APRIL 2020
MICRO GRANTS AVAILABLE
Our April grant round is open! Are you a farmer, logger, forester, forest landowner or Pure Catskills farm/forest member with business property inside the West of Hudson NYC Watershed? Apply for our Marketing, Staffing, Event/Mileage Reimbursement or Training grants! The application deadline for this round is April 30, 2020 .

*NOTE: The Watershed Agricultural Council will only be accepting online applications for this April 2020 grant round. If you need assistance with please contact Kristan Morley at kmorley@nycwatershed.org.
SUPPORT LOCAL
At the Watershed Agricultural Council and Pure Catskills, we understand things are rapidly changing and recognize the need for a collaborative solution that will provide consumers accurate information about local food availability while giving local businesses access to markets. Along with other regional entities we are encouraging local food businesses to use this shared directory:   ripeio.community
to get your information out to the community!

The ripeCommunity Directory allows food businesses to create a listing for themselves and update food availability in real time, giving consumers a cost-free, one source, way to access accurate information about food options, hours of operations, ordering instructions, and food safety precautions. Community members can also use this platform to understand donation support options, regardless of a business’ operational status.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact ripecommunity@ripe.io .
USING SURPLUS MILK AS FERTILIZER
Provisional Guidance for Covid-19 Emergency Response

Given the current market disruptions created by the COVID-19 emergency, farms may continue to play important roles in the safe, agronomic, and environmentally sound recycling of surplus milk. Please find provisional guidance for recycling milk and manure and milk mixtures as a fertilizer for crops here . It’s been developed to support the efforts of farmers, planners, Districts, and other Ag conservation partners in their responses to the COVID-19 emergency. 

Watershed Agricultural Program participants please contact your Whole Farm Planner or Nutrient Management Planner if you have any questions or issues. Read More here .
COVID WEBINARS FOR HORSE OWNERS

If you didn't get a chance to listen to the last 3 webinars from  eXtensionHorses.org  you still can! They have been archived to their YouTube Page...
 
The three webinars include:
  1. Financial Assistance for Horse Farms
  2. Bio-security and Sanitation for Horse Farms
  3. Fine Tuning Boarding Contracts 
EARTH DAY 2020
Everyday at the Watershed Agricultural Council is spent working to protect water quality in countless ways in the NYC Watershed.

On April 22nd, as we celebrated Earth Day, our staff from around the region did their part locally. Various staff and their families spent the morning cleaning up roadside and streamside trash in their neighborhoods. We all can make a difference, every single day! 🌱

For more information on any of our programs, visit nycwatershed.org