Funding Secured from Illegal Pollution Settlement Will Support 35 Innovative Farming Projects Across 25 Farms
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton and Attorney General Letitia James today awarded more than $1.34 million in grants to support farmers in Delaware and Sullivan Counties. The Agricultural Environmental Innovation Grant Program is funded by DEC and Attorney General James’ 2023 settlement with FrieslandCampina Ingredients North America, Inc. (Friesland) for repeated violations of state and federal environmental law at its Delhi, Delaware County facility.
Administered by the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC), the grant program will directly reinvest the settlement funds in the Catskills by providing 25 farms with access to innovative agricultural technologies and practices. The projects selected for funding will demonstrate innovations that can increase efficiency and promote sustainability on New York farms, boosting economic, health, and environmental outcomes across the Catskills region.
