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Home > Industry Clusters > Agribusiness

A full plate of agribusiness. 

Our agricultural heritage, logistics capability, and manufacturing bench strength combine to make Buffalo Niagara one of the top food and food processing centers in the nation. Well over a thousand food and food processing companies make their home here. Agribusiness is the region's largest employee. New York is the third-largest dairy producing state in the U.S., and a lot of those dairy herds are found in Buffalo Niagara. As one of the major dairy farm regions of the US, we’re a natural for production of dairy products. Grain-related food producers take advantage of Buffalo Niagara’s location. Grain is barged in via the St. Lawrence Seaway from the Midwest and Canadian bread baskets. Western New York State is one of the country’s most important wine growing regions. Buffalo Niagara is home to dozens of wineries, and more than a dozen vineyards have opened in the region in the last few years. Capitalizing on its renewable energy history (courtesy of Niagara Falls), Buffalo Niagara is also a center for emerging bio-fuel technology. Coming on line are new plants in Orleans and Erie Counties, which will convert local corn to ethanol.

Agribusiness works in Buffalo Niagara! New York State's leading agriculture school, Cornell University, offers farmers and the agribusinesses industry research-based information in addition to other numerous support services. Cornell also graduates over 500 students yearly with agricultural degrees. 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. The Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program offers financing assistance to public bodies, private nonprofit corporations, and Federally-recognized Indian Tribal groups. It also facilitates development of small and emerging private business enterprises located in the region's smaller cities and towns (those with populations under 50,000 and their surrounding areas).Additional funding can be found through our incentives database. A list of available properties is provided through our real estate database.

Agribusiness Study

Agribusiness Brochure

For additional information or assistance with a project, please contact Michael Licata at 716.842.1330 ext.444 or mlicata@buffaloniagara.org