When I look ahead to the next two years the two words that keep coming to mind are stewardship and sustainability. Stewardship of the spectacular resources that surround us here in the Hudson Valley and ensuring that we move forward with a future that is sustainable both environmentally and economically, protecting the things we love about our region while nurturing them to be the economic drivers we know they can be.photo (5) Essential to this is ensuring we have the good-paying jobs to keep our hard-working families in the region, that we work to attract students who come to college in the Hudson Valley to stay here after they graduate and that we encourage young people who go away for school or to “see the world” come back here to raise their families. We need to create the social norm so that all the “cool kids” know this is the place to be when they are ready to start their careers and families! I will continue to be a passionate advocate for our family farms, working to increase opportunities in agriculture for returning veterans; working to encourage diversified revenue streams for farms through farm stays and more value added products; and working to ensure that everyone understands that agriculture is a business and a key economic engine. In our country today there is a $25 Billion unmet need for “local” food. People say they are willing to spend more on local food; millennials as a cohort are particularly drawn to “artisan” products; and the majority of shoppers understand that “buying local” helps the local economy, which they want to support. And, while other states are struggling with water shortages, farming in our state and region is viewed in some circles as a hedge against climate change. In the Hudson Valley, agriculture has driven growth in tourism, food production, the farm to table restaurant boom, as well as small businesses that have cropped up to serve these sectors. In Columbia County we are seeing efforts to expand goat farming, spurred by a large French chevre company and throughout the valley we are seeing historic crops like hops and other grains being re-planted to address the state’s incentives for craft breweries, distilleries and cideries. Our office will continue to look to ways to support the municipalities and school districts we represent, whether helping them access state funds through the Regional Economic Development Council process or fighting for relief from unfunded state mandates. As Universal Pre-Kindergarten expands upstate, we are pushing again this year to assure that this program is truly universal and that four year olds with special needs are included in the program and in the funding. This important change will improve educational and social outcomes for kids, make it easier for families and relieve counties of millions of dollar in unfunded mandate to pay for special needs pre-k that they have shouldered for too long. For full remarks: didibarrett/?p=1360
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:45:01 +0000
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