Dairy Acceleration Program:
Additional Funding Opportunity

Additional funding from the Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Department of Environmental Conservation has extended the Dairy Acceleration Program.

This program is designed to enhance profitability and environmental stewardship of New York dairy farms. The program will be delivered in collaboration with Cornell PRO-DAIRY and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Funding for eligible projects may be used for organization of financial records and benchmarking, creation of strategic business plans, design of new or remodeled production facilities, development or updates of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) and design of Best Management Practices (BMPs) identified in the farm CNMP.

Dairy heifer operations are also now eligible to apply for environmental planning funds.

Basic program eligibility:

• Must be a dairy cattle farm shipping milk.
• Must have complete financial records for business planning.
• Must have a current CNMP if applying for funds to design BMPs.
• Preference is given to farms with under 300 cows.
• Must complete and submit an application.

Environmental planning options:

• CNMP updates for farms under 300 cows.
• New CNMPs for farms under 300 cows.
• Design of BMPs for farms under 700 cows.

Dairy Acceleration Program funding covers 80% of a project’s cost. The farm is responsible for 20% of the project cost, which is paid directly to the service provider, including any in excess of established limits.

Funding may include:

• Up to $5,000 to develop a business plan for long term viability of the dairy.
• Up to $2,500 for previously awarded farms to continue working with their farm business consultant in a subsequent year to refine and/or implement their business plan.
• Up to $1,000 to prepare farm financial records and benchmark current financial status in preparation for business planning.
• Up to $6,000 to develop a new CNMP (farms under 300 mature cows).
• Up to $4,500 to update an existing CNMP (less than 3 yrs old and farms under 300 mature cows).
• Up to $5,000 for design of a single eligible BMP identified in the CNMP (farms under 700 mature cows).
• Up to $10,000 for design of a combination of BMPs identified in the CNMP (farms under 700 mature cows).
• Up to $2,500 for certification of existing manure storage.
  
  

Eligible BMPs include:

• 561 Heavy Use Area (e.g. concrete barnyard)
• 367 Roofs and Covers (e.g. cover over a barnyard)
• 317 Composting Facility
• 316 Animal Mortality Facility
• 635 Vegetative Treatment Area
• 360 Waste Facility Closure
• 632 Waste Separation Facility
• 313 Waste Storage Facility
• 634 Waste Transfer
• 629 Waste Treatment

For more details visit the DAP website.

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Additional information is online at PRO-DAIRY's website.


For More Information:

Caroline Potter PRO-DAIRY
272 Morrison Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Phone: (315)-683-9268
Fax: (315)-683-9268
E-mail: cjh42@cornell.edu

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