NNYADP Annual Report Highlights Research for “Building into Northern New York’s Agricultural Future”
Northern New York; January 27, 2026. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has published its 2025 annual report, titled “Building into the Future.” The report highlights the small grants program’s recent farm-based research results related to farm economic and environmental sustainability. Funding for the program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and is administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
More than $1.17 billion in agricultural sales makes northern New York the second highest region in the state for agricultural sales (NYS Comptroller’s Report).
New York State Assembly Agriculture Chair Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo said, “The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a model for strategic investment in cutting-edge research, focusing on farm sustainability, local foods, and more. The North Country is a vitally important part of the state’s agricultural economy and certainly merits this type of investment.”
Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Joseph Giroux, Plattsburgh, said, “The funding from the New York State Legislature in support of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program drives our shared mission to continue to grow and maintain northern New York’s unique landbase, and agricultural and natural resources as a farm-based economic powerhouse for our communities and for the state.
The 2025 NNYADP report highlights advances in agricultural environmental stewardship related to water quality and the use of tile drainage, environmentally-friendly soil health, and research underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program often supports successful first-time or proof-of-concept projects, the results of which attract larger funding to move the research statewide or nationally. The 2025 report includes a successful and first season-long trial of a new way to manage the horticultural crop pest swede midge and a pilot project evaluating how a farm’s specific growing environment impacts the value of dairy feed crops.
Dairy owner Dan Chambers of Chambers Farm, Heuvelton, said, “We need the Northern New York Agricultural Development program’s new ideas and research that prove out what may otherwise be just a ‘sales pitch.’ This kind of research helps enhance cow health and farm economics.”
NNYADP small grants research that has occurred alongside the exponential growth of northern New York’s maple industry includes a recent and successful do-it-yourself (DIY) experimental project for keeping sap cool to maintain sap quality in warmer spring seasons.
Regional microclimate adaptability is the focus for two NNYADP projects: one related to northern New York’s variable growing conditions that challenge apple growers in the critical spring season, and the addition of chestnuts and cold-hardy pecans to the NNYADP new crops and “super fruits” research.
Indicators of agricultural economic growth, including new dairy, maple, poultry, and produce, enterprises and farm-to-school expansion efforts, are noted in the NNYADP 2025 report posted at nnyagdev.org.
Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Jon Greenwood adds, “This 2025 report once again illustrates how the New York State Legislature and the farmers of Northern New York are working together to advance the agricultural economy regionally with benefits statewide and beyond.”
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The results of NNYADP projects are posted by year on this website.