The New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI) was recognized at a federal House Committee on Agriculture hearing in Canandaigua, N.Y., on June 26.

"The New York Farm Viability Institute is the most efficient new vehicle for funding research, economic development and extension in the state," said N.Y. State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick H. Brennan. "What makes the institute so exciting is that the board of directors is comprised solely of farmers -- they know the obstacles and they make the decisions."

Brennan said that while he was at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 10 Agriculture Innovation Centers were established with $1 million each for a total of $10 million nationally. Leveraging its original $1 million, the NYFVI has been awarded $8 million by the New York state government for the funding of innovative research and extension activities designed in response to farmer-identified needs and opportunities.

The Canandaigua hearing is the eighth in a series of field hearings to gather producer feedback about current farm policy in preparation for reauthorizing the 2002 Farm Bill. Roughly 130 local producers, agribusiness leaders and agriculture officials attended.

When U.S. Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.) asked the panelists to list their major needs for the 2007 Farm Bill, all 10 agreed on research and extension. U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said that even in states that had virtually no specialty crops, the answer was the same.

NYFVI has been funding projects that address these needs in New York state. It provides New York's farmers and growers with access to a network of production, business planning, marketing and agricultural and horticultural specialists that includes Cornell faculty and extension educators.

Patricia McGlynn is NYFVI's development coordinator.