The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) forecasts that New York farmers produced 77.9 million bushels of grain corn in 2017, up nearly 6 percent from 73.5 million bushels in 2016. The agency made the forecast on Oct. 1.

The increase is a rebound following a 13 percent production decline last year and a 16 percent drop in 2015, according to past NASS data on corn production.

Nationally, the USDA reported that U.S. grain-corn production totaled nearly 14.3 billion bushels in 2017, down almost 6 percent from 15.15 million bushels in the prior year.

New York manufacturers reported increased activity in shipments and employment, resulting in a boost to a monthly gauge on the state’s manufacturing sector.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 

6 points to 30.2 in October, its highest level in three years.

The index fell less than a point to 24.4 in September after climbing 15 points to 25.2 in August, which, at the time, was its highest level since September 2014.

A positive reading indicates expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative index number points to a decline in the sector.

The results of the October survey indicate that business activity “grew at a robust pace” for New York manufacturers, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a news release issued Oct. 16.

The survey found 40 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 14 percent said that conditions had worsened.

Survey details

The new orders index fell 7 points, but at 18.0, pointed to “solid gains” in orders. The shipments index advanced 11 points to 27.5, its highest level in “several” years. 

The unfilled-orders index moved down 7 points to 2.3. The delivery-time index fell 12 points to 3.1, a level indicating “slightly longer” delivery times, and the inventories index fell 14 points to -7.8, a sign that inventory levels “declined modestly.”

The index for number of employees rose 5 points to 15.6, suggesting that employment “expanded more strongly” this month. 

The average-workweek index registered zero, indicating that the average workweek “held steady.” 

Prices increased at a “somewhat slower” pace than last month: the prices-paid index fell 9 points to 27.3, and the prices-received index moved down 7 points to 7.0.

Indexes assessing the six-month outlook suggested that firms “continued to be optimistic” about future conditions. 

The index for future business conditions climbed 6 points to 44.8, and the index for future new orders also came in at 44.8. Employment was expected to “increase modestly.” 

The capital-expenditures index edged down 3 points to 21.9, and the technology-spending index was “little changed” at 16.4.

The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses. 

BINGHAMTON — The Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation of Owego has awarded a $15,000 grant to continue to provide scholarship assistance to Tioga County students attending Binghamton University in the 2017-2018 academic year.

Since 1998, Truman Foundation scholarships have helped more than 494 Tioga County students enrolled at Binghamton University. In the current academic year, 56 full- and part-time undergraduate students from Tioga County are enrolled at Binghamton University, it said in a news release. Of these, 47 students qualified for financial aid. 

Mildred Faulkner Truman was born in Owego in 1897. She became a director of the Owego National Bank and the Tioga County Historical Society, and was a member of the First Presbyterian Union Church. Her husband, James Truman, practiced law in Owego.

 Upon her death in 1983, Truman’s estate established a foundation to support nonprofit organizations serving Tioga County residents with grants for critical needs, aid for capital projects, and seed money for special projects and programs, the release stated.

 Eligibility for this funding is based on Tioga County residency and financial necessity, which is determined by the Binghamton University financial aid office through completion of a financial-aid form, available at http://www2.binghamton.edu/financial-aid/services/apply-via-fafsa.html.        

Retailers caught and found guilty of selling untaxed cigarettes in New York risk losing other state-issued licenses, including lottery and alcohol sales. 

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance on Oct. 4 announced that it is working with the New York State Gaming Commission and New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) on an initiative to further reduce sales of contraband cigarettes.

Under the policy, a cigarette-licensed retailer found to be in possession of untaxed cigarettes will face “immediate” enforcement action. It could “ultimately” lead to the possible suspension or revocation of licenses to sell tobacco, alcohol, and lottery tickets. The agencies are “increasing the deterrent” to illegal cigarette sales by targeting the “largest” revenue drivers for certain retailers.

The state Taxation and Finance Department’s criminal-investigations division (CID) has the responsibility of inspecting retailers who sell cigarettes. Its efforts seek to “make sure” every pack sold in New York State and New York City has the proper tax stamp affixed to it, “verifying that the excise taxes have been paid.” 

A vendor could be arrested, fined, and have the license to sell cigarettes suspended for a “significant” amount of time — and possibly revoked — if they fail to comply, the department said.

“That won’t change,” John Harford, CID deputy commissioner, said. “But now we’re raising the cost of ignoring the law through a cooperative agreement with two other state agencies that deal with the same retailers.”

About 21,000 licensed retailers sell cigarettes in New York, and an “overwhelming” number of them also sell lottery tickets and liquor.

“The licenses issued to retailers are contingent upon the lawful operation of the business. We want the retailers to understand that the failure to operate lawfully jeopardizes all issued licenses,” Harford added. “No business owner wants to face enforcement actions on three fronts, let alone the maximum penalties those agencies can impose.”

“The SLA is committed to partnering with [the state Taxation and Finance Department] and the [New York State] Gaming Commission to eliminate illegal cigarette trafficking,” Vincent Bradley, chairman of the State Liquor Authority, said. “Businesses found making these illicit sales will be held accountable for defrauding New York State taxpayers and placing retailers who are playing by the rules at a competitive disadvantage.”   

Barclay Damon LLP announced it has elected M. Cornelia (Connie) Cahill to the newly created position of deputy managing partner, effective Jan. 1. She will work closely with John P. Langan, the firm’s managing partner, in leading the regional law firm. 

Cahill has been a member of Barclay Damon’s Management Committee for nine years and is its longest-standing member. As the Albany representative on that committee, her responsibilities include oversight of the firm’s Albany, Boston, and Washington, D.C. offices. During Cahill’s tenure, the Albany office has doubled in size to about 40 attorneys and is now ranked as the firm’s second-largest law office.

As a public-finance attorney and chair of that practice, she has more than 25 years of experience serving as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, institution counsel, and bank counsel in a wide range of transactions, according to a Barclay Damon news release. During her career, Cahill has trained and led teams of public-finance professionals that serve clients across New York state. These clients include the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, New York State Housing Finance Agency, New York State Environmental Facilities Corp., numerous industrial-development agencies and local-development corporations, more than 100 municipalities and school districts, and all the major investment-bank underwriting firms active in the state, the release stated.

Cahill received her undergraduate degree from Siena College, her JD degree from Albany Law School and her LLM degree in tax from New York University. She started her career at the law firm of Millbank Tweed Hadley & McCoy in New York City. 

In addition to creating the deputy position, Barclay Damon announced it has also established a chair position that currently remains unoccupied. The position is available to serve the managing partner on select assignments by former managing partners transitioning from their position. Barclay Damon said the chair position “is designed to allow the firm to access [Langan’s] expertise after his eventual transition.” Langan, based in Barclay Damon’s Syracuse office, has been the firm’s managing partner for nearly 18 years. 

“The managing partner of Barclay Damon historically has been resident in the Syracuse office, but consistent with our multi-office platform and our ‘no home office’ structure, we were pleased to see another first — that the partners elected Connie as an Albany office resident,” Langan said in the release.

Barclay Damon has offices throughout the major cities of New York state and in Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey.