Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that $5.5 million is now available through two new grant opportunities to advance farmland protection efforts throughout the state. Building on the state’s historic investment in farmland protection across New York, both programs will help preserve viable farmland in agricultural production, protecting it from development and conversion to non-farm uses. The funding will also help farmers identify available land and expedite the process of permanently protecting agricultural properties through perpetual conservation easements.

For the first time, the State's farmland protection program has been expanded to allow eligible applicants to implement an Option to Purchase a Perpetual Conservation Easement, also called an Option Agreement Project. This Option Agreement Project will lay the groundwork for landowners interested in permanently protecting their farms by pre-determining the value of development rights, which expedites the process when a formal application is submitted for the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement.

This new initiative provides a total of $5 million to eligible applicants, including municipalities, counties, soil and water conservation districts and land trusts. Grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded to cover costs associated with obtaining and administering an Option Agreement Project.

All applicants must submit their proposals through Grants Gateway here. Applications will be accepted until the available funding is fully committed. More information about the application process is available on the Department of Agriculture and Markets website: www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html. For questions, contact David Behm at David.Behm@agriculture.ny.gov.

This new funding opportunity builds on the State's Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program, which helps cover the costs of buying a perpetual conservation easement, ensuring that valuable farmland remains in agricultural production forever. Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, the state has revitalized this program and committed historic funding to safeguard one of its most vital resources. Since 2011, the State has invested more than $62 million in 82 conservation projects statewide. The 2017-18 State Budget includes another $20 million for the program, which will become available later this year.

The new $500,000 Land Trust Grants program was created to advance farmland protection strategies identified by counties and municipalities throughout the state. The program provides competitive grants of up to $50,000 to land trusts. The funding will help develop local inventories of viable farmland and inform landowners of programs and opportunities to protect their properties from conversion to non-farm uses. It will also help expand outreach efforts to better connect willing landowners with farmers interested in leasing or buying their properties for agricultural production. Applicants must apply through Grants Gateway and can apply through March 5, 2018.

More details on eligibility and the application process are available at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html. For questions, contact Jeffrey Kehoe at jeffrey.kehoe@agriculture.ny.gov.