New York Protects 567 Acres of Western New York Farmland

State grant funding and conservation easements permanently block development on three farms in Niagara, Wyoming and Erie counties.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Organic Food

Isometric editorial illustration of a patchwork of crop plots divided by a wooden fence line leading to a red barn, in muted earth tones. — New York State awarded grants to protect three Western New York farms totaling 567 acres, permanently blocking development through conservation easements placed by the Western New York Land Conservancy. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets has awarded Farmland Protection Implementation Grant funding to protect three Western New York farms totaling 567 acres. The Western New York Land Conservancy has placed conservation easements on the land, permanently removing development rights.

Why it matters

Farmland is disappearing mostly because it is worth more to sell for building than to keep farming, and the easements keep the land in agricultural use regardless of future ownership. For New York residents, the program's statewide reach has protected more than 144,760 acres on 473 farms.

The three farms are Rettig Farm, a 230-acre hay operation in Middleport, Niagara County; Youngers Farmland, a 294-acre family dairy in North Java, Wyoming County; and Henry Farmland, 43 acres in Eden, Erie County, leased to two farmers growing vegetables and field crops. Individual easement payment amounts for these three farms were not disclosed in the grant announcement.

The players

New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets

The state agency that administers the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program and oversees agricultural policy and farm support across New York.

Western New York Land Conservancy

A regional land trust that holds the conservation easements on the three protected farms and reviews applications for future funding rounds.

The details

Farmers work with land trusts, which place conservation easements on the land, legally removing development rights while keeping current land uses in place regardless of who owns the property. The grant is funded through the state's Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets.

October 2026: New York State announced more than $48.5 million to protect 43 farms statewide, including these three.
2001–2016: The US lost roughly 11 million acres of farm and ranch land, according to American Farmland Trust's Farms Under Threat study.

Roadmap

The three-farm protection sits within the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program, which has conserved more than 144,760 acres on 473 farms statewide since its launch. It follows a national pattern documented by American Farmland Trust, which estimates the US lost about 2,000 acres of farm and ranch land a day between 2001 and 2016.

For residents in Niagara, Wyoming and Erie counties, the easements mean these three farms will stay in agricultural use, supporting local hay, dairy, and vegetable production. The protection applies regardless of future ownership, so the land remains available for farming rather than sale for development.

The takeaway

Protected farmland keeps local food production close to home, and residents interested in supporting it can watch for future rounds of state funding announced by the Department of Agriculture & Markets. Buying from nearby farms helps sustain the operations these easements are designed to keep in place.