New York Farm Bureau upset with Cuomo’s decision

May 17, 2016

Governor is supporting farmworkers right to unionize

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The New York Farm Bureau released a statement expressing its disapproval of Governor Cuomo’s decision to support the New York Civil Liberties Union’s (NYCLU) lawsuit against the state demanding farmworkers are able to unionize.

“We are extremely disappointed to hear the Governor’s Administration supports the NYCLU lawsuit regarding collective bargaining rights for farmworkers,” Dean Norton, New York Farm Bureau President said in a release. “Following on the recently enacted $15 minimum wage increase, the Governor’s decision to not defend the state’s labor law is an affront to agriculture and good farmers across the state.”

New York Farm Bureau

The statement points out that other employee classes aren’t able to collectively bargain, and call the Governor’s position a “disservice to farmers that make up the backbone of (New York’s) rural economy.”

In his statement, Governor Cuomo called the notion that farmworkers aren’t afforded the right to organize “unacceptable, and appears to violate the New York State Constitution.”

“We will not tolerate the abuse or exploitation of farmers in any industry. This clear and undeniable injustice must be corrected.”

NYCLU says it filed the lawsuit on behalf of a farmworker named Crispin Hernandez, who was fired from Marks Farms in Lowville after his employer found him discussing work conditions after hours and in a personal residence.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.