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3 Dutchess Farms Receive $1.6M From State For Sustainable Development

HYDE PARK, N.Y. -- Three Dutchess County farms will receive $1.6 million in grants from the state as part of New York's effort to further sustainable development.

Sen. Sue Serino said the grants will effectively ensure Dutchess County farms remain viable.

Sen. Sue Serino said the grants will effectively ensure Dutchess County farms remain viable.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The announcement was made Wednesday during Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainable Development and Collaborative Governance Conference, which supports the ability of farms to maintain land for agricultural purposes and protect it from development.

"Our local farms play a critical role in our community, and we have an express responsibility to ensure that they have the tools they need to continue operating right here in our area," Sen. Sue Serino said. "The Farmland Protection Implementation Grant Program is effectively helping us to ensure that our area farms remain viable so that they can continue to contribute and add value to our local community."

The grants were provided to:

  • Uphill Farm in the town of Stanford, which will receive $467,645. The project will help start a phased transfer of the landowner’s entire farm to the farmers who rent property as part of their farm operation and thereby continue its agricultural use. 
  • Potts Farm in the town of Red Hook, which will receive $343,975. The 73-acre cash crop-vegetable operation is a high-priority farm designated for protection by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust within the Hudson Valley/New York City “foodshed.” 
  • Chaseholm Farm in the town of Pine Plains, which will receive $762,725. A 175-acre dairy operation, the grant will help facilitate the farm's  transformation to an organic dairy operation. 

The Scenic Hudson Land Trust and the Dutchess Land Conservancy will also contribute to the efforts. 

"New York's hardworking farmers are essential to our economy, employing thousands across the state and growing produce that is second to none,” Cuomo said. “With this funding, we continue to invest in the next generation of farmers in the Mid-Hudson Valley and help to ensure a sustainable future for the entire industry."

Municipalities, counties, soil and water conservation districts and not-for-profit conservation organizations, or land trusts, were eligible to apply for individual grants. 

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