The Graze NY program began in Central NY in 1996 as the result of US Congressman James Walsh’s participation in a grazing farm tour. At that event, Congressman Walsh learned first hand from farmers practicing Prescribed Grazing Management (PGM) how grass based agriculture provides a less expensive feed source than purchased feeds, reduces production costs, retains more farm profits, and reduces soil erosion. Leaders in the field of PGM recognized that rotational grazing could be one option to combat rising production costs that were forcing many small family farms out of business.
Since 1996, Congressman Walsh sponsored the “Pastureland Management / Rotational Grazing” earmark funding as part of the Agricultural Appropriations budget. This funding was responsible for the creation of the Graze NY program in 1996 and sustained the program through 2008. With the retirement of Congressman Walsh in 2008, Congressman Michael Arcuri assumed sponsorship of the Graze NY program. |
Currently, Graze NY assistance is available in 10 central NY counties: Broome, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins, and Wayne. With Mr. Arcuri’s help the program plans to expand in 2010 to include four new counties: Chenango, Herkimer, Ontario and Otsego.
From the onset, the primary goal of the program was to provide technical training, guidance, and when available, financial assistance to help farm families with the establishment of Prescribed Grazing Management Systems. Since 1997, Graze NY staff have worked with over 6700 farm families. Assistance provided varies based on the farm needs from general planning to in-depth design work. Over 1,200 PGM plans have been developed, with 725 presently initiated and many more waiting in the wings. To accelerate the adoption of PGM and educate the public, Graze NY also holds regular indoor workshops and outdoor pasture walks.
The most important thing about Graze NY is the farm families that benefit from the program. These family farms maintain the rural character of our communities. They are a driving force in the economy of upstate NY. They protect our environment by maintaining permanent grass coverage and reducing sediment and nutrient runoff.
The Graze NY earmark funding provided both direct and indirect benefits to farms. In general, the funding provides support for one staff person per county. The economic benefits provided by each staff person goes beyond the value of the assistance provided. Graze NY staff work constantly to secure additional funding for participating farms. They seek funding through grants and other programs to help defray the cost of system implementation, including: fencing, water systems and laneway developments. PGM can be costly to install, especially on farms that are already suffering financially. The work that Graze NY does has resulted in over 8.5 million dollars in implementation funding that gets passed directly to the farmers. These funds are important not only to the farmer receiving them, but also to the local community where the money gets spent and re-spent over and over again. |
