Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo signed State Senate Bill 01952 which, effective immediately, amends Agriculture & Markets Law Section 304-a(4)(g) so that the “change in the base agricultural assessment value for any given year [will not] exceed two percent of the base agricultural assessment value of the preceding year.” Essentially what this means, is that land designated as agricultural (farmland) cannot have its assessed taxable value increased beyond 2% a year. Combined with the earlier enactment of a 2% property tax cap, it is hoped that this new legislation will bring much needed relief from tax increases on family farmers in the State.
As an Upstate New Yorker, I think this is a long overdue amendment to our laws, and one which should help maintain the viability of the families that raise milk cows, grow apples, pick grapes, harvest wheat and farm other crops. In stark contrast to the “industrial-ethanol” farms found in other parts of the nation, over 90% of the farms in New York State are small / family owned farms, and our State has over 170,000 acres of organic farmland alone!
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