ALBANY — New York State is directing more than $1.34 million to farms in Delaware and Sullivan Counties to fund agricultural innovation and environmental protection projects, state officials announced Tuesday.
The grants will support 35 projects across 25 farms and are funded through a 2023 environmental enforcement settlement with FrieslandCampina Ingredients North America, which had been cited for repeated air and water violations at its Delhi facility.
The program is being administered by the Watershed Agricultural Council, which will distribute funds to dairy, cattle and organic crop farms across the Catskills region. State officials said the initiative is intended to reduce agricultural runoff, improve soil health and expand precision farming technologies.
“New York’s farmers work from sun-up to sun-down to put food on our tables,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This new grant program will invest directly in New York’s farmers by helping them adopt new technologies and practices to save money, reduce waste, and protect the environment.”
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the funding underscores the state’s approach of returning penalty payments to affected communities while supporting the agricultural sector.
Officials said the money stems from a $2.8 million settlement reached in August 2023, which required FrieslandCampina to come into compliance with environmental laws and pay penalties for pollution violations. Half of the settlement funds were earmarked for local environmental and public health projects.
The grants, officials said, are being awarded only to farms in compliance with state regulations and are designed to test and scale up new practices.
Projects include precision agriculture tools such as cattle monitoring collars, automated feeding and grazing systems, and advanced planting equipment; soil conservation measures including cover crop management and erosion reduction; and agricultural drone technology used to monitor crops and reduce pesticide use.
State officials said 22 projects focused on precision agriculture received about $913,000, while soil health initiatives received about $219,000, and drone-based monitoring projects received about $214,000.
The Watershed Agricultural Council said the program builds on long-standing partnerships with farmers in the region and aims to demonstrate how technology and conservation practices can improve both environmental outcomes and farm viability.
