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• The mechanism of choice for selecting agricultural BMPs is preparation of a Whole Farm Plan 

 for each farm. A collateral objective for each Whole Farm Plan is to sustain and improve the 

 economic viability of the farm. Whole Farm Plans will be prepared by a local county project 

 team, including personnel from the County Soil and Water Conservation District, Cornell 

 Cooperative Extension, and the Soil Conservation Service. 



Whole Farm Plans will involve these components: soil erosion control, animal waste management, 

 plant nutrient management, domestic animal pathogen management, and chemical and pesticide 

 management. Whole Farm Plans will address these agricultural contaminants: nutrients, 

 pathogens, sediments, toxicants, and organic matter. The level of control required for each Whole 

 Farm Plan should depend on the presence of hydrologically sensitive areas. 



• Incentives, including cost-sharing, will be made available by the City to participating farmers, 

 supplemented by a reasonable mix of state, federal and local funding sources, if available. 



• Continuing education, professional training, and local involvement are essential components of the 

 Whole Farm Program. 



The Whole Farm approach to drinking water quality source protection integrates selected management 

 practices intended to provide short- and long-term protection of water quality, with a farm business plan 

 designed to sustain a profitable agricultural enterprise, given the mix of physical, capital, and management 

 resources available to and consistent with the objectives of the farm operator. Development of a farm 

 plan to meet these twin goals requires a comprehensive assessment of all elements of the farm property, 

 as well as the business strategies and practices that affect both. 



The evaluation of current fanning conditions and practices and the development of options for both the 

 ferm business enterprise and water quality protection will be a collaborative venture between the farm 

 operator and the Cooperative Extension/Soil and Water District County Project Team, supported by the 

 Soil Conservation Service, Cornell University faculty and staff. New York State Soil and Water 

 Conservation Committee, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. 



The systematic use of the Whole Farm Planning approach to accomplish pollution prevention in a large 

 watershed system has not been previously attempted anywhere. The Whole Farm Plan is a new concept 

 which requires the integration, and some modification, of the diverse views and convictions of the 

 ageiKies involved. The purpose of Phase I of the Agricultural Watershed Protection Program is to 

 perfect, test, and demonstrate the Whole Farm Planning approach on selected farms, and to strengthen 

 the New York City/local partnership in the process. 



Locally-Administered Whole Farm Planning/Best Management Practice Program — The City has 

 established a locally administered program for the planning and implementation of Whole Farm Plans, 

 in conjunction with watershed farm operators, with assistance from the New York State Soil and Water 

 Conservation Committee, the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the 

 New York State Water Resources Institute, the New York State Department of Environmental 

 Conservation, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Soil Conservation Service, 

 and other appropriate institutions. 



This program is responsible for: 



• Reviewing existing BMPs for their applicability to watershed pollution control objectives. 



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