ALBANY – Dairy farmers are facing a crisis of epic proportions, and the state’s top ag advocacy group is appealing to all New Yorkers for help. The New York Farm Bureau is asking people to do their part by paying a visit – not to their local supermarket’s dairy case, but rather the organization’s website.

Specifically, the NYFB wants people to visit the eLobby section of their site, www.nyfb.org, where they can take action on a number of important topics in the agriculture industry. And they’ve made taking that action as simple and painless as possible.

“While nothing replaces personal contact (phone call or letter) to an elected official, in today’s busy times it’s sometimes difficult for farmers to connect,” said Bradd Vickers, president of the Chenango County Farm Bureau. “The eLobby site allows them to do so in a timely manner, and it’s easy.”

The state farm bureau has persuasive policy statements already prepared on their site. All someone has to do in order to send a message to their legislators is select a topic, enter their contact information and click send. To simplify the process even further for local residents, Vickers has added a quick link on the county farm bureau’s website, www.ccfb.org. The link provides “a fast way to weigh in on the issues,” he explained. Virtually anyone can use the tool, as long as they have Internet access.