Current News
ASA is expecting a busy summer of events. Check out what is coming your way soon!
Family Nature Walk on Conserved Elihu Farm Saturday, July 18th 10 am to 12 pm
Join ASA and naturalist Howard Romack for a guided walk on Easton’s Elihu Farm to learn about animals and plants, land conservation and ecology.
Elihu Farm 654 Beadle Hill Road Valley Falls, NY
Reservations required by Wed. July 15th. Please call 692-7285 or email us at asa@agstewardship.org.
Other upcoming events:
Mushroom Walk in Conserved Forest August 8th, 10 am – 12 pm
Skidmore College professor and mycologist Sue Van Hook will lead a walk through protected forestland near Greenwich to find and identify all kinds of wild fungi.
Reservations required by Wed. August 5th
Taste of Rensselaer County September 15th, 6-8 pm
ASA joins our Rensselaer County partners for this wonderful dinner celebrating the bounty of locally produced foods. This year’s event will be held at Liberty Ridge in Schaghticoke, NY.
Landscapes for Landsake October 10th, 11th and 12th
The tradition continues for an eighth year with this wonderful juried show featuring art inspired by our working landscapes. The show will be held at Maple Ridge in Coila. Proceeds benefit ASA’s farmland conservation program.
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 10th from 3 to 6 pm
Additional Gallery Hours: Sunday and Monday, October 11th and 12th from 12 to 4 pm Admission: $5
ASA Projects
State farmland protection grants to conserve 1,350 acres in local communities
In May, Governor Patterson announced more than $23 million for farmland conservation across the state. ASA, which administers the Washington and Rensselaer Purchase of Developments Rights Programs, will implement four grants totaling $1.9 million to protect 1,350 acres of farmland. ASA wrote the grants on behalf of the counties and local municipalities that applied.
The farms and associated municipalities selected to receive funding include:
- Philpott Farm, Town of Hoosick, 155 acres
- Deep Roots Holsteins Farm, Town of Kingsbury, 343 acres
- Buckland Farms, Rensselaer County, 436 acres
- Hand Melon Farm, Washington County, 418 acres
The state program provides 75% of the cost to purchase the non-agricultural development rights and project-related expenses. Once selected by the state, the project takes about two years to complete.
For more details see Governor Patterson’s Announcement and List of Grant Recipients
Houser Completes Farmland Legacy
George Houser, Jr., along with his brother Horace, protected 301 acres of Brotherhood Farm on Route 40 in Easton earlier this year. George was instrumental in local efforts to galvanize support for agricultural land use issues in Easton since the 1970s. His passion to keep quality farmland available for future farming helped give birth to ASA.
George and his family have now protected a total of 1,028 acres over the span of 16 years. The last piece of the puzzle was the protection of the home dairy farm where their main operation is located. Most of the previous conservation easements were donated. This last project was a bargain sale in which ASA partnered with the Castanea Foundation and the Saratoga Washington on the Hudson Partnership to purchase the easement.
ASA thanks the Houser family for their commitment to farmland conservation and being an anchor for other farmland protection projects along the Route 40 corridor.
More stories in the news archives
