Need for Immigration Reform Stressed Repeatedly

BATAVIA -- Niagara County fruit grower Jim Bittner said aggressive enforcement of immigration laws has turned many local farms into a "war zone."

Bittner was one of several farmers who told an Oklahoma congressman on Tuesday that Congress's inability to reform immigration laws has put many farms at risk of having too few workers to milk cows, and tend to fruit and vegetable crops.

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Need for Immigration Reform

Farm Bureau Still Hopeful on Wine in Groceries

Ten wineries held a fundraiser this weekend to raise money to help their fight to have wine sold in supermarkets. It was held at the Three Brothers Winey in Geneva.

Peter Gregg of the New York Farm Bureau says there's still a change a bill could be passed in Albany this year, and that it would be great news for the wine industry in the Finger Lakes.

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Still Hopeful on Wine in Groceries

Shortage of Licensed Slaughterhouses Hampers Small Farmers' Efforts

Greg Atwood checks pregnant heifer at Copper Creek

In some respects, John Bermon's livelihood as a small-scale livestock farmer hangs on a thread.

The owner of Aberdeen Hill Farm produces pasture-raised pork, lamb and beef in Gorham, Ontario County. Before he can sell his meat at nearby farmers markets or deliver it to customers in the Rochester area during winter months, he drives his animals more than 80 miles to Troy, Pa., where they are slaughtered and processed in a small, family-owned facility that is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Depending on the time of year, that trip can be a weekly occurrence.

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Shortage of Licensed Slaughterhouses

Proposed 'Deathanol' Plant in Oswego County Raises Some Stink

Not sure why, but whenever the topic turns to human or animal waste my name comes up. It happened again when a group of activists in Oswego County invited me to coffee to hear their beefs about a proposed combination 72,000-head slaughterhouse/ethanol plant there.

That’s a lot of bovines — enough to stretch from the Town of Schroeppel, whose board backs the project, to the Pennsylvania border and beyond. And that’s just one way to visualize the project.

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Proposed 'Deathanol' Plant