Department Announces Funding Available to Protect Water Quality

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced that $25 million is available for projects that will help New York’s farmers to support agricultural water quality conservation projects. This is a record level of funding being offered through the State’s Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program (Ag Non-Point), which is being provided through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.  Applications for the program can be found here.

Commissioner Ball said, “It is quite incredible to see the progress we have made over the three decades this program has been available to our farmers.  Our farmers have long been at the forefront of efforts to preserve our natural resources and combat the effects of climate change, and with Governor Hochul’s commitment to our agricultural community, we have been able to double down on those efforts.  This year, we are proud to offer a record level of funding through the Ag Non-Point program, which will help even more farmers implement best practices that will conserve water and protect our waterways. An investment in our environment is an investment in our agricultural industry, and this funding will help ensure farms can remain competitive, profitable, and sustainable.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “With $25 million supported by the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and the State’s Environmental Protection Fund, New York State is making strategic investments to ensure farmers and agricultural communities statewide are bolstering their climate resilience and growing their capacity to implement voluntary conservation practices that protect water resources for farms and downstream communities challenged by more frequent and severe flooding, droughts, and wildfires. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s sustained commitment and investments in safeguarding the state’s waters, the funding announced today will continue to promote economic growth and the health and resilience of New York’s farms and ecosystems.”

The Ag Non-Point Program provides funding to projects that focus on either environmental planning or the implementation of best management practice systems to protect New York’s watersheds. Projects include conservation measures, such as nutrient management through manure storage, vegetative buffers along streams, and conservation cover crops. 

Through this latest round of the program, Round 30, a total of $25 million is being made available to the State’s County and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, who will apply on behalf of New York farmers: $14 million is from the Environmental Protection Fund and $11 million is from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. The Ag Non-Point Program is marking its 30th anniversary, and so far, through 29 rounds of funding, over $250 million has been awarded to on-farm projects.

The application for the program and additional information are available on the Department of Agriculture and Markets’ website at agriculture.ny.gov/funding-opportunities.

Project proposals are due at 4:30 p.m. on February 24, 2025.

Chairman of the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee Dale Stein said, “It’s hard to believe that the Ag Non-Point Program has been available to our farmers for thirty years. This program has been an essential tool in helping our farmers transition to climate-safe practices that preserve our natural resources and combat climate change while continuing to protect their businesses and nourish our communities. This funding, which is the largest investment in this program to date, will continue to help our environmental communities stay competitive while investing in their natural resources. It is remarkable to see how far we have come in the last three decades, and I look forward to seeing what the next thirty years will bring!”

The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, in coordination with the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, administers the Agricultural Non-Point Source Abatement and Control Program through its Land and Water Division, which works to protect New York's land and water resources through farmland protection, farmland conservation, and proactive environmental stewardship.

The Agricultural Non-Point Source Abatement and Control Program function as part of the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) framework, a broader effort that helps farmers achieve higher levels of environmental stewardship and more efficient, cost-effective farming systems. County Soil and Water Conservation Districts use the AEM framework to assist interested farmers through planning and implementation to make science-based and cost-effective decisions. As a result, farmers can meet business goals while conserving the State's natural resources.

Governor Hochul’s Commitment to Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Under the Governor's leadership, the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget provides $81.8 million through the Environmental Protection Fund, up $4 million from last year, for agricultural programs and initiatives, such as the Ag Non-Point Program and the Climate Resilient Farming grant program, that are helping farms to implement environmentally sustainable practices and combat climate change. This includes capital investments Soil and Water Conservation Districts oversee, such as supporting dairy farmers to implement projects that enhance manure management systems that sequester carbon and conserve manure nutrients applied to fields and soil to benefit water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also includes recent funding in the Eastern Finger Lakes Watershed that galvanizes implementation of the plans and programs to address on-the-ground actions necessary to abate nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms (HABs), prevent runoff, protect drinking water, and support local farmers.

In addition, the voter-approved $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 is advancing historic levels of funding to update aging water infrastructure and protect water quality, strengthen communities' ability to withstand severe storms and flooding, reduce air pollution and lower climate-altering emissions, restore habitats, and preserve outdoor spaces and local farms.

New York State's Climate Agenda

New York State's climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.