A farmer friend of mine once told me about one of his farm hands who would sing to his dairy cows. Let me tell you, these must have been the happiest cows in the North Country because they produced lots of milk for the dairy farm. When his employee became sick for a while, he noticed a significant drop in milk production. As soon as the worker was back on his feet, singing and tending to the cows, the milk began to flow again.

This singing cowhand is an invaluable asset to my friend and his farm business. Farm workers are treated well because of the important role they play in helping our family farms operate.

Sadly, though, there are a large number of misguided New York City politicians who insinuate quite the opposite. They claim that farmworkers in New York are mistreated, overworked, underpaid and must be unionized, which is where the so called Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act comes in. This bill, if ever enacted, would force collective bargaining on our family farms.

Upstate residents know that the negative picture painted by these downstate politicians is the furthest thing from the truth.

New York’s farm working conditions and pay are among the best in the nation. New York farms have the second-highest payroll in the nation, with workers earning well above minimum wage. Existing laws in New York ensure that living standards and working conditions are unrivaled in the nation. In fact, these very factors are what draw workers to our New York farms.

Cornell University conducted a study of New York’s farmworkers, which showed that their desire for opportunities to provide for themselves and their families was far greater than the minimal concern they had over their working conditions. What farmworkers wanted most was to learn English, receive training and integrate into American society.

Another claim made by New York City politicians is that farmworkers are overworked, but on average, work weeks consist of 41 hours, not the astronomical number of hours that the bill’s supporters would like people to believe. New York’s short but intense agricultural season attracts farmworkers because of the abundance of work hours and the ability to earn a decent wage. The efforts of those who are pushing this farm labor bill are, whether they realize it or not, killing the very opportunities for work these men and women want.

Collective bargaining, exorbitant overtime pay and other meddling policies written in the farm unionization bill are what will kill jobs. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, most farms already are operating at a loss, and any additional costs might finally force them to close for good. Unlike corporations and manufacturers, when New York’s assault on businesses becomes too much, family farms can’t just move out of state, they close.

Sometimes when I write these columns I feel like I’m singing to the choir – you already know how important our family farms are to our regional economy. However, we need to continue to promote and advocate for our family farms. We cannot allow the views of a few downstate bureaucrats to threaten our agricultural industry.

I’d love for the sponsor of the farm unionization bill – who can’t tell me whether she’s been on a farm or not – to visit our region and meet our singing friend and tour the farm he works on. Maybe real experience and observation will shed some light on how flawed her bill is and how devastating it would be to the farmers and workers she supposedly wishes to protect.

Please help me share stories about our farmworkers and family farms with the politicians in Albany. If you have a story or idea that can help improve the dialogue about farm labor and agribusiness policies, e-mail me at blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us. Maybe if we keep ‘singing’ about how important agriculture is to our communities, we’ll see that downstate legislators will begin to support family farmers, or at least stop fighting them.