Agriculture is the #1 industry in Genesee County and is a very important part of our community. The GCEDC supports all different types of agribusiness and have had the opportunity to welcome many to the county, including:

• Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park PDF
• Product distribution
• Product packaging
• Food production
• Food processing
• Farm equipment manufacturing
• Agri-tourism

By locating or expanding your agribusiness in Genesee County, you enter one of the strongest agricultural networks in the state.

Agribusinesses and food processing businesses in GC have easily accessible sources of supplies with Genesee County being 1 of the top 10 counties in NYS for onion, cabbage, sweet corn, milk, and wheat production. Also, because Genesee County is part of the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes regions, long-term fresh water availability is plentiful and more reliable than anywhere else globally.

• According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, Genesee County is the New York State leader in terms of production output with an annual average of $124.9M worth of agricultural products sold
• 3 of the top 10 largest vegetable farms in the U.S. are in Genesee County
• Genesee County is one of the top 10 counties in NYS for onion, cabbage, sweet corn, corn, milk, and wheat production
• Genesee County is ranked #2 in the state for production of vegetables and cattle & calves, 4th in total sales of agricultural products and has the 5th highest milk production.
• In 2003, there were 575 farms in Genesee County with 177,400 acres of land devoted to farm production, according to New York Agricultural Statistics Services.
• Agricultural production facts for 2003 (According to the NY Agriculture Statistics Service):
• Milk: 460 million lbs.
• Oat: 105,800 bushels
• Wheat: 609,100 bushels
• Cattle: 45,000 cattle & calves
• Total Hay: 59,000 tons
• Corn: 2.98M bushels (grain); 445,400 tons (silage)

Ample supply of agricultural assessed land:

As an agribusiness, there are a number of financial resources at both the state and local level to help ease the cost of starting up or expanding facilities.

NYS offers agricultural exemption benefits including:

• Investment Tax Credits
• Employment Incentive Credits
• Sales and Use Taxes
• Property Tax Exemptions
• Farmer's School Tax Credit

The GCEDC offers the following financial incentives:

• Financial Assistance/Capital Formation
• Empire Zone
• Tax Abatements/Exemptions
• Sale Lease Back Agreement
• Low Cost Financing (Revolving Loan Fund, Bonds, Grants)

Federal Funding Incentives may also apply for your business:

• USDA Rural Development: Offers grants, Interest rate subsidies for economic development of rural areas.

The GCEDC will also help introduce you to the many supporting agribusiness companies in the area. Whether you are looking for supply sources or end product users/consumers, we can help!

To find out more information on financial assistance programs and opportunities, please visit the Product Portfolio and Support Services section.

Significant Savings Potential: In addition to the aggressive financial incentives highlighted above, your company can experience additional significant cost savings including:

• Lower distribution/transportation costs: The NYS Thruway (I-90), which bisects the county, is the heaviest traveled expressway in the State, providing easy access for growing and expanding businesses. With three interchanges in Genesee County, the average driving distance to the I-90 from any of our corporate parks is less than 1 mile, presenting huge distribution and transportation savings potential for companies.
• Low Cost Electricity: Certain GCEDC parks are located where companies can receive some of the lowest cost electric rates in the country! These rates are as low as 2.5 cents/Kwh versus the Northeast average of 15 cents/Kwh.

Genesee County has an abundance of low cost, highly skilled labor within easy commuting distance.

Low cost labor pool: Labor costs are on average 20% lower than regional averages, making operating a business in Genesee County more cost effective than the surrounding counties.

Abundant, well-educated workforceAn abundance of highly skilled and educated workforce gives our companies the ability to keep pace with ever increasing technological demands. Over 30 colleges and universities (including Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, and University of Buffalo) educate and enhance the skills of an excess of 200,000 students across the region, ensuring a continuous supply of qualified labor.

• 84.4% of population ages 25 and higher have high school degrees or higher
• 28.3% of population ages 25 and higher have college degrees
• There is a 350,000 total workforce within a 30 mile radius of GC and 2.2 million person workforce within a 60 mile radius.
• $450M is being invested annually in life sciences (Bio-medical) research in the Upstate NY triangle of Buffalo (University of Buffalo), Rochester (University of Rochester) and Ithaca (Cornell University).
• The Cornell Ag and Food Tech Park, located within this research triangle, is undergoing significant expansion to perform cutting edge research and product development in agriculture, food science and biotechnology
• Agribusinesses have the opportunity to recruit high quality employees from these institutions, as well as utilize the expertise of faculty and researchers.
• Genesee County is home to Genesee Community College (GCC), which is experiencing strong growth and currently maintains an enrollment of more than 5,000 full-time and part-time students.

Workforce Development Services With the changing demands of the market, it is necessary for all employees to receive the skills training needed to keep up and carry the business into the future. Genesee County offers a multitude of organizations dedicated to equipping your workforce with the training that they need to succeed.

See the Workforce Development section for more information on other support services offered for employee training.

Farm Credit of WNY, a financial service cooperative located in Batavia providing loans & leases, appraisals, record-keeping, risk management, tax & consulting services to agricultural producers and rural residents.

Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is an excellent resource that will connect you with area organizations you need to help your business succeed.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County offers farmers and agribusinesses industry information and the latest research-based information and consulting services from the Lake Plains Vegetable Program or the Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program in addition to other numerous support services for the agricultural industry.

The NYS Food Venture Program assists entrepreneurs starting up new food manufacturing businesses, provides technical assistance to established food companies, and offers training and educational opportunities in food manufacturing issues.

BOCES offers educational programs for farm managers including Spanish and milking issues.

Beyond financial and employee training support, Genesee County offers support to agribusinesses through its solid agricultural infrastructure.

• Over 16 veterinarians or animal hospitals, 13 farm equipment dealers and 7 farm equipment repair shops are located in GC.
• Dudley's Grain & Feed, Reisdorf Brothers, and Cargill Inc-Nutreena Feed supply provide complete animal nutrition.

Local partners & willingness to invest:

• Birdseye Foods, formerly Agri-link Foods, is the nation's largest processor of frozen vegetables and operates two facilities in Genesee County.
• OATKA Milk Products, headquartered in Batavia, is a fully automated, high capacity processing facility with extensive R&D done on site to ensure the highest quality products are processed.
• Birdseye Foods and Oatka Milk Products are among the largest private employers in Genesee County.
• Upstate Farms food cooperative can help you with the production process, from product development to finished goods shipment.
• Dairylea is the largest milk marketing operation in the region, helping dairy businesses reduce the cost of milk assembly and distribution. Dairylea also provides farmers and other agribusiness owners with alternative funding resources, insurance, milk laboratories, direct purchasing of farm inputs and supplies, livestock marketing, risk management and other services important to agribusiness owners.

To find out about other organizations in Genesee County that provide support services, please see the Support Services section.

Other Benefits:

Location - Centrally Located, Short Distance & Travel Times to Major Economic Hubs:

• Genesee County is located in the heart of a population of 2.2 million people midway between the Buffalo and Rochester Metro regions
• Maximum 30 minute drive time to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (one of the lower cost airports in the Northeastern US) and the Rochester International airport.
• Over 9 million people are located within a 2 hour drive of Genesee County, including the Canadian border less than an hours drive away, making Genesee County a prime location for Canadian businesses seeking a US location or US businesses seeking easy access to the Southern Ontario market.
• With 6 corporate parks strategically located along the County's Expressway and Interchange exits of the NYS Thruway (I-90) and I-490 - an excellent supply of shovel-ready, fully infrastructured building sites are available to businesses interested in new construction and easy transportation/commuting patterns.

Infrastructure Capacity

• Significant capital investment is ongoing in our "Smart Growth Plan" to expand utility capacity, including electric, gas, sewer, water, and telecommunications.
• Genesee County continues to invest in industrial class water and sewer capacity deployment participating in a regional model with both Monroe (Rochester) and Erie (Buffalo) counties, setting a strong foundation to support future economic development.
• Among the lowest utility costs in the country
• Access to more sources of fresh water than anywhere else in the country

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