$30M available for dairy farmland protection

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » State officials say $30 million is available to support conservation easement projects on dairy farms across New York.

New York’s dairy farmers have been challenged with prolonged low milk prices, increasing the threat of converting viable agricultural land to non-farm development.

Funding through the state’s Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program will ensure dairy farms have an opportunity to diversify their operations or transition their farm to the next generation at a more affordable cost while ensuring the land is permanently protected used for agricultural purposes.

“New York’s dairy industry is critical to local economies across the state and we must ensure that our dairy farmers have the resources they need to thrive among the challenges of the current marketplace,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “This funding will help to protect dairy farmers by providing them with additional options to upgrade their operations and keep them running and prosperous for generations to come.”

Dairy is the largest sector of New York’s agriculture industry, accounting for approximately one-half of its on-farm production, support services and value-added products.

The state is home to approximately 4,500 dairy farms with 620,000 cows, producing 14.9 billion pounds of milk. New York ranks third in the production of milk and is first in the nation in the production of other dairy products such as yogurt and cottage cheese.

The state is issuing a request for applications for farmland protection grants of up to $2 million from eligible entities, such as land trusts, municipalities, county agricultural and farmland protection boards, and State Soil and Water Conservation Districts. There is no application deadline.

Conservation easement projects will be awarded to eligible dairy farms that are:

• Transitioning to the next ownership of a continuing dairy, but whose operation has been modified to ensure greater financial sustainability;

• Continuing dairy, but diversifying the overall farm operation; or

• Converting to a non-dairy farm operation.

All farmland protection project proposals must be submitted electronically through the New York State Grants Gateway. For more information go to: https://grantsgateway.ny.gov.

Additional information and the request for applications can be found at: https://www. agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html.