Ritchie

Each and every day, agriculture affects our lives. From the fresh foods we eat to the clothes we wear, agriculture is at the root of it all, especially in New York State. With 35,000 family farms, record-setting sales exceeding $6.4 billion annually and a workforce of more than 100,000, farming is our state’s most important industry.

In New York State, with the new year will come a number of new laws, including those aimed at enhancing women’s rights, cutting taxes for businesses and better protecting children. Here’s a rundown of measures that will take effect in January of 2016:

New Year’s Eve is a time to look back on the memories we’ve made in the past twelve months and think about what the year ahead will hold. As we prepare to ring in 2016, it’s so important that we take the steps necessary to make sure we stay safe while celebrating.

From making sure they are fed properly to ensuring they get sufficient exercise, being a pet owner comes with a long list of responsibilities. One of the most important things a pet owner is charged with is making sure that your animal stays safe, and that includes protecting them from deadly diseases, like rabies.

It’s often said that in giving, we actually receive. That couldn’t be truer during the holiday season, a time when we have so many opportunities to go out of our way to do something special for someone else. Just recently, people from across Central and Northern New York joined with me to share the spirit of the season with our active duty troops and veterans.

For most people, nothing says Christmas like the smell of a fresh-cut evergreen tree. From Balsam Fir to Blue Spruce, the many varieties of Christmas trees in New York State aren’t just a tradition during the holidays, they’re also a major industry that has a $14.7 million impact on our state’s economy annually.

Whether they are entrepreneurs who are running successful businesses, volunteers who contribute countless hours to nonprofit organizations, women in medicine who devote their lives to keeping us healthy or young girls who are reaching new heights in athletics or personal achievements, we can all learn something from the people who are paving the way for others who will follow in their footsteps.

As members of the United States Armed Forces, our troops are forced to meet very tough demands each and every day. Long deployments that separate soldiers from their loved ones, working in dangerous situations and having to frequently move are just a few of the unique challenges faced by those who serve.

Here in Central and Northern New York, women are doing big things. Helping to continue this trend is the “Upstate Women’s Leadership Council,” a nonpartisan, non-political group which I formed alongside Rep. Elise Stefanik, Jefferson County District Attorney Cindy Intschert and other local leaders from throughout our region.