Cornell Cooperative Extension and American Farmland Trust would like to invite dairy producers across the state to join a free webinar focused on the Dairy Forward grant program. This program aims to help dairy farm families in New York access information and professional services to plan for farm transitions in the face of tremendous challenges such as a weak dairy economy, disruptions from severe weather, and an aging farmer population. This virtual learning opportunity will be offered on Wednesday, February 24^th and will be held from 12noon - 12:30pm. Click here to register. 

Join Molly Johnston-Heck, Regional Farmland for a New Generation Manager with American Farmland Trust, and Farm Business Management Specialists from Cornell Cooperative Extension for an interactive program overview and Q&A session that will explore this grant opportunity. This free program will be offered via Zoom and will include a call-in option. If you are interested in receiving program information, but are unable to attend "live", please register at the above link. A recording of the webinar and application materials will be sent to all those registered following the webinar on February 24.

American Farmland Trust is joining Chobani to support dairy farmers in planning for the future. The Dairy Forward program offers grants of $500 to $5,000 that can be used to help NY dairy farm families plan for farm transfer and generational succession, general farm business planning, permanently protect their land, and adopt regenerative farming practices. These funds are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Eligible farms must be located in New York state and be a dairy operation, have sold more than $1,000 in agricultural products in 2020, and have a service provider identified for their proposed project.

Attending this webinar is not a requirement to apply for Dairy Forward funds. For more information and a copy of the application, visit farmland.org/dairy-forward or contact Molly Joshnston-Heck with American Farmland Trust by emailing dairy@farmland.org or calling 315-565-1538. Your local Cornell Cooperative Extension Farm Business Management Specialist is also available for guidance.

Grant funds available for:

• Farm Transfer and Planning
• Farm Business Planning
• Permanently Protecting Land
• Adopting Regenerative Farming Practices

Eligibility Requiremens:

• Farm must be located in NYS and must be a dairy operation
• Total market value of agriculture products sold must be greater than $1,000
• A service provider must be identified