Whatever your question or concern, NY FarmLink can help you clarify your problem, brainstorm solutions, and develop a plan of action.

Depending on your specific question or concern, NY FarmLink will:

• Answer you directly
• Send you information
• Assign a NY FarmLink consultant to help you and your family
• Refer you to a different agency or resource

Information:  Often our callers seek specific information such as a contact number for an agency or a publication on a specific topic. We provide the most current information available to us.  This information may be given over the phone or mailed to the caller.

Consulting:  The FarmLink consultant network consists of over 50 individuals, each with personal agricultural experience, located throughout New York State.  According to their particular area of expertise, these individuals have extensive training in areas of finance, management, taxation, legal issues and social work. 

Program staff and consultants coordinate on-farm visits as soon as a producer initiates a request for such assistance.    Sometimes the consultant will only make one visit, but more frequently the consultant will make several visits. In some cases two consultants will make co-visits in order to assure that both farm and family concerns are addressed.

Our consultants provide free and confidential on-farm visits to answer questions and help find solutions to producers’ concerns.

Referral: Although the FarmLink staff person who answers the phone is familiar with farming and farm issues, we may not have or be able to find the specific information you need.  If we know of someone else who has the information, you will be referred directly to that source.  Referrals are made from a current database of trusted and experienced individuals ready to help with your specific needs.  The database includes lawyers, bankers, estate planners, insurance agents, financial advisors, and government agencies that work specifically with the agricultural sector.  We network with other agribusinesses, service providers, educators, and specialists on a daily basis for the benefit of the producers we help and to stay current with agricultural issues. 

Reference Library
In addition, FarmLink offers an on-line reference library for visitors seeking resources.  The reference library offers a wide range of quantitative and qualitative tools and publications, by topic area, for review.  The library is available at the following location:  www._____.