State Awards Money for Regional Agriculture Projects

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball on Dec. 19 highlighted the nearly $27 million in funding awarded through the 2016 Regional Economic Development Council initiative that will support the growth of the agricultural, food and beverage industries in New York State.  

The awards were announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Dec. 8. A total of 68 agriculture-related projects were identified as key to advancing the state’s 10 regional economies.

“I’m pleased that the Regional Councils, who are made up of leaders representing our state's communities, businesses and universities, are supporting projects that will help the agricultural industry grow," Ball said. "From farm operation expansion projects to training programs, these projects are proving important to our regional economies."

A snapshot of the projects awarded include:

 

Western New York – $2.1 million for seven projects, including $1 million for the state-of-the-art expansion of Edelweiss Dairy Farm and $220,000 for a farmers’ market in the City of Olean.

 

Finger Lakes – $3.5 million for seven projects, including $2.3 million for the Livonia Agribusiness Park and $213,500 for a commercial kitchen incubator in downtown Rochester.

 

Southern Tier – $811,500 for four projects, including $250,000 for Fagan Engineers Land Surveyors P.C. to create a wine production, warehousing and distribution facility.

 

Central New York – $1.9 million for nine projects, including $200,000 to JD Farms to help build and equip an industrial biomass processing plant in Georgetown, which will be used to process commodity crops such as hay, wheat straw and industrial hemp.

 

North Country – $1.85 million for seven projects, including $1.2 million for CEI Greenhouses to establish greenhouses in Ogdensburg to grow leafy green vegetables using a hydroponic system.

 

Mohawk Valley – $3.9 million for six projects, including $100,000 for the Vets2Farm training program.

 

Capital Region – nearly $8.5 million for 11 projects, including $600,000 to support the expansion of Hawthorne Valley Farm in Columbia County and $325,000 to expand the Adirondack Pub Brewery and to establish a Craft Beverage Campus in Warren County.

 

Mid- Hudson Region – $1.9 million for eight projects, including $750,000 for the Star Estate Distillery, which will establish a craft distillery relocating its brand, Star Vodka, from Oregon, expand spirit production into whiskey, bourbon and gin along with private label products for new brands, and create a 25 room boutique hotel, event space and small organic farm in the Town of Esopus.

 

Long Island – $825,000 for six projects, including $300,000 for Montauk Inlet Seafood, which will expand their ice making capacity by creating a production, storage and distribution system to support local Montauk fishing vessels.

New York City – $1.47 million for three projects, including $375,000 for Urban Farmers, a Swiss-based rooftop aquaponics developer and operator, which will build an aquaponics and hydroponics greenhouse on rooftop space at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.

To see the entire list of projects, http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/Press%20Releases/REDC_Grant_Awards_2016.pdf go to this link.