Tenney holds Farm Bill roundtable in Batavia in first of 3 sessions to hear from ag community

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney   

Claudia Tenney

BATAVIA – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today kicked off the first stop of her Farm Bill listening tour in Western New York with an open-door roundtable meeting in Batavia.

During the event, Tenney heard directly from constituents, including many area farmers, about the challenges they are facing and their priorities in Congress.

Tenney held the open-door roundtable as part of her Farm Bill listening tour, which she kicked off ahead of Congress’s consideration of the 2023 Farm Bill later this year. The Farm Bill is considered by Congress every five years and sets comprehensive policies that guide agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policies across the country.

This was the first of three stops Tenney announced as part of her listening tour. Additional roundtables will be held for constituents in Oswego on April 5 and in Phelps on April 6.

“Thank you to the many farmers from across Western New York who attended today’s roundtable discussion,” Tenney said. “New York’s 24th District is the largest agriculture district in the Northeast, home to some of the nation’s finest family farms and agricultural enterprises. As Congress begins to craft the 2023 Farm Bill, this was a great opportunity to hear testimonies directly from our farmers, who are hurting because of Democrat policies in Albany and Washington. I am bringing their feedback with me to Congress to ensure their voices shape the legislative process. I will always be a tenacious and compassionate advocate for our region’s farmers and hardworking families.”

At today’s roundtable event, Tenney was also joined by State Senator George Borello, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and a representative from the office of Satte Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt.

Following today’s roundtable, Tenney visited Sweet Dream Maple Farm to meet with the owners of this family-owned business and learn more about the needs and priorities of our region’s maple farmers. Tenney is co-chair of the Maple Caucus in Congress.

“I want to thank Congresswoman Tenney for hosting this important listening session and applaud all of the individuals involved in our local agriculture industry for taking the time out of their busy schedules to discuss the future of farming in our nation with us,” Ortt said. “New York’s family farms are quite literally the backbone to our economy – making up 90 percent of our state’s agriculture industry. Forty-year high inflation, record-high fuel prices, severe worker shortages, and the overtime threshold passed by Albany bureaucrats has severely impacted this industry.

“Each year, we lose more and more of these family farms directly due to their detrimental policies,” Ortt continued. “I can confidently say, on behalf of the NYS Senate Republican Conference, that we will continue the fight for common-sense legislation that protects, supports, and enables our family farms to succeed.”