Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today announced the availability of $26 million through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program to help farmers across New York State protect valuable and at-risk farmland.

The Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program is part of New York State' Environmental Protection Fund. Municipalities, counties, soil and water conservation districts and land trusts are eligible to apply for individual grants to protect viable agricultural land from being converted to non-agricultural use. The application is available at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html.

Since 1996, New York State has awarded more than $140 million for 233 preservation projects that protect nearly 60,000 acres of farmland across the state.

Application materials, guidance documents, and important webinar information for the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Request for Proposals are available on the Department of Agriculture and Markets website at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html.

All farmland protection project proposals must be submitted electronically through the New York State Grants Gateway. For more information regarding the Grants Gateway, please visit https://grantsgateway.ny.gov/.