League of Women Voters of Saratoga County

Agriculture Study

video iconDown on the Farm: Issues Facing the Family Farmer Today

Panel discussion recorded Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Video will be available soon.

Panelists:

  • David Haight, American Farmland Trust, New York
  • Jennifer Stevens, Cornell Co-operative Extension Saratoga County
  • David Holck, USDA Farm Service Agency
  • Pandora Davis, bovine veterinarian

Co-sponsors:

  • American Farmland Trust
  • Farm Service Agency

Agriculture Update: LWVUS Board adopts tentative scope

The LWVUS Board has named the study passed by the 2012 Convention as the Agriculture Update. Subject to review and recommendation by the Update Committee, the Board also adopted this scope for the update: "The Agriculture Update will focus narrowly on (1) current technology issues in agriculture including genetically modified organisms (GMOs), herbicides, pesticides, sustainable farming, agriculture water pollution, aquifer depletion, antibiotics in livestock, and accurate food labeling; and (2) current agriculture finance issues including consolidation in agriculture industries, crop subsidies and the federal agricultural regulatory process."

History: League's history and current position on agricultural policy

The Global Farmland Rush: NY Times Opinion page, February 5, 2013

We will be providing more information about this study as it becomes available.

booksEducation Study

Our league participated in a LWVUS study and consensus regarding the proper role of the Federal Government in Education. In March of 2012, the LWVUS Board approved a new position on the federal role in public education. This position is based on responses received from the 377 Leagues across the country who participated in the Education Study.

Read more about the League of Women Voters' position on the Federal Role in Public Education.

Thank you to all who worked on the study and attended the meetings.

Privatization Study

Our league also participated in a LWV nation-wide consensus study of privatization. The purpose of this study was to identify those parameters and policy issues to be considered in discussing proposals to transfer federal, state or local government services, assets and/or functions to the private sector.

The LWVUS Board approved a new Position on Privatization at its June 2012 meeting.

We thank our study leaders and participating members for their work on this study.