What's happening
This bill creates a grant program to help small farms in New York recover and replant crops after natural disasters.
Why it matters
Targets the smallest farms. by limiting eligibility to those with annual sales of $100,000 or less, focusing aid on the most financially vulnerable producers who may lack access to other disaster recovery resources.
Directs funds exclusively to crop recovery. , ensuring that grants can only be used to purchase and replant crops lost in natural disasters, rather than broader operational or infrastructure expenses.
Caps individual grants at $10,000. , which may help ensure more farms receive some assistance, but could also mean that especially hard-hit farms may not have all their losses covered.
Ties funding to legislative appropriations and available resources. , making the program’s scale and reach dependent on future state budget decisions and potentially limiting support in years with tight fiscal constraints.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Aid for Small Farms
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 111
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Aid for Small Disaster-Hit Farms
In Senate Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor Pamela Helming
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1150
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to establishing a small farm disaster recovery grant program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 325-b to read as follows:
§ 325-b. Small farm disaster recovery grant program. 1. There is hereby established a small farm disaster recovery grant program to be administered by the department, in conjunction with the empire state development corporation.
2. The purpose of the program is to provide financial relief to small farms that have been affected by natural disasters.
3. For purposes of this section, small farm shall only include farms that sell produce and have annual sales of one hundred thousand dollars or less.
4. The owner of any small farm may submit an application for a grant pursuant to this section to the department. Grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be used solely for the purpose of purchasing and replanting crops that have been destroyed by a natural disaster.
5. The commissioner, upon review of an owner's application, shall determine if the owner is eligible for a grant pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall make the determination as to the amount of grant the small farm owner needs to rebuild their crop, provided that such amount shall in no event exceed ten thousand dollars.
6. This program shall be funded through annual appropriations of the legislature or any other funds received by the state for the purposes of this section. Grants shall only be awarded based upon the availability of funds.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01324-01-5
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.