Governor Cuomo Announces the Hudson Valley Farmland Protection Program

For the first time in New York state, a program has been created to protect valuable, at-risk farmland from future development and maintain the land’s use for agricultural purposes. Governor Cuomo yesterday announced the launch of a $20 million Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program to help farmers in the Hudson Valley. This unprecedented commitment to farmland protection was announced in the Governor's Executive Budget and is the first-ever regionally targeted farmland preservation grant program.

In the press release from the Office of the Governor, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Patty Ritchie said it best when she stated, that 'Every time viable farmland is lost to development, New York State misses an opportunity to expand our agriculture industry, create jobs and improve our economy.'

Grants made available through the program will allow eligible entities to assist landowners protect at-risk farmland through the use of permanent conservation easements. Projects on viable agricultural lands throughout a 14-county area may be submitted for funding consideration. The counties included are Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington and Westchester counties.

For more information and a webinar for the Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program, click here. This is a competitive grant program administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Click here for the Request for Proposals for the Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program. The deadline to apply is January 29, 2016. All applicants must register and apply through the New York State Grants Gateway portal.