Agriculture is a more than $3.6 billion industry in the state of New York,​ but it’s not without its problems. This week on In Focus, Assemblymember Carrie Woerner joins JoDee Kenney on a Washington County farm to discuss the problems facing the agriculture industry in the Empire State. Woerner’s district covers Saratoga and Washington counties, home to many farms, and she is a big supporter of farms herself. But one thing she’s heard from her constituents in the industry is that there’s a real problem with an aging workforce — fewer and fewer young people are becoming farmers. Woerner says programs like FFA (Future Farmers of America) are instrumental in introducing kids to the industry at a young age. But even if more young people develop an interest in farming, there are other issues to contend with, like the issue of increasing costs of labor. Most farmers don’t get to set their own prices, which means they can’t offset the increased costs that come with New York’s increasing minimum wage, which Woerner says is driving more and more farmers out of business. 

You can watch the full interview with Assemblymember Carrie Woerner in the video player 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.