Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On December 8th, at Chatham Brewing, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said craft breweries and distilleries like those in Columbia County, have been booming, pouring local products onto shelves, increasing tourism and infusing new jobs in the Capital Region and across Upstate New York. Which is why Senator Schumer said it is imperative that the federal government provides more support to Upstate New York’s craft beer industry to help new and existing establishments grow. Specifically, Schumer is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow New York farmers and growers access to the Malting Barley Endorsement (M.B.E.), a special federal insurance option, available to only a select group of states that grow malt barley. Schumer said Malt barley needs very specific conditions to grow and is susceptible to severe weather and disease, making the M.B.E. insurance option an essential ingredient to further nurture the growth of this new industry in the Capital Region and beyond. Schumer said that this will become more important over the next decade when New York State will require farm craft brewers and distillers to source 90 percent of their ingredients from local farms and malt houses, and the supply of malt barley will need to increase to meet this demand.