New York is awarding nearly $25 million for farm conservation projects, including more than $4 million for work in Ontario and Cayuga counties aimed at reducing runoff and protecting Finger Lakes watersheds.
The grants are part of the 31st round of the state’s Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program, which funds planning and on-farm systems intended to improve water quality.
Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District will receive $1.4 million to work with six farms in the Finger Lakes watershed. Cayuga County’s district will receive $2.61 million for projects involving one farm in the Finger Lakes watershed and two farms in the Irondequoit-Ninemile watershed.
Onondaga County was awarded just over $3 million to work with six farms in the Finger Lakes and Chenango River watersheds. The awards can support practices such as manure storage, vegetative buffers along streams and conservation cover crops.
Funding targets runoff and nutrient pollution
County soil and water conservation districts applied on behalf of farmers. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets received 127 applications for the latest round, and officials said requests exceeded the available money.
The state made $24.9 million available, with $14 million coming from the Environmental Protection Fund and $11 million from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. Individual awards can combine money from both sources.
The program supports environmental planning as well as the installation of best management systems. Those projects are intended to keep soil, manure and nutrients from washing into nearby streams, lakes and drinking-water supplies while maintaining farm productivity.
The latest awards also include $573,648 for two Genesee County farms in the Oak Orchard, Black Creek, Lower Genesee and Oak Orchard-Twelvemile watersheds; $370,015 for 11 Niagara County farms in the Oak Orchard-Twelvemile watershed; and $722,732 for one Cattaraugus County farm in the Cattaraugus Creek watershed.
Orleans County will receive $2.37 million for five farms in the Oak Orchard-Twelvemile watershed. Wyoming County was awarded $1.48 million for two farms in the Niagara River and Buffalo-Eighteenmile watersheds.
Other central New York awards include $477,720 for a Cortland County farm in the Chenango watershed and $1.06 million for seven Madison County farms in the Oneida Lake watershed. Tioga County will receive $518,664 for a farm in the Owego-Wappasening watershed.
Program has awarded more than $250 million
The Agricultural Nonpoint Source program has awarded more than $250 million through its first 30 funding rounds, according to the state. It operates within New York’s Agricultural Environmental Management framework, which helps farms evaluate environmental risks and choose cost-effective conservation practices.
Local soil and water conservation districts use that framework to work with participating farmers on planning and implementation. State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said the district partnerships help farms protect local waterways while preserving productive land.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the grants are intended to help farms respond to environmental challenges without sacrificing their long-term viability. The state did not identify the participating farms in its announcement.
Broader investments include harmful algal bloom work
The state budget provides $83 million through the Environmental Protection Fund for agricultural initiatives, including the nonpoint-source program and the Climate Resilient Farming grant program.
Those investments include manure-management projects designed to improve use of nutrients, support soil health, protect water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state also cited recent work in the eastern Finger Lakes watershed aimed at reducing nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms, preventing runoff and protecting drinking water.
The 2022 environmental bond act provides a separate pool of $4.2 billion for water infrastructure, water-quality projects, flood resilience, pollution reduction, habitat restoration and protection of farms and open space.
The complete statewide award list is available through the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Farmers generally participate through their county soil and water conservation district rather than applying directly to the state program.
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