Patrick Administration Announces New Round of Agricultural Grants

DAR accepting applications until June 30

BOSTON -- The Patrick Administration today announced the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) is accepting applications for a grant program to help farmers improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve water and energy.

The grant application deadline for eligible farmers, growers or aquaculturists is June 30, 2009. These grants are reimbursement payments with a maximum value of $30,000 per eligible project, and are funded through the $1.7 billion Energy and Environment Bond Bill signed by Governor Patrick in August 2008.

“These grants demonstrate Governor Deval Patrick's commitment to helping farmers embrace green practices that are cost saving and environmentally sound,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said.

“We’re pleased to offer these grants to the Massachusetts agricultural community,” said DAR Commissioner Scott Soares. “Our hope is that the funding will help farmers streamline their operations while protecting the Commonwealth’s precious natural resources.”

Known as the Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program, the DAR initiative has provided more than $3 million dollars in grants to support 288 projects statewide since it was established in 1999. The program, which funded 51 projects with $700,000 in grants last year, complements federal funding for renewable energy and environmental quality practices on farms, enabling the completion of more extensive projects.

Previous grant recipients have used the funds to install animal manure waste systems, pesticide storage facilities, fencing to keep livestock out of wetlands, energy efficient pumps, photovoltaics, windmills, trickle irrigation systems, and automated irrigation systems for cranberry bogs.

Projects are selected based upon their potential to protect the most sensitive resources including drinking water, wetlands, and environmental priority water bodies such as reservoirs. Projects are also evaluated on their demonstration of increased efficiencies for water and energy conservation, and for reducing energy-related pollution emissions.

Farmers participating in the joint DAR and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Milkhouse Wastewater Pilot Program will be given special consideration for this year’s grants. The milkhouse pilot program aims to evaluate the environmental effects of milk house discharges through the use of vegetated treatment areas.

For more information on the grant program, visit www.mass.gov/agr/programs/aeep.

The DAR’s mission is to ensure the long-term viability of local agriculture in Massachusetts. The DAR is comprised of four divisions – Agricultural Development, Animal Health, Crop and Pest Services, and Technical Assistance – tasked to support, regulate, and enhance the Commonwealth’s agricultural community. Through its strong partnerships with municipal and federal entities, farmers, and farming associations, the DAR’s services provide support for continued successful cultivation of a thriving and diversified agricultural industry; economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures, and fulfilling agriculture’s role in energy conservation and production.

For more information, contact the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources at 251 Causeway St., Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114, (617) 626-1700 or www.mass.gov/agr. Contact information for the DAR’s Amherst office is: 101 University Dr., Suite C4, Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 548-1900.