Agricultural Environmental 

Management Program

12/22/04- The Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District is the lead governmental agency in obtaining over $2 million in grants and implementing the agricultural portion of the watershed management plan.

AEM was developed by farmers, state, federal and local governments and farm conservation professionals to enhance the protection of important environmental resources, such as the state’s rivers, lakes and streams, while maintaining a healthy agricultural economy.  Agricultural land makes an important contribution to the economy, diversity and beauty of the Canandaigua Lake watershed.  Over one hundred farmers conduct diverse agricultural operations on over thirty thousand acres of watershed land.

In 1996, the Watershed Council (formerly known as the Local Government Watershed Policy Committee) asked that an Agricultural Program Committee made up of farmers be formed to provide solutions to agriculture-based water pollution problems.  In four years and over forty meetings, the committee has grown from the original five to eleven members, and their role has changed from advisory to leadership.  In its expansion, the Agricultural Program Committee (APC) has not only solicited participation but has encouraged diversity, so that the committee will include young and old farmers, specialists in various agricultural products, and farmers from all parts of the watershed. 

The Canandaigua Lake Agricultural Program Committee uses the AEM process to prioritize projects that will be funded, and through peer communication, encourages participation by the farming community.  Agricultural Environmental Management calls for a tiered approach to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) on watershed farms.  The tiered approach begins with the farmer’s self-assessment, followed by a technical assessment by program personnel and implementation.  The effort is farmer led, entirely voluntary and will be guided by the decisions of farmers at every stage.

Approximately 95% of watershed farmers are participating in this program.  Over $1.5 million in state and federal funds have been obtained to install conservation practices on watershed farms.  Nearly $100,000 in the farmers’ own funds has been applied to conservation practices to match grant funding. The APC has also chosen to provide Lake Friendly Farmer signs that will announce cooperation with the program to the outside world.  Farmers participating in the AEM program have and will continue to be issued a colorful, 18” X 24” sign to hang at their farm gates.

The primary pollutants to Canandaigua Lake to be addressed are nutrients, sediments, and pathogens. The agricultural sources/activities that have been identified as potential sources of pollutants are barnyards, lack of proper manure storage, fall plowing, silage and milking parlor waste.  Mitigating these sources of pollution will be done through a variety of Best Management Practices:

-         Comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP) implementation;

-         Fencing off streams and other environmentally sensitive areas;

-         Filter strips;

-         Access road improvement;

-         Pasture management;

-         Barnyard runoff management;

-         Streambank protection;

-         Manure storage system;

-         Short duration grazing system;

-         Alternative water supply;

-         Pesticide management;

-         Diversion systems;

-         Fuel storage containment;

-         Silage leachate management.

For more information regarding AEM in the Canandaigua Lake watershed contact Robert Stryker of  the Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District at (585) 396-3478 or download a copy of the "Watershed Stewards" pubilication.

© Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council 2002

This Page Last Updates On: November 23, 2005