Legal update for ag
Farmers are much more likely to be found in the field than in the halls of Congress. That’s why industry advocates are vital to influencing legislation, raising awareness of ag concerns to lawmakers and helping farmers better understand how new legislation can affect their operations.
At the recent New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association 2026 Winter Expo in Canandaigua, Jay Holland and Casey Marvell, representing Ostroff Associates Inc., a lobbying and public affairs organization based in Albany, provided an update on the legislative and regulatory issues New York farmers face in corn and soybean production. Ostroff Associates represents the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association.
“We’re like ‘fake lawyers,’” Holland said. “We interact between the industry and government before laws are passed.”
The current New York State Senate balance is 39 Democrats and 22 Republicans. With the federal level as the opposite, with Republican control in the House, Senate and White House, “we’ve seen a lot of bellyaching in Albany about budget cuts,” Holland said.
He added that the passage of President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) impacts the New York State budget and fiscal plan as spending cuts will shrink funding funneling into the state and will likely cause increases in taxes on the wealthy and businesses – including farms.
This year also brings numerous mid-term elections that affect New York, including a nomination for the next gubernatorial race against Kathy Hochul, along with numerous other roles.
Holland said, “2026 is a huge year for elections. Everybody is up for reelections this year.”
The list includes the New York State Attorney General and Comptroller and several senators, assemblymembers and seats in the House of Representatives.
“It really matters which person is elected,” Marvell said. “With the Assembly, the Democrats have a supermajority. They rarely use that power to override the governor.”
Former governor Andrew Cuomo’s Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA), signed into law in 2019, set a goal of net zero emissions in New York State by 2050. The incremental steps include reducing emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
“We just flat-out we won’t meet those goals on time,” Marvell said. “Due to policy provisions in CLCPA, it will be more costly in New York State. It looks much worse compared with the rest of the country.”
Some of these environmental measures raise fuel costs, negatively affecting farming and most other industries. He is not aware of any plans Hochul has for mitigating this effect.
Holland said Hochul is promoting a tariff relief program to the tune of $30 million. “It’s not in her proposed budget, but in her budget briefing,” he clarified.
The New York Sun & Soil Program is collaborating with ag tech working groups to obtain more compensation for farmers involved with research projects. Holland said additional funding in the program should bring more compensation to farmers involved with ag projects.
“Funding for clean water is always a homerun, no matter what the politics,” he said.
The funding – not just for ag projects – will swell from $500 million to $750 million annually.
