ALBANY, NY — “On National Agriculture Day, I encourage all New Yorkers to pause and recognize the hard work of our farmers—the one percent of our population that feed the remaining 99 percent—and celebrate the diverse and unique agricultural industry in New York State that remains strong,” said state agriculture and markets commissioner Richard Ball.

New York State is home to more than 30,000 farms that rank among the nation’s top producers of more than 30 commodities. 

Ball cited some of New York’s advantages: water, rich soil, proximity to marketplaces and “one of the best agricultural education systems in the nation that support the industry, not to mention a next generation of FFA students.”