Recognizing the struggle that dairy farmers are facing with prolonged low milk prices and that New York’s dairy farms represent the largest sector of our agricultural industry, $30 million additional dollars were made available by New York State for a new “Dairy Transitions” grant program. This funding enables dairy farmers to protect their land and use the money they receive for selling their development rights to diversify operations or to transition operations to the next generation, while ensuring the land remains in agricultural use.
ASA has applied for, and been awarded, seven of these grants so far. These funds will enable ASA to protect another 2,028 acres and provide over $3.6 million to these farm families to secure their future. There has been an overwhelming interest in this new program from our local farmers.
