Agricultural Environmental Management

The Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program is a voluntary and incentive-based program that assists your farm with meeting business objectives and goals while also making science-based and cost-effective decisions to help protect natural resources. This program offers free technical assistance to farmers and producers with the goal of promoting conservation for the land as well as improving farm production.

By participating in the AEM program, District staff can offer:

  • Technical Assistance
  • Develop a farm-specific conservation plan – plans can be for…
    • Soil Health (cover crops, forage, etc.)
    • Irrigation Management
    • Pasture Management
    • Forest Conservation and Management
    • Silvopasture Management
    • and more…
  • Implementation and funding for best management practices identified in the plan
  • Soil health testing
  • Update plans to include current activities, conservation plans, and farm goals
  • Become NY Grown and Certified

Farming with proper conservation practices can increase production and decrease operating costs. This program is free of charge and information is kept confidential.

Many agricultural operations are eligible including: riding stables, green houses, hay fields, fruit, vegetable or tree farms, maple, forestry, horse, dairy or other pastureland and vineyards. All farms, large or small, are encouraged to join our AEM program. For more information about our AEM program,  see our Strategic Plan.

Contact Us:

If you have any questions or would like to participate, please feel free to contact our office at (518)623-3119

Or via email:

Join the Lake Champlain Cover Crop Program

We are seeking out farms located in the Lake Champlain Watershed to plant cover crops following summer or fall crop harvests. Our project goal is to implement at least a 1,000 acres of cover crops for two years within Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Warren and Washington’s Counties Lake Champlain Watershed. For this program we offer different payment rates for farmers that participate. Below you find additional information about this program, payment rates, and application:

Are you located within the Champlain Watershed? Contact us today!