Dairy farmer worries about the future of New York agriculture

Dairy farmer Jeff King told the Albany Times Union that a lower overtime threshold will be “the final nail in the coffin for small family-run farms like his.”

“If a farm worker came to me and said they only wanted to work 40 hours a week, I would make sure they only worked 40 hours a week, but most workers want to earn as much money as possible. There are people who are happy to work 60 hours a week,” King said. The passage of the 40-hour threshold will decimate the agricultural sector for New York, he said, especially for dairy, which is restricted in how much it can charge for milk because of federal pricing standards. “This will be a direct cost to us. When we talk about inflation, get ready,” he said.

Click here to read full article in the Times Union