There are many agencies and programs that exist to serve and support agricultural endeavors. Here are listed some of these resources in an accessible and comprehensive way. If you are looking to answer a question about running your farm, chances are one of these sources will hold the answer.
Federal Agencies
| USDA Farm Service Agency | Federal agency with county offices across the state to administer farm loans, price support programs, commodity programs and payments, conservation programs, and disaster assistance. | www.fsa.usda.gov/ny 315-477-6300 |
| USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service | Federal agency that has a mutual agreement with state-funded Soil and Water Conservation Districts. NRCS has 47 field offices and provides one-on-one assistance to private landowners and local governmental units in all aspects of natural resource protection. They also administer federal cost-share conservation programs. | www.ny.nrcs.usda.gov/ 315-477-6504 |
NYS Agencies
| Soil and Water Conservation Districts | There are 62 county soil and water conservation districts in the state that provide information on conservation and wise use of the natural resources. Depending upon the district office, they may have money available for cost-share on land improvement and conservation projects. | www.nyacd.org/ 518-857-0060 |
| NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets | State agency regulating agricultural businesses and commerce. They administer marketing regulations that govern product sales, the agricultural districts program, agricultural conservation easements, provide market assistance and promotion, and offer several grants programs to increase farm viability. | http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/ 800-554-4501 |
| NYS Department of Environmental Conservation | ConservationState environmental regulatory agency with programs addressing: water quality, mineral resources, lands and forests, fish and wildlife, and pesticide/hazardous materials regulation. They offer some technical assistance but generally focus on the regulation of activities to assure compliance with state pollution regulations. | http://www.dec.ny.gov/ |
Cornell Programs
| Cornell Cooperative Extension | Key outreach system of Cornell University with a strong public mission and an extensive local presence that is responsive to needs in New York communities. There are 56 associations across the state to offer educational programming in the areas of community development, agriculture, environment, family and youth, financial management, gardening, and nutrition and health. | http://www.cce.cornell.edu/ |
| Cornell Small Farms Program | Fostering the sustainability of diverse, thriving small farms through information, events and activities, small farms research, and a free quarterly newsletter that is a must read for small farmers. | www.smallfarms.cornell.edu 607-255-9227 |
| NY FarmNet | Free and confidential on-farm consultants help farm families answer business and personal questions about finances, farm transfer, natural disaster, personal stress, family communication, and marital conflict. | www.nyfarmnet.org 800-547-3276 |
Organizations Serving Agriculture
| New York State Farm Bureau | The state’s largest non-governmental, volunteer agricultural organization financed and controlled by farm families for the purpose of solving economic and public policy issues challenging the agriculture industry. They are a grassroots-based lobbying organization and offer educational resources to farmers in the state in addition to discounts on insurance and other products. | www.nyfb.org 800-342-4143 |
| New York State Grange | GrangeAgricultural and rural community fraternal organization with a focus on community involvement. They are a grassroots organization with a legislative agenda and many community involvement programs. | http://www.nysgrange.org/ 607-756-7553 |
| American Farmland Trust | Farmers and conservationists concerned about the rapid loss of the nation’s farmland to development, American Farmland Trust (AFT) is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting our nation’s agricultural resources. They have a legislative agenda and programs to help deter and/or stop the development of farmland. | https://www.farmland.org/ |
| NOFA-NY – New York Organic Farmers’ Association | NOFA-NY is an organization of consumers, gardeners and farmers creating a sustainable regional food system that is ecologically sound and economically viable. They also have a separate LLC that is the leading organic certification organization in the state. | http://www.nofany.org/ 607-724-9851 |
| Other NYS Producer Organizations | There are many organizations specific to production interests (for example, NYS Apple Association, Vegetable Growers, Christmas Tree Growers, etc.). The NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets publishes a Directory of New York State Agricultural Organizations. | To view this directory online, visit: https://on.ny.gov/3jj8dha |
Funding
For information on grants and financial opportunities for your farming operation, visit the ‘Grant Opportunities for Farmers’ fact sheet.
