Document Category: Agriculture
Workshops and Trainings
Farmer Education
Farmers can make intelligent decisions about how to effectively manage their watershed farms if their knowledge base includes the latest science. The Farmer Education Program offers a full calendar of “off-the-farm” workshops and conferences offered through a partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Besides the technical material offered at these sessions, farmers have the opportunity to exchange ideas with their neighbors about which practices and techniques work best for their operation. This effort complements the “bricks and mortar” best management practices built on farms through the Watershed Agricultural Program by providing information in three main subject areas: Nutrient Management, Feed and Forage Systems Management, and Youngstock Pathogen Management. In addition, WAC’s quarterly newsletter includes seasonal articles on operation and maintenance tasks and the Whole Farm Planning team visits farms yearly to review practices, address operational problems and answer the farmer’s questions and concerns.
Upcoming Events
Planning Tools & Timeline
Step-by-step guide to Farm Planning
A Whole Farming Plan (WFP) is what is utilized by the program to identify and prioritize water quality resource concerns on a farm. These WFPs are developed to solve specific issues on farms to protect the NYC drinking water supply that serves 9 million people. As a part of the WFP, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are prescribed to solve the resource issues and are implemented following a prioritized methodology. BMPs are placed within 11 pollutant categories which include animal waste storage, concentrated feeding areas, pathogens, erosion, nutrient management, and other farm related resource concerns (Guideline for BMP Prioritization).
Nutrient Management and Precision Feed Management are specific BMPs within a WFP that require specialized planning and dedicated team to implement.
How Does It Work?
Creating and Implementing a Whole Farm Plan:
- Each participating farm (landowner and/or producer) will be assigned its own Conservation Planner. The planner visits the farm to identify and assess potential sources of pollutants, using the NYS AEM Process (https://agriculture.ny.gov/soil-and-water/agricultural-environmental-management).
- The planner and participant(s) evaluate all alternatives to address the resource concerns and the BMPs to solve them. Final BMPs are selected based on the technical and financial impacts to both the program and the farm.
- The WFP is vetted to check for adherence to program policy and standards. It is presented through several groups that include other program planners, managers with final approval completed by the Agricultural Program Committee.
- After the WFP has been approved the BMPs within the plan are placed into the annually developed prioritized workload and implemented as funding is available. (link to Implementation tab?)
- Program staff provides continued support to the participant(s) to ensure the Plan’s long-term success through farm visits such as the Annual Status Review (ASR). WFPs are updated through the revision process as needed.
If you want more information or have any questions contact the Whole Farm Planning Coordinator, Nate Townsend (natetownsend@nycwatershed.org) (607) 865-7090 ext. 240
Implementation and Review
WFP revisions occur when the farm’s water quality issues are not sufficiently addressed by the existing WFP. These shortcomings may be due to:
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changes in the farm business (like the addition of livestock),
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the physical nature of the farm (like erosion caused by a 100-year flood event), or
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a failure of an existing BMP to adequately address an original issue.
The revision process is similar to that of the original WFP approval and implementation and may take time to execute. But ultimately, the planner and landowner work together to establish and maintain a flexible Whole Farm Plan, reviewed annually, that meets the growing and changing needs of the farm operation.
The Watershed Agricultural Program values its relationship with farmer/landowner and visits the farm each year. A staff planner conducts an annual evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), their functionality and effectiveness, with a tool called an Annual Status Review (ASR). An Annual Status Review of a Whole Farm Plan (WFP) includes:
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A Whole Farm Plan follow-up where the farmer/landowner and the WAC planner discuss how the Plan worked over the past year (or didn’t) and identify changes made on the farm since last year that may impact the WFP in the coming year.
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BMP inspections to verify that the practice is withstanding the farm’s demands and daily wear-and–tear;
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Ensuring the landowner understands and is following the O&M Agreement, by making repairs and conducting routine maintenance.
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Scheduling outstanding BMPs that may be pending.
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Measuring landowner satisfaction with the Whole Farm Plan and its overall impact on farm operations.
Whole Farm Planning
Whole Farm Planning
A Whole Farming Plan (WFP) is what is utilized by the program to identify and prioritize water quality resource concerns on a farm. These WFPs are developed to solve specific issues on farms to protect the NYC drinking water supply that serves 9 million people. As a part of the WFP, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are prescribed to solve the resource issues and are implemented following a prioritized methodology. BMPs are placed within 11 pollutant categories which include animal waste storage, concentrated feeding areas, pathogens, erosion, nutrient management, and other farm related resource concerns (Guideline for BMP Prioritization).
Nutrient Management and Precision Feed Management are specific BMPs within a WFP that require specialized planning and dedicated team to implement.
How Does It Work?
Creating and Implementing a Whole Farm Plan:
-
Each participating farm (landowner and/or producer) will be assigned its own Conservation Planner. The planner visits the farm to identify and assess potential sources of pollutants, using the NYS AEM Process (https://agriculture.ny.gov/soil-and-water/agricultural-environmental-management).
-
The planner and participant(s) evaluate all alternatives to address the resource concerns and the BMPs to solve them. Final BMPs are selected based on the technical and financial impacts to both the program and the farm.
-
The WFP is vetted to check for adherence to program policy and standards. It is presented through several groups that include other program planners, managers with final approval completed by the Agricultural Program Committee.
-
After the WFP has been approved the BMPs within the plan are placed into the annually developed prioritized workload and implemented as funding is available. (link to Implementation tab?)
-
Program staff provides continued support to the participant(s) to ensure the Plan’s long-term success through farm visits such as the Annual Status Review (ASR). WFPs are updated through the revision process as needed.
Want more information on Whole Farm Planning?
Nate Townsend
Whole Farm Planning Coordinator
Phone: 607-865-7090
E-mail: ntownsend@nycwatershed.org
Eligibility & Enrollment
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Apply
Start by completing a WAP Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Tier I application and returning it to the Agricultural Program office. This application gathers basic farm information and initiates the eligibility review process.
Link to AEM Tier 1
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Confirm Eligibility
Program staff will confirm the farm’s location, production status, and eligibility based on the following standards:
- Location: The farmstead, including the main production facilities and housing, must be located within the New York City Watershed boundary.
- Farm Type and Activity: To qualify as an active farm business, an operation must meet minimum production and sales thresholds:
Livestock Farms:
- Must maintain at least 5 Animal Units (A.U.s), and
- Have average annual gross sales of $10,000 or more over the preceding two years.
- Must show the ability to manage manure responsibly through export, composting, or field spreading.
Non-Livestock Farms:
- Must have average annual gross sales of $10,000 and at least 7 acres in agricultural production.
- Eligible sales include crops, maple syrup, honey, Christmas trees, nursery plants.
- Start-Up Farms: New operations that have not yet reached $10,000 in sales may qualify by demonstrating the value of raised livestock or commodities over the past tax year.
Start-up periods vary by enterprise (e.g., 2 years for crops and livestock, 3–5 years for orchards and berries, 8–10 years for Christmas trees).
- Existing Participants: Current Whole Farm Plan (WFP) participants that fall below these thresholds are reviewed according to program guidelines.
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Enrollment & Whole Farm Planning
Once eligibility is confirmed, WAP staff will conduct a WFP Tier 2 based on the NYS AEM process. The goal is learn more about the farm operation, management goals, and to identify water quality resource concerns that may be mitigated by best management practices.
If a farm is advanced as a program participant, they would work with Whole Farm and Nutrient Management planners to develop a plan for their farm.
The primary purpose of the Whole Farm Plan is to identify environmental risks and the Best Management Practices (BMPs) mutually agreed upon to address those resources issues, based on NRCS, NYS or local developed standards.
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Implementation & Long-Term Support
As BMPs are prioritized following program guidelines and contractual obligations, projects are designed collaborative with the landowner/producer and implemented through local contractors and engineers under WAC supervision.
Once completed, the participant is responsible for ensuring that each practice is properly operated and maintained throughout its designated lifespan, and beyond as feasible. Participants in good standing remain eligible for repair, replacement, and future improvement projects as long as they stay active in the program.
Conservation Participants
In addition to Whole Farm Plan participants, select landowners may be eligible as Conservation Participants under specific circumstances:
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Landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) or Catskill Stream Buffer Initiative (CSBI) may qualify.
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On a case-by-case basis, leased cropland or pasture within the watershed may be eligible if it is managed under a current CNMP or equivalent plan.
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Whole Farm Plans for these properties are limited to BMPs that directly protect water quality (e.g., stream buffers, cover crops).
Program Capacity
Enrollment in the Watershed Agricultural Program is based on eligibility, program capacity, and annual prioritization of new Whole Farm Plans. Submission of an application does not guarantee immediate enrollment. New participants are added as resources allow and in alignment with program goals.