NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets Commissioner Richard Ball, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, and Scenic Hudson Join Together to Promote Resilient, Sustainable Farming
For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
Jola Szubielski, Director of Public Information
Jola.Szubielski@agriculture.ny.gov; 518-457-0752
Office of Assemblymember Didi Barrett
Asia Harris, Communications Director
harrisa@nysassembly.gov; 518-455-5177
Riley Johndonnell, Director of Communications & Creative Strategies
845 473 4440 Ext. 222, rjohndonnell@scenichudson.org
Farmers and Stakeholders Met to Discuss Lessons Learned and Consider Next Steps from Experience with the Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot Project
PINE PLAINS (DUTCHESS COUNTY) – Recently, farmers, County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), and policymakers gathered on a dairy farm in rural Dutchess County to continue an important conversation of state and national significance focused on the practices farmers use to produce the food and fiber that feed our communities while contemplating how these practices can be sustainably scaled up to help support the state’s and nation’s climate objectives. The specific focus of the gathering was to reflect on the experience of and lessons learned from local farmers and SWCDs participating in the “Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot Project.”
In 2018, NYS Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D – Columbia, Dutchess) secured funding in the NYS budget for the establishment of a soil health demonstration project to promote environmentally friendly agricultural practices known as carbon farming: sequestering carbon in the soil while helping farmers improve soil resiliency and productivity on their farms. Dubbed the “Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot Project,” the initiative originally contemplated the advancement of demonstration areas in Columbia and Dutchess Counties. In partnership with then NYS Senator Jen Metzger, the geographic focus was expanded to include Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties.
Climate-smart farming practices improve soil health while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a land stewardship practice, carbon farming improves soil health and productivity by allowing greater soil water absorption and holding nutrients in place; as a climate-smart initiative, it mitigates and sequesters carbon’s release into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide contributes to climate change as a greenhouse gas by trapping heat in the atmosphere. By using no-till systems; planting cover crops, trees, and perennial forages; and by managing compost and nutrient application, farmers can see improvements in water retention, nutrient storage, and reduced erosion.
Key to this effort was harnessing the technical knowledge and support of the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee, and County SWCDs. State and local agencies critically focused on providing direct financial and technical support to farmers across the state, advancing comprehensive management solutions that address environmental challenges and further protect New York’s natural resources.
Scenic Hudson supported the effort through promotion of the pilot initiated by Assemblymember Barrett and Senator Metzger, and worked with project partners to communicate progress with the demonstration projects and actively seek ways to further advance the pilot’s work, including facilitation of the focus event in partnership with Commissioner Ball and Assemblymember Barrett.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “The Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot is a great example of how the agricultural industry is working to mitigate the impacts of climate change and reduce its carbon footprint. This work is critical to protecting our land – one of our most precious resources, and the foundation of our farming community – and to ensuring that we can continue to farm for generations to come. I thank Assemblymember Barrett, Scenic Hudson, and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts and farmers who were involved in this pilot for their tremendous efforts, which will help farmers across New York State gain valuable knowledge about soil health, water quality, climate adaptation, and resilience.”
“In 2019, I secured funding in the NY State budget for the Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot Project to encourage and support the adoption of regenerative farming, a win-win approach that takes carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it in the soil, where it makes farmland more productive and resilient,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett. “Agriculture is the only sector of our economy that has the potential to be not only net zero but actually net negative, and New York State farms will continue to play a crucial role in reaching our climate goals and achieving a greener future. I’m grateful to Commissioner Richard Ball and the Department of Agriculture and Markets, the County Soil and Water Districts, and Scenic Hudson for their partnership in this successful pilot program. I look forward to continuing our efforts to expand regenerative farming in New York State.”
“We are extremely honored and thankful for Scenic Hudson’s opportunity to serve as a partner with Commissioner Ball and Assemblymember Barrett in advancing the Hudson Valley Carbon Farming Pilot Project,” said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan. “Through their leadership, the farming community and stakeholders have taken lessons learned from the pilot and applied them through a dynamic combination of funding and technical assistance to family farms that is making a real difference in agriculture across the Hudson Valley and the state as a whole. We applaud their vision to strengthen sustainable, regenerative practices on our farms and to turn that vision into reality.”
