AUGUST 2020
GRANTS AVAILABLE
Our August grant round is now open!
 
Purpose: Encourage the implementation of activities that can enhance the economic viability of farm and forest businesses in the NYC West of Hudson Watershed.
 
Eligibility: Any farm/agricultural business, forest business/logger, food/beverage business, and/or
landowner with farm/forest business property inside the NYC West of Hudson Watershed, preference will be given to WAC participants. Non-farming businesses looking to apply must source 51% NYC West of Hudson Watershed farm/forest products to be considered. Municipalities are not eligible. Visit us online at nycwatershed.org/economic-viability/micro-grants-program to view a map of the watershed boundary line.
 
How to Apply: The Watershed Agricultural Council will only be accepting online applications for this grant round. If you need assistance with please contact Kristan Morley at kmorley@nycwatershed.org.
 
The application deadline for this round is August 31, 2020. Visit us online for more information here: www.nycwatershed.org/economic-viability/micro-grants-program.
CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Farmers and Ranchers in New York Can Now Apply for Financial Assistance through USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Agricultural producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment calculator are now available online, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff members are available via phone, fax and online tools to help producers complete applications.
 
Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

More Information
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call the Delaware County FSA Office at 607-865-4005 Ext 2.
134th DELAWARE COUNTY FAIR POSTPONED
"With lack of guidance from NYS, uncertainty of permits being issued and guidelines recently obtained from Delaware County Department Public Health it is with great sadness and dismay that we have no choice but to postpone the 134th Delaware County Fair. We understand the hardship and heart break that this will bring to the exhibitors, vendors and fair-goers that flock to see and participate in our event. We are all in a heightened sense of uncertainty and understand the impact this will have on more than 140 people we employ annually and the economy of Walton and Delaware County as a whole. The Delaware County Fair Board takes pride in providing a safe event for all and with the challenges Covid 19 brings it's obvious we cannot do that. We wish you well, pray for your safety and invite you all to mark your calendars for August 16-21, 2021 when everyone from everywhere can have fun at The Delaware County Fair." -The Delaware County Fair Board of Directors
ECO-WHEEL TRACKS
What is that bright blue armor wrapped around those skidder tires? They’re called Eco-Wheel Tracks, manufactured by the Swedish company Olofsfors, and marketed as helping to improve traction, reduce compaction and rutting, and last longer than traditional tire chains. But do they? Taylor Richmond, a Master’s student at SUNY-ESF, digs into these questions with the WAC Forestry Program.

In June, we completed two research trials that measured the effect of wheel cover type (bare tires, chains, and tracks) and increasing skidder passes on soil compaction and rutting. Each trial represented 144 skidder passes, 936 measurements of soil mechanical resistance, 192 soil cores for bulk density analysis, and 48 wheel rut transects.

This research project serves as something of a Consumer Reports review of Eco-Wheel Tracks for loggers that may have been considering them for their own operations. If the tracks show evidence of protecting soils and/or increasing logger economic viability, WAC could consider a cost-share program to promote their use on logging jobs in the NYC Watershed.
STATEMENT BY NEW YORK STATE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE RICHARD A. BALL ON UNSOLICITED, MISLABELED PACKAGES OF SEEDS BEING SENT FROM CHINA 

“Our office has received questions from a few New Yorkers who have received unsolicited packages allegedly sent from China that are marked as containing jewelry but which actually contain plant seeds. Similar packages have been received in other states and the United States Department of Agriculture is investigating. People who receive seeds should not plant or handle the seeds. They should store them safely in a place children and pets cannot access and email USDA immediately at erich.l.glasgow@usda.gov for instructions. Seeds imported into the United States are rigorously tested to ensure quality and prevent introduction of invasive species, insects and diseases. We will continue to monitor this issue and will pass along guidance as it is received from USDA.”

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