Delaware County Farm Enhancement Grant Program

Yes! In light of the overwhelming response in Round 1, Delaware County recently approved another $500,000 from ARPA funds so that we canoffer a Round 2 of the DCFEGP. Applications for Round 2 are due by 4pm on Monday, October 31, 2022. Those funded in Round 1 are not eligible to apply in Round 2. Those not funded in Round 1 may revise and/or re-submit their application in Round 2.

Please submit a signed statement (if applicable) in lieu of proof of insurance for this requirement explaining your situation regarding employees. Not sure? Check with your insurance carrier or visit The Workmans Compensation Board webpage for farms.

Please contact your insurance carrier to discuss the required certificate of insurance. It is suggested to list CCE as an additional insured for the length of the agreement (how long you expect the project to take), including follow-up reporting until you recieve the close-out confirmation from CCE Delaware County following project completion.

No. A notary is not required when signing the contract.

No. The intent of this program is reach farms that derive a substantial income from farming and have operated and experienced impacts during the pandemic period.

No; however; all building projects must meet local building code, and building permits must be obtained as necessary. However if you have a set of plans for your project you are strongly encouraged to include them, especially for more complex projects.

Yes, provided that the repair or modification proposed receives WAP or DCSWCD approval.

No, project costs incurred prior to the notification of award of funding will not be reimbursed, with the exception of 2022 Cropping inputs.

Yes.  These qualify as Livestock Management and Containment Systems/Structures (e.g., stalls, pens, chutes, headlocks, fencing, gates)

No, if the business referred to in application has one and the same physical farm business.

Yes.   This will be a requirement of the contract signed between the farm and CCEDC once the award has been announced.  Documentation providing this proof will be included as part of that agreement.   It does not need to be included as part of a farm’s submitted grant application package.

Yes, if a farm is required by law to have Workers Comp insurance (click here to learn if you are required to have Worker’s Comp).   Documentation providing this proof will be a requirement of the contract signed between the farm and CCEDC and will need to be part of that agreement.  It does not need to be included as part of a farm’s submitted grant application package.

Matching funds are NOT required. If a large gap does exist between the project cost and the amount requested, you are encouraged to discuss how you intend to bridge the gap and how the project would be financially feasible for you, if selected. This may or may not include matching funds.

A justification of expenses should be provided. Multiple estimates are not required.

Funds will be disbursed after the contract is signed between CCEDC and the Awardee.  Invoices for the project will be required upon project completion.

No. We encourage you to be clear and concise; however, we do not want to limit you in your ability to tell your story.  If additional sheets are necessary, please attached any additional pages and indicate the question number that the answer corresponds with.  Clear and concise narratives that contain relevant information are helpful to the reviewers in understanding your proposed projects.

Yes.

No. While documentation of completion of the entire proposed project will be required, receipts will only be required for the amount of funding awarded. For example, if your project cost $35,000, and you were awarded $25,000 toward that project, we will request copies of $25,000 in receipts for that project, but you will be required to provide documentation that the entire project was completed.

Applications should only be submitted in full with all supporting documentation. There are no bonus points for submitting early, so please wait until you have everything together to submit one complete application (prior to the deadline of course). Please note that applications which are incomplete or missing attachments will not be considered for funding.

• Be a resident of Delaware County and at least 18 years of ageo
• Operate a farm business that is physically located in Delaware County
• Be engaged in the business of farming as an individual, partnership, association, cooperative, corporation, or LLC business entity, and meet the definition of “farm operation” as defined in section 301 of the Agriculture and Markets Law: “Farm operation” means the land and on-farm buildings, equipment, manure processing and handling facilities, and practices which contribute to the production, preparation and marketing of crops, livestock and livestock products as a commercial enterprise, including a “commercial horse boarding operation”, a “timber operation”, “compost, mulch or other biomass crops” and “commercial equine operation”. Such farm operation may consist of one or more parcels of owned or rented land, which parcels may be contiguous or non-contiguousto each other.
• Meet the Criteria for Eligibility for a NYS Property Tax Agricultural Exemption (even if not receiving this exemption; see NYS RP-305 form)

No

No

• You’ve got a great project idea, but it can’t speak for itself. The committee expects to receive many good proposals and the application is your opportunity to make yours shine.
• Complete all the sections: Incomplete applications lose points in scoring. You don’t need to write a book, but complete and thoughtful answers help reviewers see your vision for the project.
• Relevance to Pandemic: Our project funding is a related to pandemic recovery, projects that are clearly related to the pandemic’s impacts will score higher.
• Feasibility: The committee wants to know that your project is feasible and can be completed in the project time frame.oImpact: How will this project benefit the farm? How much improvement will be made and how long will that last?
• Share Your Vision: Briefly and clearly present your vision of the future of the farm, and show how your project will help your farm reach your goals

Yes, if you otherwise meet gross income criteria, residency and age requirements

Yes. In the grant application review scoring, greater weight will be given to farms that did not receive a STAIEP award, and particularly those who did not meet eligibility criteria for farm ownershipfor the STAIEP program.

Yes. Each application will be reviewed on its own merits. Although some preference will be given to farms that did not receive an STAIEP award, a compelling application from a farm that did receive a STAIEP award may be enough to outweigh previous grant awardee criteria.

Yes.  Provided there is remaining funding available for subsequent rounds, a farm may submit another application in a subsequent round, either a modification of their first application submission or an entirely new proposed project application.

No, that is not likely.   The program is limited to $480,000 of allocated project funding from the Delaware County ARPA Committee.   We anticipate receiving requested funding for proposed projects to exceed the amount of funding available.  Additionally, the process is competitive, and a poorly constructed or incomplete application may be rejected or rank very low.

No.  Unlike the Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement Program, we will not be requiring business plans to be constructed in order to be eligible to receive funding through this ARPA-funded program, due to the much lower funding limits of the present program.  Any farms who have a business plan that includes the implementation of the proposed project and wish to attach it to their application, are encouraged to do so.

Upon Award notification, CCE will send an invoice to Delaware County, then a check will be created. This will be sent to the awardee (farmer)