Cuomo releases another $1.2M to help farmers recover; more than $200K marked for Schoharie County

PHOTOGRAPHER: Justin Mason

Gov. Andrew Cuomo released an additional $1.2 million in aid from the state’s Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund to help 127 farms recover from the damage caused by tropical storms Irene and Lee.

The new round of aid will bring more than $200,000 to a dozen farms in Schoharie County, which was the badly battered by flooding from the storms. Cuomo said the funding will bring immediate assistance that should allow farmers to begin the rebuilding process.

“I have visited hard-hit farming areas and seen firsthand the damage to crops, fields, and property,” Cuomo said in a statement released today.

The funding follows two rounds of aid distributed last month. So far, the state has distributed a total of $3.7 million

The recovery fund is administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and will provide at least $15 million to rebuild the agricultural industry in hard-hit areas. Eligible emergency conservation practices include debris removal, restoring fences or conservation structures, crop removal, and land grading. The funding can also be used to cover costs for architectural or engineering services, construction or other direct expenses related to flood recovery.

In Schoharie, the funding will be used for removing debris, including gravel piles, whole trees, buildings, fuel and propane tanks in crop fields. Other projects include a milk house waste treatment system replacement, fencing, access road replacement and stream bank stabilization.

The Barber Family Farm received the largest block of funding with $58,000. The John Vanderwerken Farm $36,250, which was the second-highest among the 12 farms that received funding.

Four farms in Albany County received $34,425 to help reconstruct access roads and stream crossings, plus fund fence repair, and gravel removal. Three Montgomery County farms will split $31,000 for similar projects.

The Windy Hill and Walter Gifford farms in Schenectady County will divvy up $10,200. The funding is aimed at debris and obstruction removal, and stream bank stabilization.