New York State has awarded significant funding to local Soil and Water Conservation Districts to help farmers improve water quality, reduce nutrient runoff, and strengthen climate resilience. The funding comes through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.
“By tapping into our Bond Act funding, we are now able to expand our reach and support even more on-farm projects across the State through our Ag Nonpoint program,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “Our farmers care deeply for the land they work, so it’s critical we provide them with the resources they need and deserve to safeguard our waterways while protecting our communities and our natural resources from climate change.”
The announcement was made on Monday at a special event held by State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton at Van Patten Farms in Preble, Cortland County.
Here are the details on local projects awarded funding:
Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $1,492,424 (EPF) – Four farms in the Upper Genesee Watershed
- Build enhanced waste quality protections and climate-resilient operations
- Develop full barnyard waste management infrastructure to collect all manure and prevent contaminated runoff
- Expand water quality protection efforts under Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) plans and mitigate 121 MT of CO₂ equivalent emissions
- $444,200 (Bond Act) – Two farms in the Upper Genesee River Watershed
- Implement barnyard runoff management to reduce nutrient loading
- Eliminate over 6 acres of exposed barnyard with covered heavy use areas, curbs, and clean water diversions
- Reduce phosphorus runoff from high-risk farmstead areas near waterbodies
Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $533,330 (EPF) – Four farms in the Cayuga Lake Watershed
- Manage runoff in heavy livestock areas and implement rotational grazing systems
- Reduce 169 tons of sediment, 2,874 pounds of nitrogen, and 1,974 pounds of phosphorus to help prevent harmful algal blooms
- Decrease annual greenhouse gas emissions by 151 MT of CO₂ equivalent
Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $57,995 (Bond Act) – One farm in the Oak Orchard-Twelvemile Watershed
- Implement waste storage and roof runoff practices to protect a tributary to Salmon Creek
- Construct a Livestock Heavy Use Area Runoff Management System to prevent soil and nutrient loss
- Improve nutrient management under the farm’s CNMP
- $126,750 (Bond Act) – One farm in the Lake Ontario Watershed
- Construct two covered barnyard systems to reduce livestock runoff
- Implement heavy use area protections and gutter/underground outlet systems
- Address nutrient concerns identified through AEM planning
Yates County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $625,000 (EPF) – 13 farms in the Keuka Lake Watershed
- Reduce phosphorus loading by 975 pounds per year
- Enhance infiltration and slow runoff to cut nitrogen loading by 2,250 pounds per year
- Protect soil, reduce erosion, and decrease sediment loads by 850 tons per year
Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $1,656,920 (Bond Act) – Two farms in the Owasco Lake Watershed
- Construct manure collection channels, pumping stations, and transfer lines to new storage facilities
- Upgrade and relocate manure storage to consolidate waste management and reduce runoff
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and truck traffic from manure hauling
- $812,520 (EPF) – Two farms in the Owasco Lake Watershed
- Capture and contain nutrient-rich silage leachate flows from bunk silos
- Implement practices to manage leachate and reduce nutrient loading
- Reuse leachate for irrigation and establish riparian forest buffers
Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District
- $720,898 (EPF) – 11 farms in the Cayuga Lake Watershed
- Plant 6,385 acres of cover crops and implement 25 acres of wood mulching over five years
- Increase soil water retention, organic matter, and carbon supply
- Prevent an estimated 28,000 tons of soil from entering Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Seneca River watersheds
- $76,493 (EPF) – One farm in the Cayuga Lake Watershed
- Reduce pollutants from barnyards and concentrated livestock areas
- Install a 25-foot-wide gravel heavy use area and settling basin with gravel berm to act as a vegetated treatment area
- Reduce nutrient loading to nearby surface and groundwaters
These projects will help local farmers implement conservation practices that protect water quality, reduce pollution, and safeguard soil resources across New York’s key watersheds.
If you want, I can also create a condensed version suitable for a homepage or social media that highlights the total funding and key outcomes per county. Do you want me to do that?
