At Maple View Dairy in Madrid for the announcement of the expansion of a Cooperative Extension program into Northern New York are, from left, Dave Fisher and Pat Fisher of Mapleview, Sen. Ritchie, and Lou Ann McKnight.

MADRID -- Officials have announced the expansion into the North Country of a program that works to support farmers in the areas of dairy processing, food safety, local food distribution, marketing, dairy modernization and profitability.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Patty Ritchie, Republican senator from Heuvelton, and Cornell Cooperative Extension say the Harvest NY program, already serving 16 counties in Western New York, will be using specialists in the North Country to promote dairy value-added processing and marketing, agricultural business development and marketing, and livestock processing and marketing.

The announcement was made Tuesday at Mapleview Farm in Madrid.

Experts in these positions will work closely with Cornell faculty members and local and regional Extension staff to bring new information and agricultural resources to the region, according to a press release from Sen. Ritchie’s office.

“Agriculture has been a bright spot in the state during a difficult fiscal period and is crucial to a sustainable upstate economy. Economic development opportunities exist in the areas of production, processing, marketing, job retention and growth, and business development,” said Cornell Cooperative Extension Director Chris Watkins. “Through the expansion of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest NY Initiative, we can build on the momentum of current efforts to enhance New York’s agriculture and food economy in Northern New York.”

“Harvest NY is an innovative extension initiative, the first of its kind in the country,” said Cornell Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Kathryn Boor. “By maximizing the connections that farmers and producers have to the research and resources of Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell is providing unparalleled leadership in economic development in New York’s food and agricultural sectors which has become a model for other states,”

“As someone who grew up on a family farm, I learned at a young age that farming is hard work—and today, I know how important it is to support our farm families and the work they do,” said Sen. Ritchie.

“Supporting farmers means a stronger economy for rural communities all across Upstate New York,” she said. “We’ve seen how big of an asset Harvest NY has been to the agriculture industry in the Western part of our state, and I’m excited that this important program will soon be making its mark in our region.”