“How ‘farm operation’ gets defined can be weaponized against small farms and collectives like ours,” said Kristin Heltman‑Weiss. “Over the past several years, PFC faced concrete barriers where the organization was not afforded the protections of New York State Agriculture and Markets Law because PFC did not meet the definition of farm operation. Consequently, PFC was delayed in building its barn hub and in accessing public water. Similarly, there are stories of small farms across our region having difficulty getting permits for something as basic as putting up a shed on land zoned for agriculture. For all farmers, navigating the municipal process and the ensuing legal battles for resolution are prohibitively costly and a threat to our local and state food production.”
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