12,000 Acres of New York Farmland Receives Over $38 Million for Conservation
In a press release on Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that over $38 million in grant funds is being awarded to conserve New York farmland through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program.
40 projects covering nearly 12,000 acres of New York farmland will receive a share of the over $38 million available in grant funds in an effort to preserve and strengthen the state's agricultural industry. The farms receiving awards were projects that support food security, climate resiliency, and source water protection.
In her press release, Governor Hochul stated "We must continue to protect New York's precious farmland so our agricultural footprint can grow and so our producers can thrive for generations to come. I am proud that we supported the Farmland Protection program in this year's budget with an increased allocation, demonstrating our commitment to New York's agriculture industry."
Various farms in New York received the grants, which ranged from as little as $150,000 for The Cedars Farm in Wyoming County to as much as $2 million for farms in Suffolk County, Putnam County and Livingston County.
The Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program mainly provides counties, municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, and land trusts with financial assistance for protection activities, but the grants can also be used for things like amending local agricultural laws and transaction costs of agricultural conservation easements.
"Farmland preservation is a valuable tool to keep agricultural land in production," said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher. "There are many parts of the state where development pressure makes farm transition a challenge, and today's announcement can reduce that threat."