§ 329 — Farmland viability program

§ 329. Farmland viability program. The commissioner shall initiate and\nmaintain a state farmland viability program within the department which\nis intended to improve the profitability and efficiency of participating\nfarms. The program shall provide technical and financial assistance in\nthe form of matching grants to applicants for projects which contribute\nto overall farm profitability and sound environmental management.\n 1. The commissioner may award grants, within available funding, for\nthe following purposes:\n a. to a county agricultural and farmland protection board for the\nimplementation of any component of its approved agricultural protection\nplan which addresses improved farm profitability;\n b. to an applicant, other than a county agricultural and farmland\nprotection board, for the development of a farmland viability plan or a\nportion of such a plan, which shall assess overall farm profitability\nand identify potential strategies for improved farm profitability such\nas farm expansion, value added production, diversification,\nenvironmental management, or marketing and promotional activities, and\n c. to an applicant, other than a county agricultural and farmland\nprotection board, for the implementation of any component of its\nfarmland viability plan which has been approved by the commissioner.\n 2. The commissioner shall consult with the college of agriculture and\nlife sciences at Cornell university and the state advisory council on\nagriculture to identify and coordinate available resources for the\nfarmland viability program.\n