Cherry Valley Farm Among Those To Receive Farmland Protection Grants
COOPERSTOWN—Farming has been a way of life for many in the Otsego region, but farm consolidation, high prices for inputs, and changing climate patterns are taking a toll on many farms. While the growing challenges of small-scale agriculture have led some farmers to sell their land for non-agricultural uses, the Otsego Land Trust is working to keep farmland in active agricultural use, preserving the farms that feed us and the traditional rural character.
To support local agriculture and farmland, Otsego Land Trust worked directly with farm families to submit four applications for the purchase of development rights through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Governor Kathy Hochul announced on June 6 that all four OLT applications have been successful.
The state grants will provide up to $2.1 million directly to four local farms, protecting 738 acres of working agricultural land.
OLT’s Justin Williams, agricultural specialist and public lands manager, and May Leinhart, land protection manager, collaborated with active farmers in Otsego and Herkimer counties to plan and prepare the documentation needed to submit the projects.
Those projects, located in the Mohawk Valley Region and totaling $2,146,057.00, are:
• Young Family Dairy Farm (dairy operation awarded under Livestock or Livestock Products category)—$936,323.00 for 376 acres with 63 percent productive soils
• Peaceful View Meadows (beef cattle operation awarded under Livestock or Livestock Products category)—$429,150 for 101 acres with 49 percent productive soils
• Miller’s Organic Dairy Farm, Allen Lake Road (dairy operation awarded under Livestock or Livestock Products category)—$260,214.00 for 72 acres with 73 percent productive soils
• Miller’s Organic Dairy Farm, Hoke Road (dairy operation awarded under Source Water Protection category)—$520,370.00 for 189 acres with 61 percent productive soils
“New York State’s commitment to protecting prime farmland protects an important natural resource and promotes local food networks,” said OLT Executive Director Gregory Farmer. “The Farmland Protection grants will help farm families invest in working lands and ensure the future of agriculture in our region.”
Howard Young, a dairy farmer in Cherry Valley, explained his interest in the program.
“My son is currently farming, and I always want the land to be available to him and to my grandson,” said Young. “The land is the only thing on this earth that we cannot get back or make more of.”
With the purchase of development rights, the farmer retains ownership of their land. OLT will hold the agricultural conservation easement, ensuring that future generations have prime agricultural land for food production.
“New York’s farmland and our rich soils across the state are precious resources, providing us open space and supporting the production of the food we eat,” Governor Hochul said. “By protecting our farmland, we can help ensure the viability and success of New York agriculture for generations to come.”
Otsego Land Trust is a community-based nonprofit protecting local fields, forests, and waterways in perpetuity. To learn more about conserving agricultural land, visit otsegolandtrust.org or call (607) 547-2366.