Resources to Minimize the Language Barrier

At the 2024 Becker Forum in Syracuse, hosted by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, farm owners requested some resources from the Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development to help bridge the gap between language barriers. Below are some of the tools to help your workforce overcome some of these common issues on farm: 

Overtime Tax Credit

Eligible farm employers will be able to apply for the Farm Employer Overtime Tax Credit starting this year to help offset the cost of the overtime premium. Both the state Departments of Agriculture and Markets, and Tax and Finance have set up webpages to help explain this new tax credit and how to apply for it.

H-2A Wage Rates & SOC Codes Explained

The 2024 Becker Forum was hosted by New York State Vegetable Growers Association on Monday, January 22, 2024. At the event, recent changes to the H-2A program were discussed in detail, including from U.S. Department of Labor’s senior H-2A administrator, Mr. Brian Pasternak. Mr. Pasternak shared incredibly important information with the audience, and I want to revisit a few key points here.

USDA’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program

USDA’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP): In extreme brief, $2.2 billion is to be distributed to qualifying farmers and ranchers that experienced discrimination through the USDA’s Farm Loan Programs prior to January 2021. The deadline for applications is January 13, 2024. You can learn more about the program here: https://22007apply.gov/. The Windsor Group is the Read More…

USDA Disaster Designation for New York Will Assist Farms Impacted by May Freeze 8/22 UPDATE for Farm Wineries

This article was republished from Morning Ag Clips: https://www.morningagclips.com/usda-disaster-designation-for-new-york-will-assist-farms-impacted-by-may-freeze/ ALBANY — State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced that 31 counties across New York State have been designated as a primary natural disaster area by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) following the late May frost/freeze event. These designations mean that impacted farmers in Read More…

USDA Disaster Designation for New York Will Assist Farms Impacted by May Freeze

This article was republished from Morning Ag Clips: https://www.morningagclips.com/usda-disaster-designation-for-new-york-will-assist-farms-impacted-by-may-freeze/ ALBANY — State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced that 31 counties across New York State have been designated as a primary natural disaster area by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) following the late May frost/freeze event. These designations mean that impacted farmers in Read More…