Cornell Cooperative Extension and American Farmland Trust are hosting a free webinar focused on the Dairy Forward grant program.

The program aims to help dairy farm families in New York access information and professional services to plan for farm transitions in the face of tremendous challenges such as a weak dairy economy, disruptions from severe weather and an aging farmer population. The webinar will be held from noon to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. To register, visit tinyurl.com/dairy21.

Molly Johnston-Heck, Regional Farmland for a New Generation manager with American Farmland Trust, and farm business management specialists from Cornell Cooperative Extension will lead a program overview and question-and-answer session. In addition to Zoom, there will be a call-in option. Those interested in receiving program information but who can’t attend live can register anyway. A recording of the webinar and application materials will be sent to all those registered following the webinar on Feb. 24.

American Farmland Trust is joining Chobani to support dairy farmers in planning for the future. The Dairy Forward program offers grants of $500 to $5,000 that can be used to help NY dairy farm families plan for farm transfer and generational succession, general farm business planning, permanently protect their land, and adopt regenerative farming practices. The money is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Eligible farms must be located in New York state and be a dairy operation, have sold more than $1,000 in agricultural products in 2020, and have a service provider identified for their proposed project.

Attending the webinar is not a requirement to apply for Dairy Forward money. For more information and a copy of the application, visit farmland.org/dairy-forward or contact Molly Joshnston-Heck with American Farmland Trust by emailing dairy@farmland.org or calling 315-565-1538.