More Funding Sought for Cornell Program That Supports Dairy Farms

Story by Samuel King/ New York Public News Network

Dairy farmers in New York are seeking more investment in a Cornell program that helps support their industry.

Supporters said state funding for the Pro-Dairy program has remained stagnant since 2014, at a time when the dairy industry is booming.

“I give Pro-Dairy a lot of credit for making the New York state dairy industry what it is,” said Hannah Worden, who has a family farm in Ontario County. “They provide a lot of support, they do research, they help us with business.”

The Northeast Dairy Producers Association is seeking an increase of $1.125 million to support Pro-Dairy’s work. That would bring funding up to more than $2 million annually.

“We’re at a situation where the industry is asking for more of what we do: more of the farm business management type of education and decision-making, more of an ability to help farmers refine dairy nutrition, to optimize production,” said Karl Czymmek, senior extension associate with Pro-Dairy. “And so, [it] will be hard for us to meet the demands from the industry in the current situation.”

Czymmek credited Gov. Kathy Hochul and her team for helping New York lead the nation in new dairy processing investment last year.

Hochul has proposed other investments in the dairy industry in her budget proposal, including another round of funding to help modernize dairy farms.

Lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate will unveil their own budget proposals next week as negotiations with the governor intensify. The budget is due at the end of the month.

Image: Dairy Cows housed in barn at the Welcome Stock Farms Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Schuylerville, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)