Adirondack Council awards micro-grants to farms

“It has been a pleasure to see this program grow and develop,” said Adirondack Council’s Acting Executive Director Raul Aguirre. “Well-managed farms make the Adirondack Park a better place to live, for both people and wildlife.”

“It is a critical time to build partnerships and resiliency in the local food system. Transforming our relationship to imported goods now will mean that our farms, forests and artisanal producers can bolster local economies across the region in the future,” said Dillon Klepetar, who is the Adirondack Council’s farm advocate. “Agricultural producers in the North Country are up against incredible odds including supply chain and food processing issues, increasing costs for inputs like seeds and diesel, a labor shortage, and policies that favor industrial agriculture over family farms. Those actively working on the land need support from consumers as well as the nonprofit community.”

Among this year’s funded projects are efforts to replace fossil fuel energy sources for on-farm needs; the production and distribution of local fertilizer/compost to improve soil health; upgrades to improve food and maple processing efficiency; and support for transitions toward rotational livestock grazing.

Altogether, the proposed projects demonstrate how relatively small financial investments can have an outsized impact on the Park’s natural resources, agricultural lands, and can serve as a model for other rural communities.

The micro-grant program has now awarded more than $200,000 since 2015, supporting over 100 local projects in the Adirondack Park. Collectively these projects continue to preserve natural resources, enhance environmentally beneficial farming practices, produce healthy local food, and reduce energy use.

This year, the council received 20 complete applications seeking almost $40,000 in support. The Essex Farm Institute was assisted by Adam Dewbury, food system program director for the Adirondack North Country Association, and Hannah Grall, who coordinates food security projects with ADK Action.

“The successful micro-grant program has been made possible by the generous support of the Klipper Family Fund and other generous donors,” said Aguirre. “Together, we have accomplished a lot for local farming and a sustainable local economy.”

“The collaborative energy behind these funded projects is inspiring.” said Courtney Klipper, co-founder of the Klipper Fund. “This year’s innovative work brings the community closer to closing the loop of local self-sufficiency in terms of energy, soil fertility, and intimately connecting consumers to the food that’s being produced in their neighborhoods.”

“The Klipper Family created the fund to help producers address financial, social and environmental goals of sustainable food systems in a comprehensive way,” said Klipper Fund co-founder Nathaniel Klipper, “so farmers can think bigger than their family’s bank account balance when it comes to investing in real progress for the Champlain Valley and the entire Adirondack Park.”

The Micro-Grant program “challenges the conventional wisdom that profitability and environmental stewardship are at odds with one another” said Klepetar. He added, “our program recognizes the outstanding leadership of farmers and value-added producers who steward the landscape and nurture its inhabitants.”

The 2023 grantees are:

¯ River Bottom Farm (Wadhams) — $1,500 for installation of a solar-powered water pump to irrigate a 30×96-foot high tunnel.

¯ Norman Ridge Farmstead (Vermontville) — $3,000 for perimeter fence materials for rotationally grazing cattle on an additional 75 acres.

¯ Mark Twain Maple Works (Saranac Lake) — $1,500 to purchase a new maple finishing pan that will increase efficiency.

¯ Full & By Farm (Essex) — $1,500 to install a hybrid electric heat pump water heater and retiring its propane-powered equivalent.

¯ River Valley Regeneratives LLC, Ben Wever Farm, Sugar House Creamery (Redford, Willsboro, Jay, respectively) — $8,000 for raw materials to fabricate and set up mobile composting equipment including scientific instruments, a mobile-screening unit and a compost applicator to be shared among producers.

¯ Three Daughters Maple (Willsboro) — $1,500 to design and construct a reverse osmosis filter along with evaporator upgrades to reduce firewood consumption.

¯ Meadow & Mountain Farm (Moriah) — $1,500 to expand spruce, balsam and other evergreen plantations using a rented commercial tree planter and application of organic fertilizer.

¯ The Cook Farm (Owl’s Head) — $1,500 to purchase and utilize a small dump trailer to make and move compost without compaction.

¯ Creative Kitchen Garden (Westport) — $1,500 to establish a mass planting of 2,000 native wildflowers.

¯ Craigardan (Elizabethtown) — $1,500 to create a public educational composting and growing system that is accessible to all members of the community.

¯ Open Gate Farmstead (Keeseville) — $1,500 to create mobile meat and breeding rabbit housing that improves soil conditioning and install solar powered light and rainwater collection system in the rabbitry.

¯ Blue Line Compost (Saranac Lake) — $1,500 to purchase 35-gallon trash cans with lids and wheels to expand mobile collection service to larger clients, and to reduce the vehicle trips required to gather waste.