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Columbia County Soil and Water calls for more staff to capture surge in state conservation funds
Summary
Dylan Sadowski, executive director of Columbia County Soil and Water, told county supervisors the district is securing larger grants but lacks staff capacity to apply for and manage many projects; the district won a $2.8 million manure-storage award in 2024 and distributed smaller grants to dozens of farms.
Dylan Sadowski, executive director of Columbia County Soil and Water, told Columbia County supervisors the district is working to capture a recent surge in state farm-conservation funding but lacks staff to pursue and manage all eligible projects.
Sadowski said New York State conservation programs totaled nearly $70,000,000 in 2024 and are administered competitively by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. "These programs can only be used for farm projects in New York state, and there's only 58 districts that have access to that $70,000,000," he said, adding the district seeks to increase planning and application work so local farms can access the funds.
The district has pursued multiple program lines this year. Sadowski said Columbia County Soil and Water secured $177,000 in…
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