Being a small- to medium-scale dairy farmer in New York State just got a little bit easier, thanks to the recent announcement of $1 million dollars in new state funding for a program designed to help the state’s dairy farmers reduce energy costs, improve business operations, and enhance environmental planning. Dubbed the Dairy Acceleration Program, the new initiative is a partnership between the Cuomo administration, the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and Cornell. It will be administered jointly by Cornell’s PRO-DAIRY program and Cornell Cooperative Extension, and is aimed at helping dairy farms with under 300 head of cattle by providing grants that may be used for the creation of strategic business plans focused on growth, the design of new or remodeled facilities, or the development of environmental and farmstead plans. To be eligible for funding, farms must have lactating dairy cattle, have complete financial records available for business planning, and must complete and submit an application. Funds from the program cover 80% of a project’s cost, with the farm responsible for the remaining 20%. Funding may include:
- Up to $5,000 per farm to write a business plan or to develop a combination of a business and facility growth plan;
- Up to $6,000 to develop a new Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) for farms under 300 cows;
- Up to $4,500 to update an existing CNMP for farms under 300 cows;
- Up to $3,600 for an initial and combined evaluation of financial an environmental needs of the farm for farms under 300 cows.
The announcement of the Dairy Acceleration Program comes at a time when New York’s dairy farmers are working harder than ever to grow their milk production to keep pace with rising demand generated by the state's number-one-in-the-nation yogurt industry. CALS is playing an important role helping New York’s dairy farmers meet this challenge, by spearheading efforts like the Grow New York Dairy initiative, by hiring new faculty with research expertise in dairy cattle, and by investing $8 million of college funds in a new dairy research barn at the Cornell Animal Science Teaching & Research Center in Harford, NY.
