The statute of limitations on initiating civil suits for injuries related to domestic violence doubled this week.

The state enacted legislation this week establishing a regulatory framework for the production and sale of hemp and hemp extract in New York State. The measure also requires the hemp industry to test and label their products, protecting consumers from potential harm. The governor also announced that New York state will host a hemp summit in January to further develop policies and priorities related to this burgeoning industry.

Three upcoming public hearings have been scheduled by two state Senate committees to gather feedback and information on a law, long opposed by the agricultural industry, to extend worker protections and rights — such as a 40-hour work week and paid overtime — to agricultural workers who were initially denied those rights under the FDR administration as the result of a compromise with Southern segregationists.

On the last day of the 2019 legislative session, state lawmakers passed the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, granting farm workers long-denied protections. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the legislation, which opponents argue will cause "irreparable harm" to an industry that is already struggling.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a new $14 million initiative to support and strengthen New York's agricultural industry.

New York state has awarded more than $900,000 to new and early-stage farmers around the state, to help them expand production or advance innovative agricultural techniques that increase sustainability.

Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, of the New York State Senate Agriculture Committee, has introduced a bill to preserve and protect honey bee swarms and colonies from human threats, and support crop pollination across New York state.

A higher percentage of California marijuana products are passing strict safety tests, but the sudden closing of a lab that state authorities found wasn't correctly checking for pesticides has raised new questions about the system intended to protect the purity and potency of legal cannabis. Swetha Kaul, chief scientific officer at Santa Ana-based testing company Cannalysis who sits on the board of the California Cannabis Industry Association, said there are concerns that some companies might not be getting sufficient oversight from regulators, after a company was found to be falsifying test results.

Farmers already reeling from low prices and uncertainty amid the nation's trade dispute with China are welcoming a decision to extend a deadline for federal aid because of the partial government shutdown. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue on Tuesday announced the Agriculture Department would extend a Jan. 15 deadline for farmers to apply for payments to offset losses they had incurred due to the trade dispute, which led to new tariffs that lessened demand and lowered crop prices. About $9.5 billion in direct payments have been set aside for growers of soybeans, corn, wheat and other commodities.

A nationally recognized competition highlights the best of New York wines.