S 2249: Changes the eligibility and criteria for awards of grants from the beginning farmers NY fund to enable more farmers to participate; requires that tiers be established for grants less than $15,000.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2249 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 16, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the urban development corporation act, in relation to the beginning farmers NY fund The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 2, 3 and 5 of section 16-w of section 1 of 2 chapter 174 of the laws of 1968 constituting the urban development 3 corporation act, subdivision 2 as amended by section 1 of part W of 4 chapter 58 of the laws of 2016 and subdivisions 3 and 5 as amended by 5 section 1 of part FF of chapter 58 of the laws of 2015, are amended to 6 read as follows: 7 2. The corporation shall consult with the department of agriculture 8 and markets in order to establish such criteria governing the award of 9 grants as authorized herein, as the corporation and such department deem 10 necessary. Such criteria shall include, but not be limited to, farmers 11 who have not produced an "agricultural product" as defined by section 12 three hundred twenty-eight of the agriculture and markets law, for more 13 than ten consecutive years, and who will materially and substantially 14 participate in the production of an agricultural product within a region 15 of the state. Such criteria shall also consider farm income and farm 16 investments as necessary to accommodate beginning farmers reporting less 17 than ten thousand dollars of annual farm income. 18 3. Appropriations to the beginning farmers NY fund may be used for the 19 following purposes: 20 (a) to assist farmers in demonstrating innovative agricultural tech- 21 niques including, but not limited to, organic farming and specialty 22 crops. 23 (b) capital grants in accordance with a business plan to improve farm 24 profitability. Upon completion of such business plan, recipients shall EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04961-01-5 
 S. 2249 2 1 be eligible for capital grants to enhance the profitability of farming 2 operations, including on land under lease by the recipient. Such grants 3 may be used for purposes including, but not limited to, the purchase of 4 machinery or the construction or improvement of physical structures, 5 including semi-permanent structures. Recipients of awards for 6 construction or improvement of physical structures on land under lease 7 by the award recipient, shall receive compensation for or retain owner- 8 ship of such structures. Any capital grant shall be issued with a one- 9 to-one match between the state and recipient. 10 5. The beginning farmers NY fund shall not invest an amount in any 11 single beneficiary that is less than one thousand dollars or that 12 exceeds fifty thousand dollars, subject to any exceptions to be estab- 13 lished by guidelines of the corporation. The corporation shall estab- 14 lish award tiers to accommodate awards of less than fifteen thousand 15 dollars. Awards of five thousand dollars or less shall be awarded in a 16 single payment prior to project completion. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding 18 the date on which it shall have become a law.