Last month, Democrat Darrel Aubertine, an upstate dairy farmer, won a special election for the 48th Senate District in northern New York, bringing the Democrats closer to control of the State Senate. This was an historic victory as the region had been represented by Republicans for more than 120 years.

One major line of attack developed during the campaign was that the Democrats only cared about New York City and downstate. This attack was false, and the voters clearly rejected it. Upstate has been represented almost exclusively by the GOP for decades and they haven’t done that great a job. I believe that, in countering this attack, Senator Aubertine and our Democratic colleagues in the State Senate have a real opportunity to move our state beyond the upstate/downstate rivalry, toward recognition of the ties that bind the diverse regions of our state together. Perhaps the greatest of these ties is agriculture, which is the foundation of the upstate economy and a critical piece of the downstate food supply. Strengthening our agricultural base and building stronger connections between food producers and food consumers in New York State must be a central part of the State’s economic development efforts. And since I want to see more Democrats elected upstate (and downstate too!) our party must demonstrate that we can be leaders in these efforts.

Agriculture is a 3.6 billion dollar industry in New York, and improving the climate for agriculture must be part of our economic development strategy—particularly in a time of recession when the importance of a diversified economy is magnified. As other industries suffer, rising global demand for food is actually making agriculture increasingly profitable. The New York Times reported on March 9th that wheat prices have more than tripled in the last few years and annual consumption has exceeded production in seven of the last eight years, cutting into reserves. Other crop prices have also risen dramatically as diets have improved in developing countries, increasing demand. We need to make sure our farmers have the resources to expand production to meet this rising demand. The inclusion of $50 million in economic development funding as part of the “Upstate Revitalization Fund” proposed in this year’s executive budget shows the importance of investment in agriculture. The state also has a key role to play in ensuring that we are getting the most bang for our buck out of our agricultural land by encouraging production of crops that are in high demand – whether for the global or downstate food markets, or for conversion into bio-fuels and bio-plastics.

The state must also take an active role in preserving farmland at risk of suburban sprawl, where housing developments swallow up more and more rural land. Sprawl is damaging on many levels – not only does it undermine the agricultural industry, but it contributes to pollution from automobiles as people have to drive greater distances. Sprawl also leads to the decay of upstate cities by taking resources away that could be used to rebuild and revitalize existing neighborhoods. Fighting suburban sprawl is a great uniting issue, and one that is of concern to leaders trying to stabilize the upstate economy, agricultural interests, as well as environmentalists.

The upstate/downstate divide can be addressed by improving linkages between food producers in New York State and consumers in New York City. Late last year I wrote to the head of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) to highlight some of the ways that in-state purchase of New York State-grown crops could be encouraged. These included increasing coordination between the New York City office of ESDC and the State Department of Agriculture, and better utilization of the Hunt’s Point Market to build linkages between upstate producers and downstate restaurants and other retailers. The State could also institute a “Grown in New York” labeling system to encourage purchase of local products. Again, this would be good for both consumers and producers, since locally grown products are fresher and shipped shorter distances, which is much less harmful to the environment.

For New York State to truly thrive, all regions within the State must be thriving. State policy should recognize and encourage the economic strengths of all parts of the State. I look forward to drawing on the knowledge of our newest colleague in our effort to forge stronger links between upstate and downstate New York.