Grassroots: New York Farm Bureau's Newspaper, History, Staff and Readers
Profile updated November 2026
Grassroots New York Farm Bureau members know their newspaper simply as Grassroots: a bimonthly paper sent to New York Farm Bureau (NYFB) members and agricultural supporters across the Empire State. It reports on farm issues and news, highlights members, lists Farm Bureau activities and runs classifieds.
| Publisher | New York Farm Bureau |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Bimonthly |
| Roots | Broome County, 1911 |
| Headquarters | 159 Wolf Road, Suite 300, Albany, New York |
| President | David Fisher |
| Readership | Nearly 60% of surveyed members read every issue (2025) |
| Official website | NYFB.org: Grassroots |
History of Grassroots
The Farm Bureau movement began in New York. In 1911, during hard times in Broome County, the local chamber of commerce and the Lackawanna Railroad worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the New York State College of Agriculture to set up an organization to raise farm incomes and strengthen the regional economy. The idea of county Farm Bureaus spread nationwide and led to the American Farm Bureau Federation in 1919.
In 1955 Cornell Cooperative Extension took over ongoing farmer education, and the separate Farm Bureau carried on as the Voice of Agriculture in Albany and Washington. At the 2017 American Farm Bureau convention, NYFB received the federation's first-ever Founder's Award, accepted on behalf of the late president James Quinn, for whom an annual state award is now named.
Grassroots grew up as the organization's member newspaper, carrying policy news and member stories from Long Island to the North Country.
Grassroots Today
Grassroots is published bimonthly and its online edition is reserved for members. NYFB's 2025 annual report found nearly 60% of surveyed members read every issue, while about two-thirds said they prefer digital communications, a shift the organization is following with social media that reached 1.7 million people in 2025.
The paper covered a busy 2025: passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, extension of the state's farm workforce retention tax credit to 2029, $5 million more for farmworker housing loans and federal farm program funding. NYFB also won two national communications awards and an AFBF New Horizon Award for its state convention.
What Grassroots Is Publishing Now
Issues and news
State budget and legislative updates from Albany, federal policy and dairy, labor and environmental regulation.
Member highlights
Profiles of New York farm families, county Farm Bureau events, youth scholarships and award winners.
Farm Bureau activities and classifieds
Calendars of meetings and programs, plus a classifieds section for buying and selling.
Grassroots Editors and Staff
NYFB's 2025 annual report names these leaders and communications staff:
- David Fisher - President
- Kim Skellie - Vice President
- Amanda Powers - Director of Communications
- Renee St. Jacques - Director, Public Policy Department
- James Quinn - Former President (deceased)
New York Farm Bureau's office is at 159 Wolf Road, Suite 300, Albany, NY 12205.
Who Reads Grassroots
Grassroots readers are thousands of New York farmers and agricultural supporters, from dairy farms and apple orchards to vineyards, vegetable growers and maple producers. NYFB monitored 1,300 state bills in 2025 and its members sent more than 2,600 e-lobby letters, so the paper's readers are an engaged, policy-minded group. New York county crop and livestock statistics are available in USDA's Quick Stats.
Nationally, ERS reports dairy brought in $41.8 billion in 2021 farm receipts, a sector central to New York agriculture.
Grassroots readers juggle milk prices, Albany politics and lake-effect snow, sometimes before breakfast. When the cows are milked and the legislative alerts are read, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about Empire State farming, plus ranch humor for the beef herds tucked into the Southern Tier. Its farm jokes are cheaper than a new bulk tank.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
Grassroots Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- New York Farm Bureau: Grassroots newspaper - frequency and content.
- New York Farm Bureau: History - the 1911 Broome County origin.
- NYFB 2025 Annual Report - leaders, readership and accomplishments.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - U.S. dairy sector data.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - New York crop and livestock statistics.
Grassroots FAQ
How often is Grassroots published?
Bimonthly, for New York Farm Bureau members and agricultural supporters.
Can non-members read Grassroots online?
The online edition is available to members only, who log in through NYFB's website.
Where did the Farm Bureau start?
In Broome County, New York, in 1911, with backing from the local chamber of commerce, the Lackawanna Railroad, USDA and the state College of Agriculture.
Who is president of New York Farm Bureau?
David Fisher, according to NYFB's 2025 annual report.
In the state where the Farm Bureau began, Grassroots New York Farm Bureau members still count on their newspaper to keep them informed.