Essex Farm Institute to Become Permanent Feature of Adirondack Council's Conservation Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
ESSEX FARM INSTITUTE TO BECOME PERMANENT FEATURE OF
ADIRONDACK COUNCIL’S CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Moving Beyond Micro-Grants to Assist Owners of Farms, Working Forests
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – After ten years, the Adirondack Council is sunsetting its Adirondack Farmer and Value-Added Producer Micro-Grant Program. The program was started in 2016 following a roundtable where farmers identified the need for smaller, more accessible grant money to implement environmentally beneficial projects on their farms.
In 2018, the Council adopted the Essex Farm Institute (EFI) to strengthen its support for farmers and open space protection in the Adirondacks. With experienced farmers on staff—first Racey Henderson, now Dillon Klepetar—EFI took over management of the Micro-Grant Program.
To honor a decade of impact—including farmers’ and producers’ commitment to carbon-, energy-, water-, and ecosystem-friendly projects—EFI has released a 28-page report on the Micro-Grant Program, entitled Agricultural Sustainability in the Adirondacks, illustrating the impact of a decade of micro-grants for local farms and producers.
In addition to helping farms become more financially sound and sustainable, the report notes that the micro-grants have aided the Adirondack Park by:
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Reducing local greenhouse gas emissions by 3,000 metric tons through innovations and upgrades
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Diverting more than 100 tons of landfill waste into compost or other inputs on farms
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Saving over 2,800 hours of farm labor through efficiency gains
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Conserving and/or reusing 100,000 gallons of water
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Protecting 41 acres of river corridor with native plants and other interventions
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Increasing local food access and education by supporting producer-led outreach
New Focus Will Build on Success
“The Micro-Grant Program achieved what we hoped for—putting money into the hands of local farmers and producers who feed our communities and steward the land,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre. "The grants have created a powerful legacy, but the needs of producers and the landscape are evolving. “With growing environmental, financial, and political pressures, we must take a broader view of working lands in the Adirondacks. Sunsetting this program allows us to focus our efforts on advancing sustainable agriculture, forestry, and rural communities.”
Aguirre said the Micro-Grant Program had been a major success. He thanked Courtney and Nat Klipper of the Klipper Fund for sponsoring the program. Over the past decade, it allowed the Adirondack Council to invest $263,997.25 in Adirondack farms and value-added producers for over 140 sustainability projects.
“Farming and forestry can be a major source of stewardship in the Adirondacks that works towards land preservation, sustainability and stronger rural economies,” said Dillon Klepetar, Farm Advocate. “By broadening the focus of the Council's working lands advocacy we'll be able to better address the structural policies, markets and incentives that contribute to responsible use of the Parks natural resources.”
The Council’s new Working Lands Program will be overseen by Director of Conservation, Jackie Bowen. “In addition to supporting local farms, the program will aim to promote healthy private forests, advance carbon sequestration, and strengthen supply chains for food and wood products to boost the regional economy,” Bowen said. “As private lands face growing political, climate, and financial pressures, this new approach will better advocate for and support resilient communities within the Park’s protected landscape.”
Mark and Kristin Kimball were among the founders of the Essex Farm Institute. They said they were glad to see the Institute’s efforts to assist sustainable agriculture graduate to a whole new level.
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. The 9,300-square-mile Adirondack Park is one of the largest intact temperate forest ecosystems left in the world. The Adirondacks are home to about 130,000 New York residents in 130 rural communities.
The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy and legal action. The Council envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities.
For more information: John Sheehan, Director of Communications, 518-441-1340
