This weekend on In Focus, we’re opening a conversation on the start of the holiday season.

JoDee Kenney welcomed in Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon, whose district covers the greater Utica area. The assemblymember’s family also owns and operates Buttenschon Christmas Tree Farm in Marcy, a third-generation-run destination for people from all over the area.

As a member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Buttenschon said the family business provides a wealth of knowledge as she approaches her legislative work. Small businesses, Buttenschon said, are crucial to the upstate economy, and understand that no single business stands alone as visitors to one destination often patronize several shops and restaurants in the area.

In addition to her work supporting small business and agriculture, Buttenschon spoke about addressing mental health and substance abuse treatment, as well as programs working to promote economic growth across her district and beyond.

You can watch the full interview with Assemblymember Buttenschon above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.