U.S. Rep. Sean Maloney hosts agriculture town hall meeting in Warwick

WARWICK — Freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Maloney of Cold Spring, who now represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, addressed a standing-room only crowd at Warwick’s Town Hall to discuss current issues affecting Hudson Valley agriculture and farmers.

Maloney, who was accompanied by James Barber, the state’s executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, serving on the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management and Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture.

These subcommittees have jurisdiction over numerous crops including fruits and vegetables, crop insurance, commodity exchanges, and biotechnology.

“I’m blown away by this turnout,” said Maloney. “Let me see a show of hands by those who think the government is listening.”

After no one responded, he added, “I don’t, either.”

‘I promise you I will listen’
Maloney joked that Congress was not used to a Democrat requesting an assignment to the Agriculture Committee, but he pointed out that as one of the leading industries in the Hudson Valley, agriculture pumps tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and employs thousands of people.

“As Congress begins to consider a much needed long term-Farm Bill,” he said, “I want to hear the concerns and priorities of our local farmers and producers to ensure that the Hudson Valley continues to have a robust and strong agriculture industry. And I promise you I will listen.”

The town hall audience included local officials and farmers from Orange County as well as surrounding counties in the Hudson Valley,

The burden of regulations
During a question and answer period, many of the farmers voiced their opposition to burdensome bureaucracy, the Affordable Healthcare Act and numerous and overlapping regulations, some of which are in direct conflict with each other.

“The bigger the horse, the more the manure,” quipped Bill Johnson, who reported that his son had to hire a consultant at $75 per hour just to know when he was allowed to spread manure on the family farm.

Earlier in the meeting Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton had mentioned the need for a reliable source of farm labor.

Several farmers voiced their opposition to the myriad regulations involved with the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, the primary legal mechanism through which farmers can hire seasonal agricultural guest workers.

Christopher Pawelski, who owns a farm in Goshen, expressed his concern that the H-2A program was not working and had so many rules, regulations, oversight and heavy penalties that some farmers simply ignore it altogether. He argued for a more simplified guest worker program as part of immigration reform.

“Most of these workers just want to work hard for six to eight months and then return to their own country,” he said.

Pawelski reported that he pays his farm workers well and that he provides housing, utilities and even cable TV in addition to their compensation.

A Westchester horse farm owner admitted that she had to fudge her visa requests for grooms, who are limited to a six-month stay, by hiring them as landscapers, who are permitted to stay for 10 months.

The Department of Labor also came under fire by one farmer for stringent regulations involving the number of hours a young teenager can work after school and the draconian fines for the smallest infringement of the rule.

Maloney said that he appreciated hearing the difficulties expressed and that he would address these issues with his committee.

- Roger Gavan