The final 2012-13 state budget includes significant funding for agricultural programs throughout the state, according to Assemblywoman Addie Russell (D-Theresa) of northern New York’s 118th “River District.”

“This legislation will go a long way in bolstering our state’s economy – especially in the North Country,” Russell said. “The farming industry is the backbone of our community, so we need to do all that we can to continue strengthening and expanding these programs.”

The funding will go to a variety of different programs for, among other things, development, research and outreach in the farming community.

The final budget restores $821,000 in funding for the NY Farm Viability Institute, an organization that works with farms throughout the state and provides grant funding to applied research and outreach education projects. It also restores $100,000 for the Maple Producers Association and adds $100,000 to the Farm Net Program (Farm Family Assistance).

“The maple industry is an important piece of the North Country’s economy,” Russell said. “By supporting this program and others like it, we are putting our hardworking North Country families, as well as New York State as a whole, on the right track to economic prosperity.”

The budget also targets investment toward expansion of large animal veterinary studies, the integrated pest management program, and provides $500,000 for the Northern NY Agricultural Development Program, Russell noted.