Thanks to funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, farms on the New York side of the Lake Champlain Basin are eligible to apply for a cover crop cost share payment. The project’s goal is to implement at least 1,000 acres of cover crops per year for 2 years.

Cover crops are an effective best management practice to reduce erosion on agricultural fields. Cover crops protect the soil surface from the negative effects of rainfall and erosion during storm events.

Cover crops also improve soil health by reducing soil erosion, increasing soil porosity (and subsequently water infiltration and field drainage) and increasing nutrient supply. The improvement of soil health can also enhance climate resiliency by providing protection to agricultural fields due to the ever-increasing number of extreme weather events.

Farms will be required to participate in the NYS Agricultural Environmental Management planning process. More information and applications are available from the County Soil and Water Conservation District offices in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Warren and Washington Counties.

The application period begins immediately, and applications will be taken until the available funds have been expended.

To apply, contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District:

Clinton County SWCD 518-561-4616, ext 3 http://clintoncountyswcd.org/
Essex County SWCD 518-962-8225, http://www.essexcountyswcd.org/
Franklin County SWCD 518-651-2097, http://fcswcd.org/
Warren County SWCD 518-623-3119, https://warrenswcd.org/
Washington County SWCD 518-692-9940, ext 5. https://washingtoncountyswcd.org/

Interested parties can review the Lake Champlain Basin cover crop program application here. 

For more information, please contact: Maren Stoddard of the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District at (518) 623-3119  or marens@warrenswcd.org

Photo at top provided by Maren Stoddard, District Technician of the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District.