New York state has awarded $20 million in grants through the Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program to help local farmers protect valuable, at-risk farmland from future development and maintain the land’s use for agricultural purposes.
There are three projects in Washington County, all carried out through the Agricultural Stewardship Association, that will receive a total of $860,000 in funding.
This is the state’s first-ever regionally targeted farmland conservation grant program. It will protect more than 5,600 acres of active farmland on 28 farms in seven counties through permanent conservation easements, state officials said.
“Agriculture remains a key driver of our economy, and I am proud that we are continuing to support and protect New York farmers throughout the Hudson Valley,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “This program provides vital resources to ensure these farmlands can remain in agricultural use today and in the years ahead. I am pleased we are awarding funding to these important projects, and I look forward to seeing them thrive for seasons to come.”
The Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program provides funding to local partners, such as municipalities, counties, soil and water conservation districts and land trusts, to help landowners in the region protect viable farmland from being used for purposes other than farming. Officials said it will protect more than 5,600 acres of active farmland.
Farms in the Hudson Valley provide the majority of food (approximately 90 percent) to GrowNYC Greenmarkets and also are significant suppliers to restaurants, groceries and other food outlets.
The grant program funds a wide variety of farm operations including produce farms, and dairy and cattle operations. Officials said it has been widely supported by a diverse group of financing partners whose involvement will enable some beginning farmers to buy portions of this protected farmland at an affordable price.
For purposes of this grant, the Hudson Valley is defined as Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington and Westchester counties.
In Washington County the awards were:
• $331,204 to permanently protect Thomas Organic Dairy, a 169-acre certified organic farm operation, which has been in continual agricultural production since the early 1800s. It contains predominantly prime soils.
The Farmland Conservation Plan of this land trust has identified the Thomas Organic Dairy within the Hudson River Corridor Priority Area. The landowners are contributing a donation equivalent to 12.5 percent of total project costs.
• $298,270 to permanently protect Fuller Acres, a 297-acre dairy and maple farm.
The Farmland Conservation Plan of this land trust has identified this farmland as part of a special area within its two-county service area referred to as the “Kingsbury-Fort Ann flats.” The landowner will contribute a donation equivalent to 12.5 percent of total project costs.
• $227,114 to permanently protect properties owned by Iroquois Valley Farms and Richview Farm. Richview Farm is a 163-acre dairy operation. By selling the development rights associated with its parcels, Iroquois Valley Farms will recoup some of its investment and enable it to invest in other viable agricultural land to similarly benefit other farmers looking to acquire affordable farmland.
The Farmland Conservation Plan of this land trust has identified this property as part of the White Creek Valley Priority Area.
Officials said this year also marks the 20th anniversary of New York’s statewide Farmland Protection Implementation Program, which has helped protect nearly 60,000 acres of farmland across the state. That program is funded through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, which was increased to $300 million as part of the 2016-17 state budget.
Application materials, guidance documents, and important webinar information for the Round 14 Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Request for Proposals are at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html. The deadline to submit proposals is June 13.
All farmland protection project proposals must be submitted electronically through the New York State Grants Gateway. For more information regarding the Grants Gateway, visit https://grantsgateway.ny.gov/IntelliGrants_NYSGG/module/nysgg/goportal.aspx.
During the last 25 years, the state has lost almost half a million acres of farmland to subdivisions, strip malls and other development.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said preserving farmland in the Hudson Valley “is particularly important because of its proximity to the world’s largest market place, New York City. This grant program is essential to ensuring food security for the millions of people living there. It also builds on the success of the Farmland Implementation Grant Program which has already helped safeguard thousands of acres of agricultural land across the state.”