Our mission is to promote New York State agriculture and its high-quality and diverse products, foster agricultural environmental stewardship, and safeguard the state’s food supply, land, and livestock to ensure the viability and growth of New York’s agriculture industries.
The Source Water Buffer Program aims to protect New York State's water quality by funding the purchase of conservation easements and the establishment of riparian buffers on farmland adjacent to critical water sources. These initiatives are designed to filter surface runoff or shallow groundwater, thereby protecting the water quality of the state's aquifers, watersheds, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and streams. With $5 million available through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017, the program offers financial assistance for long-term protection measures that enhance water quality and mitigate nutrient pollution, including vegetated or forested buffers. It provides cost sharing for the purchase of perpetual conservation easements or 50-year term conservation easements, and for the installation or enhancement of buffers within these easement areas.