ON-AIR SEGMENT: Ben Simons prepares to lobby in Albany, with aims of focusing on assistance for local families suffering from roof collapses

There is quite a long road ahead for families looking to recover from having their roofs collapse this winter, especially dairy farmers who have lost their barns and some of their livestock, says one local agriculture figure.

Ben Simons is preparing to head out to Albany, NY and start lobbying on behalf of New York dairy farmers and other agriculture producers.

This year, the main focus is going to revolve around riling up both state and federal assistance for those families suffering the loss of property or livestock, due to the extremely heavy weight of this winter's snow-pack.

"You would start out with the Governor's office that would declare a section of the state as a disaster area," Mr. Simons told us, while clarifying the disaster zone would extend west of Herkimer County and to the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. 

"And then I am sure we will probably go on to the federal government and then ask the United States Department of Agriculture for them to declare an agriculture disaster."

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air segment with Ben Simons for more of his insight:

This month alone, it has been difficult to keep track of the number of establishments and barns that have collapsed, or have been compromised in some way.

Dozens and dozens of different barns and other structures have caved within the Central and Northern New York regions within the last few weeks.

This development comes on the heels of reports this week, where state lawmakers have also made calls upon the Governor to provide assistance.

Ben Simons image.