Rep. Delgado Visits Kingston Farm, Holds Roundtable with Young Farmers in Ulster County
KINGSTON, NY—Today, during an in-district work period focused on young farmers in New York’s 19th Congressional District, Rep. Antonio Delgado toured the Solid Ground Farm in Kingston, then held a roundtable with young farmers from around Ulster County and the Hudson Valley, as well as members of the Hudson Valley and Catskills Young Farmers Coalitions, chapters of the National Young Farmers Coalition. The conversation focused on addressing the challenges faced by young farmers during this down farm economy and how Congress can work with farmers in the area to overcome obstacles to land acquisition and increase the availability of produce from local farms in schools and food pantries throughout the community. Rep. Delgado also discussed House passage of his bipartisan legislation, the Family Farmer Relief Act, which eases the process of reorganizing debt through Chapter 12 bankruptcy rules.
“Farming in Upstate and across the Hudson Valley is a way of life, and supporting family farmers means cultivating and empowering the next generation of farmers. Today I had the opportunity to tour Solid Ground Farm in Kingston and meet with young farmers from across the region about how Congress can remove barriers to opportunity in farming.” Rep. Delgado continued, “I look forward to continuing to partner with young farmers and family-owned small farms to build on successes such as House passage of the Family Farmer Relief Act, my bipartisan legislation to assist farmers during this down farm economy, and innovative programs like the Young Farmer Success Act which allows young farmers to start and maintain farms while providing much needed relief from student loan debt. I thoroughly enjoyed today’s conversations and look forward to continued partnerships with young farmers and growers in NY-19.”
“We are grateful for Congressman Delgado’s leadership in addressing critical barriers facing the next generation of farmers and ranchers, including access to land, student loan debt, climate change, and affordable health care. This event was a powerful opportunity for young farmers in NY-19 to share what’s standing in the way of their success and to brainstorm policy solutions together with the Congressman,” said Sophie Ackoff, V.P of Policy and Campaigns for the National Young Farmers Coalition.
Last week, the House passed Representative Antonio Delgado’s (NY-19) bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2336, the Family Farmer Relief Act, which would ease the process of reorganizing debt through Chapter 12 bankruptcy rules. Rep. Delgado previously testified before the House Judiciary Committee on this bipartisan legislation, and applauded its bipartisan passage through the Committee. In addition, last month, Rep. Antonio Delgado (NY-19) and House colleagues introduced the Young Farmer Success Act, a bipartisan effort to preserve America’s agricultural economy and the security of its national food supply by adding full-time farmers and ranchers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program which was introduced with the support of the Young Farmers Coalition, based in Hudson, New York.
As a member of the Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Small Business Committees, Delgado has prioritized bringing the voices of small farmers to Washington. The 19th Congressional District is the eighth most rural district in the country and the third most rural district represented by a Democrat. There are nearly 5,000 farms and over 8,000 farm operations in the district. Throughout Delgado’s first seven months in office, he has created a 19th Congressional District Agriculture Advisory Committee and toured farms and sat down with local farmers to hear about localized infrastructure, technology needs, and sustainable farming practices.
