AGRICULTURAL ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE
Committee Chair:
Councilmember Mitchell Wilber
wilberm@helenachemical.com
Committee Members:
Supervisor Mark Venuti, Councilmember Robert McCarthy, Hugh Price, Beth Kinne, Gary Harman, Ken Livermore, Jim Capron, Ron DeBoover, Martha DeBoover
The Agricultural Enhancement committee meets on an ad hoc basis, as it's projects require - typically Monday evenings, usually once every two months. Meetings are open to the public!
Our purpose is to provide input to the Town board on policy issues related to agriculture and to be a liaison to the Town's agricultural community on resources that advance the goals of the Town's plans.
We are currently working on updating the Town's Agricultural Enhancement Plan.
Contact Mitchell Wilber for more information or to get involved!
LAKE FRIENDLY FARM PROGRAM
The Town of Geneva’s Agricultural Enhancement Committee began the Certified Lake Friendly Farm Program (LFF) in 2017. The goal of the LFF is to encourage area farmers to adopt best management practices on their operations that mitigate the negative effects of agricultural runoff into Seneca Lake. Such practices may include the use of cover crops, buffer strips, retention ponds, nutrient management plans, and precision ag practices. To qualify as a LFF, a farming operation must achieve Tier 4 status under the NYS’s Agricultural Environmental Management Program (AEM). The various tiers of the AEM program and their descriptions can be found on its website. Once the farm meets this requirement, the Town’s Agricultural Enhancement Committee interviews the owners of the farming operation and decides if it should be nominated for a LFF award. For further information, including a listing of the Town’s Lake Friendly Farms, send an email to: RobertMcCarthy@townofgeneva.com