be doing what I can in Albany to see this move reconsidered.”

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

GRAND ISLAND – State Senator Republican Leader Rob Ortt joined Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and Assemblyman Angelo Morinello today visiting the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stations in Grand Island to examine first-hand the challenges our CBP agents are facing at the Northern Border.

The Buffalo and Rochester stations are both located in the Buffalo Border Patrol Sector, which consists of 29 counties, including all parts of Western New York as well as the Finger Lakes and portions of Central New York and the North Country. The Buffalo Sector has a large area of responsibility that includes 400 air miles of the border.

“Albany Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have already endangered public safety in our communities – we do not want criminals from other countries thinking they can take advantage of our life here,” Ortt said. “We must secure our border and support our border patrol agents and make it clear – if you intend to come to our country and commit crimes against our citizenry, you will pay a price. I will continue to stand against attempts to use taxpayer money to house illegals and Albany’s continued coddling of criminals.”

“The brave men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency put their lives on the line every day to secure our borders and protect the homeland,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “Today, it was my honor to thank them for their service and to discuss the growing challenges they are facing. The worsening crisis at our Northern Border is real, and the Biden administration must take steps to address it immediately. Our CBP agents face unprecedented challenges because of Joe Biden’s failure to address his disastrous open border policies. I reiterated my commitment today to our law enforcement officers at the border – I will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure they have the resources to do their jobs effectively and continue to keep our nation safe.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said two federal programs providing funding to fire departments – the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program – are at risk of being eliminated, endangering millions in funding for fire departments in Upstate New York.

“Over the last 20 years, these programs have delivered nearly $700 million in federal funding to NY firefighters and first responders, but if new legislation doesn’t pass, fire departments will not be able to access this funding in 2024,” Schumer said.

Local departments in recent years have received money from the programs, including:

• Village of Medina Fire Department, $530,661 in SAFER in 2017 for hiring
• Shelby Volunteer Fire Co., $82,084 in AFG in 2022 for operations and safety
• Shelby Volunteer Fire Co., $39,855 in AFG in 2015 for operations and safety
• Village of Medina Fire Department, $77,837 in AFG in 2015 for operations and safety
• Village of Albion Fire Department, $37,190 in AFG in 2021 for operations and safety
• Carlton Fire Company, $37,558 in AFG in 2015 for operations and safety

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday introduced the Fire Grants and Safety Act to reauthorize appropriations for the grant programs until 2030, and Schumer said he is now launching an all-out push to ensure Upstate fire departments can continue to receive the federal support they need to purchase the lifesaving equipment and hire new firefighters to keep our firefighters and communities safe.

“Upstate New York’s firefighters are heroes who risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe, we cannot let the critical programs that provide them the support they need simply go up in smoke,” he said in a news release. “That is money for new fire trucks, better equipment, and to hire more firefighters in the Upstate communities that need them most.”

Schumer originally created the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program in 1999, which later expanded to also include the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program, and the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) programs.

The funding is only authorized through this year and FEMA has to entirely shut down operations next year without new legislation reauthorizing the programs, Schumer said. If the funding is not continued, firefighters would be left without federal support.

The AFG and SAFER grant programs are both administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide competitive funding directly to fire departments.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Medina native and award-winning New York Times author Julie Berry holds copies of her two latest books, “Burglars and Bluestockings,” the third in a trilogy, and “The Night Frolic,” a picture book with illustrations by Jaime Zollars. They will be introduced at a celebration at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the book store in Medina, 519 Main St., featuring a pajama story time, treats and signed prints by Zollars.

MEDINA – Medina native Julie Berry may not have started out to be a writer, but once she got started, she never looked back.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday at Author’s Note, the book store owned by Berry and her husband Phil, she will host a celebration to announce her two latest books, “Burglars and Bluestockings,” the third in a trilogy, and “A Night Frolic,” a book of illustrations by Jaime Zollars.

A daughter of Shirley and the late John Gardner, Julie graduated from Medina High School in 1991, then entered Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute to study chemistry. She earned a degree in technical communication, then went back to school and got her master’s degree in writing. She had met her husband Phil Berry at Rensselaer and after they were married, they lived in upstate New York and Massachusetts before moving to Los Angeles where Phil could pursue his career in the movie industry.

In 2020, Julie learned the former Book Shoppe in Medina was for sale, and fearing it would be closed, she and Phil made the decision to move back to Medina with their four children.

“I couldn’t bear to think there wouldn’t be a book store in my home town,” Julie said.

After extensive remodeling, which Phil did, they reopened the front half of the store on May 25, 2021, and celebrated reopening of the entire store on Sept. 25, 2021.

Julie shared how her writing career evolved.

“I always thought it would be wonderful to be a writer,” Julie said. “But I didn’t think it would be viable.”

Julie completed her master’s degree at Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, Vt. in January 2008. She was enrolled in a program designed to help people become writers. During 2 ½ years, she had written three books, the first of which she didn’t think was worthy of publication. By the time she graduated, she had secured an agent and sold her first book.

She had seen a picture of a haunted house and it sparked an idea, Julie said.

“It seemed like a house full of sadness,” she said.

It was called “Amaranth Enchantment,” and it did very well, the author said.

In 2019, Berry’s book “Lovely War” was named a New York Times bestseller.

“That was awesome,” she said.

Since then, many of her other titles have won awards and starred reviews from giants in the industry.

Berry said she likes to write picture books for little children, as well as titles for middle grades and books for teens. She likes fantasy, she said.

She is very excited about her new book “The Night Frolic,” which is mythologically-based and was just named Amazon’s “Best New Picture Book” for March.

“I think of it as a fantasia on bedtime,” she said. “It begins by asking, ‘Where do young the children go when they drift off to sleep,’ and follows those sleepy children on a magical journey through nighttime realms of wonder, where they meet the Night Tiger, the Night Walrus and an ensemble of talking creatures.”

The book has earned rave reviews from Kirkus Reviews, which calls it “a dream come true for readers seeking a new bedtime story”; Publisher’s Weekly, which says “Berry’s mesmerizing prose sounds like a saga from another world, and this vision of journey, adventure and happy clamor offers both antidote to and fodder for sleep’s dark mysteries”; and Booklist, calling it “downright magical, this picture book made for dreamers.”

Julie will read from the book during Tuesday night’s event, as well as excerpts from Burglars and Bluestockings.

Her trilogy began with “Wishes and Wellingtons” and “Crime and Carpetbags,” and with “Burglars and Bluestockings” tells the story of a young woman in a boarding school in the Victorian era who discovers a djinni in a sardine can. The books are a middle grade fantasy adventure novel suited for ages 8 and up.

Along with taking care of her family, participating with her husband in his swing dancing endeavors, pursuing her interest in software startup companies and running a book store, Julie said she still finds time to write.

“When you love something, you just get it done somehow,” she said.

Tuesday will be a fun night, she said. It is free and open to the public. Copies of her new books can be ordered online at authorsnote.com or by calling the store at (585) 798-3642.

MURRAY – Town officials want to assist local farmers in boosting the profitability of their operations, to help ensure a strong agricultural sector. That includes farms of all sizes, from people with part-time ventures to large operations that are hundreds and thousands of acres.

Murray is working to develop the first farmland protection plan in Orleans County, an effort funded through a $25,000 state grant. Town officials and members of the a steering committee working on the plan held a public forum on Thursday.

They are hoping to develop a draft of the plan soon with a public hearing to follow. A final plan would then be referred to the Orleans County Farmland Protection Board for review and then be adopted by the Town Board. The state Department of Ag & Markets gives the plan the last review.

Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio said a farmland protection plan doesn’t put new restrictions on farmers. It will help them access resources and also help the town set policies to support agriculture, Sidonio told about 30 people at the public forum.

Barbara Johnston, a planner with Labella Associates, has served as consultant for the town on the project. She said Murray is blessed with very productive soils.

“You really have a high quality resource,” she said.

Despite those high-quality soils, Johnston said much of the farmland in Murray is not included in an ag district. She said an ag district offers many benefits for the farmers, including protections from nuisance lawsuits when people sue other normal farm operations, which could be odors or mud on roads. The districts also can give farmers exemptions from paying towards water districts, and also provide more protection from eminent domain where private land can be taken for projects deemed in the public good.

Katie Sommerfeldt, manager of the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District, also shared how Soil & Water can assist land owners in grants for many conservation projects. Soil & Water also provides engineering expertise for drainage tiling and projects to help move water on properties.

That agency does agricultural value assessments which can save land owners’ money by paying less in taxes for less profitable acreage.

Sommerfeldt urged farmers and landowners to reach out to the office, especially if they see creeks or ditches clogged. That is becoming an issue with many dead ash trees falling into waterways.

Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, said there are programs through the Extension to assist farm operations of all sizes, including specialized teams for fruits, vegetables and livestock. Cornell also has many programs for smaller farms. There also is the Farm Net program to assist farmers with business consulting, family dynamics, mental health and business transfers.

Robert Batt of the Cornell Cooperative Extension said there are specialized teams to help farmers boost their profitability and avoid pitfalls.

Batt also touted a commercial kitchen in the Trolley Building at the 4-H Fairgrounds that is available to be rented out to help farmers with value-added products.

Batt is on the steering committee working on the farmland protection plan for Murray. Other members include Town Councilman Michael Mele (owner of a garlic farm), Alex Penna (owner of Rockin P Farm and Dam Farms), Amy Machamer (owner of Hurd Orchards and member of NYS Governor’s Ag Advisory Committee), Robert Batt (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County) and James Bensley (Orleans County Planning Director).

Johnston, the planning consultant, led the group in a SWOT analysis to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to agriculture in Murray.

Some strengths listed include the productive soils, access to canal water for irrigation, good road infrastructure for east-west transport, close proximity to Lake Ontario allowing for microclimate to grow fruit, close access to major population centers to sell farm products, Right to Farm law in place in Murray.

Weaknesses identified include high cost of business with taxes, rising wages and state regulations. New York has a higher minimum wage and has enacted an overtime threshold in agriculture that puts local operations at a competitive disadvantage with many other states. There are also fewer processing plants, such as Duffy Motts and Hunts which used to have a local presence.

Opportunities for farmers could be tapping into agri-tourism, including setting up markets by the canal and at local RV parks. Smaller farm operations could produce honey or grow flowers.

Solar projects – big and small – were identified as a big threat to local farmland.

The steering committee will work to recommend strategies and goals to help foster a stronger ag sector in Murray. Johnston said she expects the plan will be finalized this summer.

Sidonio said he is hopeful the plan could become a model for the rest of the county to make the county’s leading industry even more vibrant.

“I’d like to thank all of the farmers in our county for providing the beautiful landscape we enjoy and often take for granted, said Sidonio, who is married to Machamer of Hurd Orchards. “It os the farmer who provides the fabric that binds us together and allows us to proudly claim we live in rural America. So thank you to all of our farmers and farm families.”

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Orleans County from 5 p.m. today until 10 a.m. on Saturday with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected.

The advisory also includes Niagara ad Monroe counties. The National Weather Service in Buffalo said travel could be very difficult at times from the snow and sleet.

The Weather Service said the high temperature today will be 40, followed by highs of 35 on Saturday, 40 on Sunday and 40 on Monday.

ALBION – Before he started the Weed Man based out of Albion 21 years ago, Ken Bieber worked 11 years in North Chili for One Step Tree & Lawn Care.

Now, with the retirement of One Step owner Bob Ottley, Bieber is going back to his roots in lawn care. He is starting a new Weed Man franchise in Monroe County and Victor in Ontario County.

Both the new franchise and Bieber’s Buffalo East franchise will operate out of Albion where he currently has 18 trucks for the lawn care business and three for the mosquito and pest control division. Bieber has 50 to 55 employees during the peak season – 15 of those are year-round workers.

“It’s exciting,” Bieber said about the expansion into Monroe County and Victor. “It’s like coming home where I was at the start of my career.”

Bieber said he anticipates he could be up to 80 employees after building up the customer base in the new territory.

Weed Man currently has 6,100 customers in the Buffalo East franchise which includes Orleans, Niagara, Genesee and northern Erie counties.

Bieber built up that franchise working by himself the first three years, with the business based out of his home.

“This is a lot less daunting because I have staff,” he said today at the Weed Man base of operations at 3847 Oak Orchard Rd.

Weed Man participates in Medina’s Parade of Lights on Nov. 25, 2017.

Bieber said he has many long-term key employees who have helped him grow the business. The expansion into Monroe and part of Ontario counties is a chance to hire more local people, and also provide management opportunities for employees.

He has watched some of his long-term employees buy homes and start families. That is among the most rewarding parts of keeping the business locally in his hometown of Albion.

He also values his customers, most have now been with Weed Man for many years. The business provides fertilization, weed control, crabgrass control, core aeration, grub prevention and control, flea and tick control, and mosquito control services.

Bieber has won many awards from Weed Man as a top franchise for customer service and retention/ marketing excellence, and innovation. He recently was honored for his use of social media to connect with new customers.

Locally he also is known for his participation in local parades, often with a giant inflatable of the Weed Man character being pulled by a truck.

He already is out promoting Weed Man in the new territory and he is doing it the old-fashioned way. He has a team knocking on doors, leaving brochures about the Weed Man services.

“It’s a new challenge and I love to grow the business,” Bieber said.

For more on Weed Man, go to the company website and enter your zip code.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) spent the day traveling the district and reading to students in recognition of ‘Read Across America’ Day, which celebrates the importance of reading and literacy across New York and the nation.

Hawley visited Pembroke Primary School and read to the entire first grade class, Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School’s first grade class and Oak Orchard Primary School’s kindergarten class in Medina.

“Reading is such a joy, especially when you’re younger, and I’m grateful I had a day to share in that joy with students across the district,” Hawley said. “Taking a moment to help foster a healthy relationship with reading and literacy early on is incredibly important. I’m thankful for the schools that partnered with me today and allowed me to come read with their students, and I’m thankful to the students for their enthusiasm.”

Father Richard Csizmar has served as pastor in Albion the past 28 years

Photos by Tom Rivers: Father Richard Csizmar is shown inside St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where he has been the parish priest for 28 years. He is retiring from full-time ministry. He will continue to lead Mass at local Catholic churches while living in Albion.

ALBION – The Rev. Richard Csizmar has announced his retirement from full-time ministry after more than a half century as a priest.

Csizmar, 80, could have retired five years ago but chose to continue in a full-time role at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the Holy Family Parish. Csizmar will continue to live in the church rectory in Albion and lead some Mass services as needed in a family of churches that includes Catholic sites in Kendall, Holley, Albion, Medina, Lyndonville, Barker and Middleport.

Father Mark Noonan, the former priest at St. Mark’s in Kendall and St. Mary’s in Holley, is returning to lead the family of local Catholic churches, beginning next weekend.

“It’s been great,” Csizmar said about his 28 years in Albion. “I’ve really loved it. I see myself as the community’s priest.”

Csizmar has two long tenures in his ministry. Before coming to Albion, he served 25 years at Notre Dame High School in Batavia as a teacher and development director. He also served on weekends at St. Joseph’s and St. Anthony’s in Batavia.

He started his ministry with a year in Cherry Creek, and also three months at the Nativity at Harris Hill in Williamsville.

Father Richard Csizmar is shown inside St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. About 700 families are part of the Holy Family Parish.

In Albion, Father Csizmar was active in the Albion Ministerium, a group of local clergy that plan community ecumenical services and a baccalaureate service for graduating high school seniors.

He praised the Albion parish for their love shown towards him and many in the community. The parish includes about 700 families and 1,600 people.

“I have felt at home here,” he said during an interview at the church rectory. “It has been a great run. I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences.”

Father Csizmar said he continues to feel a call to ministry and enjoys preaching and leading Mass.

“I haven’t run out of gas,” he said. “I’m always getting new ideas.”

Susan Starkweather Miller said Father Csizmar has been accepting of new ideas to engage the community, including a new Bible study she is leading with Pete Sidari on Monday mornings and Tuesday evenings. About 70 people are attending that study on the Passion of the Christ. Csizmar is among the attendees.

“Father loves community,” Starkweather Miller said. “He loves to build community in our church. He’s always been very positive and willing to try new things. He is always on board.”

Starkweather Miller is a lecter, eucharistic minister, altar server and Bible study leader at the parish. She is very thankful Father Csizmar will be staying in the Albion community.

“We care so much about him,” she said. “We are so thankful he wants to be with us. Father Dick can continue to do the things he loves.”

Father Dick Csizmar greets Albion firefighters and other first responders during a “Blue Mass” on Oct. 22, 2017 at St. Joseph’s. The service offered appreciation and blessings for first responders. Csizmar worked to connect with many community members during his time at St. Joseph’s.

The parish is also looking forward to Father Mark Noonan leading the family of churches.

“We have the best of both worlds,” Starkweather Miller said.

Joe Gehl is a current church trustee for the Holy Family Parish. He has attended St. Joseph’s since 1971. He said the parish admires Father Csizmar and appreciates his long commitment to the Albion community.

“He is not afraid to get involved in things,” Gehl said. “He considers wherever he is at as part of his family. He just blends in well with anyone regardless of their religious affiliation. He accepts everybody for who they are.”

Father Csizmar in a message to the parish in this weekend’s church bulletin said he is very proud of Mark Noonan who brings a kind and gentle spirit.

“It’s great to be passing the torch to a new generation pastor,” Father Csizmar writes.

Father Richard Csizmar prays a blessing on Albion graduates during a baccalaureate service on June 2, 2019 at the First Baptist Church. Csizmar has been very active in the Albion Ministerium, a group of local clergy members.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Lenten lunches returned on Wednesday for Albion area churches. This group from the Gaines Congregational Church – Laurie Hatch, Kathy Smith and Chris Sartwell – serve soups prepared by the church.

The event was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. The Presbyterians provided sandwiches.

The lunches will be at noon every Wednesday in March at the Presbyterian Church. Different churches take turns providing food and the message.

Marie Follett plays the piano and the Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Albion, leads the singing of hymns during the Lenten luncheon.

The luncheons are back for the first time in three years after being cancelled during the Covid pandemic.

Thaine also delivered a short message for the group. There were about 40 people from several churches at the gathering. The luncheons are free with a goodwill offering accepted.

The Lenten luncheons also are back in Medina at the Presbyterian Church on Main Street. It is a tradition going back several decades and sponsored by Medina Area Association of Churches.

All luncheons are served at the Presbyterian Church, with members of MAAC taking turns preparing the meal. Take-outs are available at 11:45 a.m., with serving at noon followed by a brief message. This year’s theme will explore “The Passion of Christ.”

ALBION – A man who caused about $3,000 in damage to laundry machines and also stole a rifle was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison on Wednesday.

Richard J. Capen pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in the third degree and grand larceny in the fourth degree during a court appearance on Nov. 30.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone asked County Court Judge Sanford Church for state prison for Capen.

The judge imposed the sentence of a minimum of a year in prison and maximum of three years. Capen also needs to pay $3,250 in restitution to Richard Colonna, owner of Washboard Willy’s, and $586 to the owner of the stolen rifle.

The judge also issued orders of protection for eight years for Colonna and his Washboard Willy’s locations, and the gun owner.

Capen also needs to pay a $300 court surcharge, $50 DNA fee and $25 crime victims’ fee.

In another case in court on Wednesday, Travis Bloom, 30, of Medina was arraigned on eight counts of first-degree criminal contempt. Bloom allegedly called a person eight times while he was in the county jail and that person had an order of protection from him.

Student highlights Richard and Mildred Loving, whose case helped overturn laws against interracial marriage

Provided photo: D.J. Lattimore, a student at Iroquois Job Corps, holds the poster he made for Black History Month, depicting Richard and Mildred Loving.

MEDINA – Students at Iroquois Job Corps recently celebrated February as Black History Month by researching the observance and making posters about what they learned.

Lisa Griffith, core reading instructor, shared one of her student’s projects.

D.J. Lattimore chose to research Richard and Mildred Loving, after learning they were arrested for being a married, interracial couple. At the time they were married interracial marriage was illegal in about half of the country.

Richard and Mildred were sleeping in their Virginia home at 2 a.m. July 11, 1958, when the sheriff broke in and woke them. After asking why they were sleeping together (they had been married for five weeks), he arrested them and put them in jail for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act.

Richard spent a night in jail before being released on a $1,000 bond procured by his sister, while Mildred was not allowed a bond and spent three nights alone in a small woman’s cell. She was finally released to her father’s care and after pleading guilty in court, the presiding judge gave them a choice. Leave Virginia for 25 years or go to prison. They left and would spend the next nine years in exile.

Mildred, who already had a child from another relationship, became pregnant and the couple returned to Washington, D.C., where they had been married because interracial marriage was legal there.

During his research, Lattimore learned that the Loving’s case eventually made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled interracial marriage bans were unconstitutional.

Lattimore and his fellow students then viewed the movie “Loving,” based on Richard and Mildred Loving’s life.

Provided photo: Jonathan Oakes, left, and his brother Christopher stand in the State Capitol in Albany on the Million Dollar Staircase with steps made of Medina Sandstone. The brothers were in Albany for meetings of the New York State Apple Association and New York State Cider Association. Jonathan is president of the New York Cider Association and Christopher is vice president of the NY Apple Association.

LYNDONVILLE – There’s no mistaking Christopher and Jonathan Oakes passion for their family business.

The brothers are not only heavily involved in LynOaken Farms, but Christopher is vice chair of the New York Apple Association, while Jonathan is president of the New York Cider Association.

They recently attended annual meetings of their respective organizations in Albany, which they feel is important in urging lawmakers to make laws and provide funding for programs beneficial to farmers.

In addition to Christopher’s and Jonathan’s involvement in their agricultural organizations, their aunt Wendy Oakes-Wilson is a member of the New York Grape and Wine Foundation.

Jonathan has been a member of the New York Cider Association since its founding in 2015. He was elected president last June. He is the winemaker for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

Christopher has been on the New York Apple Association board since 2020 and was elected vice chair a year ago.

“Our involvement in agricultural goes back to our grandfather Jim,” Jonathan said. “He was active in many agricultural agencies, specifically apple organizations.”

Jim’s father Leonard founded the family farm in 1919, raising poultry and vegetables, continuing through World War II. After Leonard died in 1951 and Jim took over, he moved more into fruit and vegetables, Jonathan said. By the 1980s, the farm was mostly a fruit farm. Christopher’s and Jonathan’s dad Darrell heads the farm today.

File photos by Tom Rivers: Chris Oakes, orchard manager at LynOaken Farms and the fourth generation to work on the farm, holds a Redfield apple, a variety that was developed in 1938. The apple has a red flesh and pink seeds. It’s one of the heirloom varieties in a U-Pick orchard at the farm.

Farming has become more challenging in recent years, with all the rules and regulations being enacted in Albany, Christopher said, which is why the Oakes brothers know how important it is to support the Apple and Cider organizations.

Jonathan has always had a penchant for cider and started fermenting in 2003. Their tasting room was opened in 2008 at the winery on Ridge Road in Medina.

He said cider was one of original key beverages in our nation, and since LynOaken Farms had a lot of apples, it made sense to start making cider.

“Then we have a school like Cornell in our back yard,” Jonathan said. “It’s nice for us to collaborate with each other and assure we stay on the front end of things.”

He said the Cider Association is young as an organization, kind of running on the shirttails of the Apple Association.

“It’s been a good relationship so far,” he said.

LynOaken Farms currently grows 250 acres of apples, 16 acres of peaches and 15 acres of wine grapes. The major apple orchards are on their home farm on Platten Road in Lyndonville, while the winery is located at 10609 Ridge Rd., Medina. Commercially, they raise 14 varieties of apples, but their U-pick orchard offers more than 350 varieties. One of these is an ancient type called Ben Davis.

“This was a big variety when the canal came through,” Christopher said. “You could put them on a ship to England and they would still look like an apple when they got there. Of course, they were like shoe leather.”

Christopher said every apple grower in the state is automatically a member of the New York Apple Association. One thing which they advocated for was for a portion of every apple sale to go to the Association for marketing. Currently, 16 cents of every bushel sold goes to fund marketing of New York state apples. The Apple Board meets three times a year – in February, June and November. Meetings are in Albany at budget time and in different locations the other two sessions. The state has 550 apple growers.

Jonathan Oakes, the winemaker at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina, serves wine during the third annual Farm-to-Table dinner on Aug. 2, 2018 in downtown Medina.

The Cider Association is member driven and their funding comes from membership dues. The organization are hoping to convince Albany to increase the line item in the budget for state funding of the Cider Association.

Their requests include funding for a New York Cider Mark Promotion campaign (resulting in full activation on cider labeling indicating 100 percent use of New York apples); Cider Week New York; a New York Cider Trail app to inspire visits to tasting rooms and orchards; and update of the website, social channels and collateral to increase tourist attraction.

The Cider Association has a state director in Hudson Valley and a board of 11 members. They meet every other month, with one general membership meeting in March. Smaller committees meet regularly.

Since growers have started making cider in New York state, it has had a tremendous economic impact, according to information provided by Jonathan. From five licensed producers in 2011, the industry has grown to more than 125 in 2023, employing 6,148 and resulting in $520 million in wages.

The New York Cider Association says the cider industry has a $1.7 billion total economic impact in the state.

The state will celebrate Cider Week New York May 5 to 14 and Oct. 6 to 15. More information can be found on their website at www.ciderweeknewyork.com.

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature today advocated strongly for the elimination of a budget proposal backed by Governor Kathy Hochul that would cost local governments more than $625 million in the coming state fiscal year, and billions in subsequent years.

The proposal would end the longstanding practice of sharing federal Medicaid savings provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with counties and New York City. This funding, known as eFMAP, has been critical to counties’ ability to hold property taxes in check by limiting the local financial burden of Medicaid.

“At a time when our residents are paying more for housing, food, and fuel, Gov. Hochul’s proposal will make living in this state even less affordable,” said Orleans County Chairman Lynne Johnson. “This action would strip $1,059,034 in revenue from the Orleans County budget, which will end up coming out of residents’ pockets in the form of increased property taxes or cuts to vital county services like public safety and road maintenance.”

According to the Governor’s budget materials, this proposal would shift $625 million in Medicaid costs onto local taxpayers in its first year, and the minimum four-year cost to local taxpayers is calculated at between $2.5 billion and $2.9 billion. The New York State Association of Counties estimates that by state fiscal year 2027, the fourth year of this proposal, that state cost shift from this single initiative will be equivalent to an average property tax increase of 7 percent statewide and as high as 14 percent in some counties. To make matters worse, the State is also proposing to permanently keep six years of eFMAP funds, exceeding $1 billion worth of federal assistance owed to counties from unreconciled reimbursements.

“We are concerned that this proposal undermines Congressional intent. New York’s Congressional Delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, fought hard to ensure that local taxpayers wouldn’t bear the burden of expanding Medicaid by specifically designating this funding for counties,” Johnson said. “This proposal reverses the state’s twenty-year practice of sharing these funds with counties and it’s unnecessary. Gov. Hochul must remove this disastrous proposal from her budget and work with counties to reach a compromise that does no harm to counties and maintains the cap on local contributions to Medicaid.”