Chautauqua County Farms Invited to Apply for Grant Funds

Opportunity to receive portion of $25 million through the Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement Program

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (February 24, 2016) -- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program is pleased to offer assistance to any farmer landowners interested in applying for the Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement Program that is facilitated locally by the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District.

This grant opportunity is a part of Governor Cuomo’s announcement to help boost the agricultural economy in New York State’s Southern Tier. Under this initiative, $25 million will be available to increase agricultural production on farms and improve profitability in the 11 Southern Tier counties.

The Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District has partnered with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to deliver this grant program to support agricultural projects in the county. Chautauqua County’s agricultural industry is encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District office at 716-664-2351 ext. 5 or

chaut-co@soilwater.org for application materials. The local Soil and Water Offices are facilitating this grant process, and are the point of contact for any questions concerning the application process or eligibility requirements.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County Staff are available to assist farms with the required business plan portion of their applications. This business plan needs to be prepared by and/or reviewed by a qualified individual or business entity. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County has two staff members available to assist: Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Farm Business Management Educator, can be reached at 716-664-9502 ext. 202 or kaw249@cornell.edu. Lisa Kempisty, Dairy and Livestock Educator, can be reached by calling 716-664-9502 ext. 203 or ljk4@cornell.edu.

Farms need to meet eligibility requirements that are available from the local Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation office. One main requirement to be eligible is that a farm business has received the Farmers’ School Property Tax Credit in 3 of the 5 years prior to submitting the application. The deadline to apply for the first round of funding is March 7th, 2016.

Grant funds are available for projects such as remodeling or building new farm structures, irrigation and drainage, fencing, environmental enhancements, and professional services. Funds are available in amounts of $20,000 to $100,000 and require a 10% match from the farm for project amounts between $20,000 and $50,000 and a 25% match for amounts from $50,001 - $100,000.

Assistance to farms with creating business plans is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua) in line with the County’s 20/20 Comprehensive Plan. CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated March 17, 2016