Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District is set to receive more than $130,000 to help a local area farm reduce their environmental impact and recover from extreme weather. The funds will help Bolster Farm in Fort Plain install two separate prescribed rotational grazing systems. “Silvopasture Practices” which combines forestry with grazing, will be conducted on a portion of the farm to improve water quality, minimize erosion, reduce storm water runoff, and increase carbon sequestration.

The funds are provided through the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program, an initiative funded in the state budget to help farms reduce their operational impact on the environment and address the impacts of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. Santabarbara, a member of the State Assembly’s Committee on Agriculture and Chair of the Commission on Rural Resources, advocated for the funding to support the program. Through the program County Soil and Water Conservation Districts were awarded grants on behalf of farms in one of the following project categories: agricultural waste storage cover and flare for methane reduction, on-farm water management, and soil health systems.

”We have seen how agriculture is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. "It’s important that we invest in local farms and help them prepare for extreme weather events. These funds will help Bolster Farm become environmentally sustainable. By reducing their environmental impact we can preserve farmland, increase productivity and save on energy costs.”