New York environmental leaders recently approved aggressive moves designed to cut greenhouse gases and emissions, but farmers are wondering just how it will be done without raising costs. And some say the technology needed isn't even in place yet.

Right now, there are still a lot of unanswered questions from farmers whose chosen livelihood depends on the land.

“The farmers want to take care of their land, they make their livelihood off the land," said farmer Kim Zuber. "We can't feed these guys without taking care of the land.”

Zuber knows the hard work it takes. The Western New York farmer also knows that being a steward of the land takes new, cleaner ideas.

“It is a good idea," he said. "We all want to be carbon neutral, but you can’t put the cart before the horse.”

The New York Farm Bureau has some questions about a lofty zero-emissions plan put forth by the New York Climate Action Council. Aside from raising more than 5,000 head of cattle, Zuber also farms 3,500 acres of land. It's an operation that relies on a fleet of machinery — all of which are powered by gasoline or diesel.

“Downstate is where all the legislative power is and most of those people have never been on the farm," Zuber said. “I wish lawmakers and regulators, instead of listening to pundits, would actually talk to the people in the industry and see what is possible, what can be done.”

One major issue for farmers: There is no viable option right now for running heavy machinery on battery power.

“The battery life, the amount of power it’s taking when farmers go to work in the spring, working 12 to 15 hours, they can’t stop to charge a tractor up," said Zuber. "And the technology just isn’t there yet.”

Zuber believes the technology will eventually catch up. But at age 70, he doesn’t see it happening while he’s still farming. It will be costly, and not just for farmers.

“With this carbon neutral program ... it's going to be expensive," Zuber said. "And people living on the edge, prices of food are going to go up, so it’s gonna make it worse for them.”

Farming has certainly evolved by leaps and bounds, even in Zuber’s time. It’s one thing to set goals and another to realistically reach them.

“The technology is not quite there to do what they want to do and it's going to be extremely expensive and they need to be aware of that," Zuber said.

Like everyone else, farmers are already facing high inflationary costs. Costs are up for energy, transportation, labor, fertilizer and supplies.

The New York Farm Bureau is working to counteract these costs with different programs, such as direct sales from farmers to consumers.

The New York Climate Action Council’s plan would require the state, as a whole, to achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030, a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2040 and net zero emissions statewide by 2050.