Here in New York State our Governor, David Paterson, just nominated my local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to become our next Senator. I am thrilled about the appointment; she has been an excellent Congresswoman who has worked actively with local farmers on many grass-fed and family farming projects. One such project is in my town of Meredith. The choice was surprising and has riled up a lot of "downstaters" because she is viewed as too conservative (she is a blue dog Democrat) and she has an excellent rating with the NRA (she is a hunter herself.) To me all this controversy just belies that schism between rural and urban interests. New York State is in many ways the most extreme of these polarities, it does not get any more urban than New York City, more suburban than Long Island and Westchester County, or more rural than upstate New York. What makes this disparity even more severe are the economic difficulties that upstate New York has faced since the 1970s. Is there common ground between us? There might be and I think that this is why Governor Paterson’s nomination is so interesting.

When Governor Paterson nominated Kirsten Gillibrand he was doing a big service to upstate New York, and I think his appointment was in many ways made to honor the legacy that Hillary Clinton has left. Hillary Clinton had to prove to New Yorkers that she was one, and in doing so, she worked extra hard to win over the whole state, she traveled and met people, and in doing so learned about upstate New York and the plight of our family farmers. Most upstate farmers are Republican but you will find many who love Hillary, not because she is a Democrat but because of her presence and all the help she offered. She became our advocate, our voice.

I am not the only one thrilled at Gillibrand’s appointment here is what New York Farm Bureau president Dean Norton had to say about it:

"The choice of Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate is an excellent one for the farmers of New York. Rep. Gillibrand has quickly established herself as a leading advocate for agriculture in Washington. She has served on the House Agriculture Committee since taking office and has done an outstanding job in her role there.

"We are of course sad to see Sen. Clinton leave the post. She has tirelessly fought for our family farmers and the issues that are important to our industry, which is the backbone of the Upstate economy. Sen. Clinton was a true friend of the farmer.

"We view Rep. Gillibrand as someone with clear potential to match Sen. Clinton's strong record of support for New York agriculture."

All in all this is a good day for New York and the Grass-fed Party. We need more voices in Washington that understand that home grown food is food for us, our land and our communities. American Farm Land Trust’s New York State Director David Haight had this to say about the choice:

"American Farmland Trust believes Gov. Paterson has made an inspired choice in selecting Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to fill New York's vacant Senate seat.

"Senator Gillibrand knows the value of farms and farmland to all New Yorkers. She is also a staunch advocate for the environment and the healthy food that New York farmers produce."