North Country Creamery (Provided photo — Adirondack Council)

ELIZABETHTOWN — The Adirondack Council awarded 12 micro-grants totaling $24,500 to local farmers and value-added food/beverage/fiber producers on Earth Day.

The initiative is an effort to support climate-friendly economic activity inside the Adirondack Park. The Essex Farm Institute, a project of the Adirondack Council, supports local sustainable agriculture by working directly with farms and by advocating for soil health, habitat connectivity and climate change mitigation. It also helps the Adirondack Council identify farmers and small business owners who want to reduce their environmental impact and adapt to a changing climate.

“It is incredible to think that this program has awarded more than $240,000 to worthy local recipients since it began in 2016,” Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre said in a statement. “Well-managed farms and climate-friendly businesses make the Adirondack Park a better, more sustainable place to live.”

Among this year’s funded projects include efforts to encourage no-till farming (to control erosion); a pilot project for eliminating oil-based plastics in food vacuum-packaging; tree planting to retain water; solar-powered irrigation and livestock fencing systems; composting facilities and support for organically managed commercial bee hives for apple and grape production, among others.

“Farmers are in it for the long-haul,” said Dillon Klepetar who is the Adirondack Council’s Farm Advocate and director of the Essex Farm Institute. “Taken together, these projects represent a certain dedication that will leave the landscape and soil in better condition for the next generation.”

Altogether, the proposed projects demonstrate how relatively small financial investments can have an outsized impact on the Park’s natural resources, agricultural lands and can serve as a model for other rural communities, Klepetar said.

This year’s application drew proposals from almost two dozen small and mid-size enterprises as well as several projects focused on local value-added processing of raw agricultural goods. The council received applications totaling $43,379.48.

The Essex Farm Institute’s review of grant applications was assisted by an internal committee of three full-time staff.

“The successful micro-grant program has been made possible by the generous support of the Klipper Fund and other forward-thinking donors,” Aguirre said. “Together, we have accomplished a lot for local farming and a sustainable local economy.”

The 2024 grantees are:

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Farms

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¯ Full and By Farm, Essex: $1,500 toward transition to a no-till system

¯ Reber Rock, Essex: $2,000 toward pilot switch to plastic-free vacuum packaging

¯ Wollecru, Westport: $1,500 to eliminate fossil fuels from natural dye system

¯ Craigardan, Elizabethtown: $1,500 to remove dams from previous logging operation

¯ NC Creamery, Keeseville: $1,500 to plant 700 trees to capture rainwater

¯ Meadow Farmstead, Jay: $1,500 toward purchase of occulation tarps to reduce tillage

¯ Crown Point Farm and Dairy: $1,500 to capture and utilize rainwater for fields

¯ Cook Farm, Owls Head: $1,500 toward solar irrigation system in the farm’s high tunnel

¯ Meadow and Mountain Farm, Moriah: $1,500 toward electric garland maker; cover crop

¯ Black Kettle Farm, Essex: $1,500 to manage orchard alleys using draft horses

¯ Big Dipper Farm, Westport: $1,500 toward solar fence charger and electric sheep nets

¯ Diane Sivigny Farm, Ellenburg: $1,500 toward heated pump house.

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Small businesses

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¯ Blue Line Compost, Saranac Lake: $1,500 to purchase large, wheeled compost bins

¯ River Vly Regeneratives, Redford: $1,500 for hot water system to clean compost bins

¯ Miss Bee Haven Apiary, Jay: $1,500 for apiary installations with organic mite treatment

¯ Farmer’s Cone Creamery, Essex: $1,500 for energy efficiency and less water use.

Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded, not-for-profit environmental advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park.