{"id":85125,"date":"2017-10-01T09:32:08","date_gmt":"2017-10-01T13:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=85125"},"modified":"2017-09-30T20:45:52","modified_gmt":"2017-10-01T00:45:52","slug":"magee-farms-eligible-for-50-million-to-support-water-quality-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=85125","title":{"rendered":"Magee: Farms eligible for $50 million to support water quality projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bill Magee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Assemblyman Bill Magee (D-Nelson) announced that livestock farms can now apply for state grants to help fund water quality projects that help comply with new environmental regulations. A total of $50 million is available through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which was included in this year\u2019s state budget. As chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, Magee is a fierce advocate for New York\u2019s farmers and is dedicated to conserving our region\u2019s soils and water resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agriculture industry is important to our region\u2019s economy,\u201d Magee said. \u201cThis funding ensures that farmers across New York can comply with new regulations designed to ensure our water remains clean. These water quality projects will keep our water safe for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are more than 500 farms in New York State with more than 200 livestock, most of which are dairy farms with more than 300 cows.1<\/sup>\u00a0This funding will help livestock farms better store nutrients, such as manure, until there is ideal weather for application. Previously, farmers with insufficient storage would have to apply manure during rain or snowmelt, which meant that nutrients could run off and contaminate water supplies rather than be absorbed into fields and help crops grow.<\/p>\n

This funding is especially important this year. Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) have been confirmed at Craine Lake in Earlville and suspected in the DeRuyter Reservoir.2<\/sup>\u00a0HABs are caused by several nutrient sources and environmental factors and have the potential to cause illness in people and pets, as well as impact fisheries and recreational opportunities on local waterbodies.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage livestock farmers to apply for this helpful funding,\u201d Magee said. \u201cThis is one of many programs out there that could be an important boost to them. I\u2019ll keep fighting to cut red tape, invest in innovative agriculture programs and spur economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first of three application periods is currently open and will close\u00a0Nov. 20<\/span><\/span>. Awards for the first $20 million will be made by mid-December. An additional $15 million will be made available in both 2018 and 2019. County soil and water conservation districts can apply for the CAFO Waste Storage and Transfer System Program on behalf of eligible farmers. The maximum award amount per proposal is $385,000, which includes funding for engineering and construction expenses. The application link can be found at\u00a0agriculture.ny.gov\/RFPS.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Assemblyman Bill Magee (D-Nelson) announced that livestock farms can now apply for state grants to help fund water quality projects that help comply with new environmental regulations. A total of $50 million is available through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which was included in this year\u2019s state budget. As chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23679,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agfarming","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}