The public should be concerned about protecting a valuable resource, says Roman Diamond of Syracuse, NY.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, February 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nothing has brought food security into question in current American history more than the recent pandemic. With shortages of all kinds caused by a global supply chain crisis, leaders are looking at how those lines can be shortened and more things produced closer to home. Roman Diamond of Syracuse, NY, made recent comments on how important the New York farmland was for the region. He spent two terms on the Lysander Town Board as a councilman and now serves as an insurance agent. His passion for farmland stems from his time spent in Boy Scouts, where he earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

“Farmland is an invaluable resource,” he notes. “We need to protect wildlife as well as cultivated land for our future generations. New York has beautiful areas, and development constantly threatens to overrun those spaces.”

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture, 20 percent of the state’s land is currently covered in fields and farms. This accounts for more than seven million acres of actively productive land that are part of a $3.6 billion industry in New York. Farms in the state are top producers of:

Cottage cheese (nationally ranked 1st, according to NASDA)
Apples (2nd)
Cabbage (2nd)
Milk (3rd)
Grapes (3rd)
Wine (3rd)
Maple Syrup (3rd)
Cauliflower (3rd)

Many other fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock are produced by these farms. The farmland in New York receives plenty of rain and has fertile soil, making it ideal for growing conditions.

Roman Diamond says Syracuse and other surrounding areas need to continue actively protecting these lands. “Supporting farmers is just the first step,” he says. “You need to protect the lands themselves. It requires finding solutions to farm sustainably and safely. You can’t have farmland without farmers—and you can’t have farmers without farmland.”

He suggests lawmakers continue to look for supporting conservation efforts to protect the land, as well as providing property tax credits for active farmland. “We especially want to support the ‘little guy’ in farming,” he explains. “It’s so important that we don’t give the wrong support and make it difficult for them to compete with the corporate farms. We need farmer-to-table options. The people who are involved in this process should have a passion and knowledge for their craft—it can’t be a cold systemic approach. True sustainability is going to protect the farmer.”

New York currently has more than 35,000 farms. Roman Diamond explains that the consumer can help protect farmland by buying their produce and goods from those farms. He recommends visiting Syracuse farmer’s markets to support the local farmers. “Fresh produce that is cultivated and sun-ripened right here in Syracuse is noticeably different,” he says.

Roman Diamond
Roman Diamond Syracuse
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