Twenty-three farm projects in the state's Finger Lakes economic-development region received $32,538,861 in farmland-protection grants covering 11,703 acres, according to a state award list released with Gov. Kathy Hochul's latest funding announcement.
The awards are part of round 20 of the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program, which pays for agricultural conservation easements intended to keep land in farming. The governor's announcement covers 43 farms and 16,005 acres statewide. The governor's release puts farm awards above $48.5 million, while the 43 individual amounts in the official list total about $48.4 million.
Ontario and Wayne projects
Three Ontario County farms appear on the official list. Finger Lakes Land Trust received a $2.35 million award for 400 acres at Catalpa Acres and $1.6 million for a 273-acre addition at Brock Acres, which already had 700 protected acres. Genesee Land Trust received $962,885 for 174 acres at Fresh Ayr Farm. Together, those three new awards cover 847 acres and about $4.91 million.
In Wayne County, Genesee Land Trust received $887,546 to protect 237 acres at Field Craft Farms, described as an orchard and dairy operation. The list also includes farms in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe and Wyoming counties, with several projects spanning county lines.
The largest listed Finger Lakes award is $3 million for Everman Farm, a 1,358-acre cash-crop and grain operation in Livingston County. Other large grants include $2.38 million for 991 acres at Phillips Farm in Livingston and Monroe counties and $2.15 million for 674 acres at Boulder Farm in Genesee and Monroe counties.
In Genesee County, a $1.81 million award covers 1,258 acres at the dairy operation Barniak Farm. The list also awards $2.05 million for 729 acres at Blodgett Farm in Livingston County. A $1.74 million grant would protect 605 acres at Pingrey Farm, a Wyoming County dairy operation.
The farms have different uses and soils. The state lists field crops, livestock and other viable agricultural land among the award categories. An easement would limit future nonagricultural development while allowing the land to remain in private agricultural use.
Cayuga, Onondaga and Tompkins awards
The state separately grouped six projects under Central New York, including three in Cayuga County. The New York Agricultural Land Trust received $1.4 million for 395 acres at Cook Farm, $2.27 million for 534 acres at Cuddeback Farm and $1.49 million for 243 acres at Jordan Farm. The three Cayuga awards total about $5.16 million and 1,172 acres.
In Onondaga County, the same land trust received $1.42 million for 230 acres at Heer Farm. Finger Lakes Land Trust received $818,620 for 169 acres at Cargile Acres, a beef operation. The governor announced the statewide awards at Heer Farm, which the state described as a more than century-old family farm.
The Southern Tier section includes $770,502 for 131 acres at Oechsner Farm, an organic grain operation in Tompkins County. Those Cayuga, Onondaga and Tompkins awards are listed separately from the state's formal Finger Lakes regional total.
Program funding and next steps
Hochul announced a record $67 million available for this round in December 2025, with support from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. More than $15 million remains available and applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, the governor's office said. The maximum award increased to $3 million; eligible categories include field crops, livestock, farmland access, food security and source-water protection.
This round also continues a one-time incentive payment equal to 10% of the agricultural conservation easement's value for projects that meet climate-resilience or source-water-protection goals, according to the governor's office.
The program is marking its 30th year. The governor's office said completed conservation-easement projects under the wider farmland-protection program have preserved more than 144,760 acres on 473 farms at a cost of more than $355.8 million. Those are past completed projects, distinct from the new awards announced this week.
The state also awarded $1 million through a separate pilot program to help six land trusts add staff for farmland-protection work. Genesee Valley Conservancy, New York Agricultural Land Trust and Western New York Land Conservancy are among the recipients identified in the release.
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