Senator Patty Ritchie, chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, today welcomed a proposal by the Governor to eliminate Thruway tolls for farmers, noting that it mirrored a similar plan that passed the Senate last year to help expand markets for Upstate agriculture.

“To grow agriculture and strengthen family farming, we need to find ways to open up new markets for farmers, including markets downstate and in major cities along the Thruway corridor,” said Senator Ritchie.

“By eliminating tolls for farmers, we can provide real savings that help boost their bottom line, and make it more appealing for farmers to bring their products to new markets, and I am hopeful that this toll-relief plan gains support in the Assembly so that it’s included in the final budget as just one initiative to help farmers grow.”

The Senate proposed eliminating Thruway tolls for farmers as part of Senator Ritchie’s 2015 agriculture plan, called “Grown in New York.” The measure passed the Senate, but the Thruway toll provision was removed from the final budget.

Governor Cuomo signaled that he'll include the proposal in his Executive Budget, which he is scheduled to release next week. The final budget is due April 1.