Long Island farming is no oxymoron.
Although there was a 75 percent reduction in farmland on Long Island between 1950-92, over the past 20 years, farmland under cultivation on the island has remained stable and that's a good thing, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said at a press conference held at White Post Farms in Melville Tuesday.
"Long Island's agricultural industry and wineries generate much needed economic activity and provide a bountiful harvest for local consumption," DiNapoli said as his office released a report on Long Island farming.
Long Island accounts for only 6 percent of agricultural sales statewide, according to the most recent census in 2007, but Suffolk County–the state's largest producer of pumpkins, tomatoes and cauliflower–had the highest sales–$242.9 million–of any county in the state.
That figure does not include wine sales from Long Island's famous East End wineries — recently ranked the 5th best wine destination in the country, according to reader rankings from TripAdvisor.
"We welcome this timely report from Comptroller DiNapoli which confirms the important impact agriculture continues to have on Long Island's economy," said Steve Bate, executive director of the Long Island Wine Council.
"It's a tremendous boon to the local economy," said Bate, adding that he expects figures on winery visitors to increase this year from 1.3 million in 2011.
Visits to the wineries also generate an estimated $130 million a year in "non-wine economic impact," Bate said speaking of a multiplier effect as visitors also eat at local restaurants and shop at other establishments.
This story will be updated. See the pdf to the right to read DiNapoli's full report.