WALLKILL—On May 4 Gov. Cuomo announced $20 million in grants through the Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement Program that for the first time will help local farmers protect valuable, at-risk farmland from future development and maintain the land’s use for agricultural purposes.
Orange County received $2.8 million of that funding for four farms in the county. County Executive Stephen Neuhaus visited one grantee, Sycamore Farms in the Town of Wallkill, the day the grant was announced and met the Smith family who operate the farm. “They are great, down-to-earth people,” Neuhaus said.
Neuhaus said the successful effort was “a reflection of the hard work of a team of farmers, and town and county officials who submitted applications for quality projects to New York State.”
Wallkill will permanently protect Sycamore Farms, a 203-acre fruit and vegetable operation. Sycamore Farms offers a Community Supported Agriculture program, and it has a farm stand with a kitchen that turns out food products—baked goods, jams, jellies, preserved fruit, heirloom tomatoes, and more—that are sold at the farm stand.
