Source: The Saratogian
Publication Date: June 25, 2010
Anyone who has taken a trip across upstate New York knows that our open spaces and farmland are among our greatest treasures. They have been an integral part of the state's character for generations, and their survival is a direct consequence of New York's commitment to protecting natural resources - a commitment that dates back to the era of Teddy Roosevelt.

New revenues could help offset cuts to farmland and open space protection efforts, says NYLCV President Marcia BystrynBut these treasures are now at serious risk. Recent budget cuts have gutted the state's program to preserve open spaces and that means less protection for farms that are the target of developers who seek to turn our pastures and crop fields into strip malls and subdivisions.

The state Legislature has the opportunity to confront both problems by allowing consumers to buy wine where they buy their groceries. According to the New York State Department of Budget, the Wine Industry and Liquor Store Revitalization Act will raise $300 million in new revenue without raising taxes - and make our farms stronger in the process.

If just five percent of the new wine revenue were dedicated to farmland protection efforts, New York state could leverage this new investment to help meet the approximately $70 million of commitments made through the Farmland Protection Program. Those commitments have been delayed because of previous cuts and accounting tricks that have gutted the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

In 1969, when wine was introduced to grocery stores in Washington state, sales increased by 26 percent. When wine was introduced to grocery stores in Iowa in 1985, annual wine sales increased by nearly 80 percent. Since New York-based wineries will be able to sell their products in more locations, and because the sale of wine in grocery stores will lead to the expansion of the local wine industry, more farmers will be able to stay in business - rather than succumb to the threat of development.

Research shows that allowing New York wines to be sold in grocery stores would create more than 2,000 new jobs in the wine industry for grape farmers, wine makers, and wine distributors. At a time of record development, it's hard to ignore this economic potential.

And in addition to creating jobs and making farms more economically viable, the sale of wine in grocery stores would also restore New York's battered Farmland Protection Program. Just last month, the state Legislature cut this program by

53 percent - a move that will have serious consequences for farms that are barely hanging on.

It's no wonder this proposal has the support of six in ten New Yorkers, as well as small businesses, consumers, farmers and unions across the state. It's a true win-win for New York, and why the New York State League of Conservation Voters has wholeheartedly endorsed the proposal and why other conservation groups like Scenic Hudson and the American Farmland Trust have signed on.

A farm is lost to development every three days in New York. By allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores - at no cost to taxpayers - our state lawmakers can give our farmers a fighting chance and retain these natural treasures for good.

Marcia Bystryn is president of New York League of Conservation Voters.