Assemblywoman Addie Russell (D
– Theresa) announced today that the St. Lawrence Agricultural and Farmland
Protection Board has received a $13,500 grant
from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund to be used update
their Agricultural Development Plan. The grant will be used to update data which
will provide the framework for the county to continue to encourage and support
viable agricultural initiatives.
“Agriculture continues to
have a vibrant and strong future as one of the main economic components in the
North Country,” said Assemblywoman Russell.
“The agricultural community requires a large number of supporting
businesses to meet the needs of their businesses. Helping our local farmers
continue thrive is essential to our communities.”
Matilda Larsen from the St. Lawrence
County Planning Office said, “This planning effort will result in the digital
production of an Agricultural Development Plan that will be used to help
preserve and advance the farming industry in St. Lawrence County. An exciting element of the new plan will
result from a partnership with St. Lawrence University’s GIS lab to create a virtual
Agricultural Atlas of St. Lawrence County which will include aerial imagery, property boundaries, land use regulations,
topography, soil types, and the presence of wetlands that will be centralized
on an interactive website.”
Dawn
Howard, Manager of the St. Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District
said, “We have extensively used the 2001
Agricultural Development Plan that was developed with public outreach and
stakeholder input, to guide our activities. This will allow us to update data,
account for current and emerging issues, and guide future activities.”
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