The Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District (ECSWCD) today announced it has named nine local entities as the recipients of the November 2022 Storm Damage Fund program on behalf of Erie County through county budget balancing procedures.

The nine awards, which total $855,000, were made possible after Erie County allocated $2 million to help area farms and agribusinesses recovery from the lake effect storm event that occurred from November 16, 2022 to Nov. 21, 2022.

The award recipients and their designated projects are:

• Amos Zittel & Sons in Eden - greenhouse and storage building collapse

• Balczerak Farms in Elma – grain bin roof collapse

• Bengert Farms in West Seneca – greenhouse collapse

• Draudt & Sons in Hamburg – greenhouse collapse

• Eden Valley Farm in Eden – storage building collapse

• Heritage Farms in Orchard Park – metal storage building collapse

• Kwilos Farms in Derby – greenhouse collapse

• Lockwood Greenhouses & Farms in Hamburg – greenhouse and storage building damage

• Miller’s Farm Market in Hamburg – greenhouse and storage building collapse

• Providence Farm Collective in Orchard Park – high tunnel damage

“The objective of this program was to provide grant funds to eligible farms and agribusinesses located throughout Erie County that suffered damage to buildings, structures, machinery, or equipment resulting from the 2022 November Storm that were not covered by insurance” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. “I thank our partners at the Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District for managing the fund and assisting our local agriculture community.”

I’m happy to see that some of our local farmers will receive assistance to restore or rebuild structures, or to replace machinery damaged during the November 2022 storm,” said Erie County Legislature Minority Leader John Mills, who also serves a chairman of the Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District’s board of directors. “So many of these farmers operate on slim margins, and many are family farms that have been passed down through generations. These farmers face daily challenges, and to provide funding to help them recover is absolutely necessary. I hope this gives the leg up needed for them to be back to where they were before the devastating storm.”

Funds up to $200,000 per applicant were made available to eligible businesses to address documented storm damage to facilities, structures, equipment, machinery, and capital assets which were determined not eligible for insurance coverage in a manner in which will preserve agricultural lands and conserve agricultural soils and protect water quality for future generations.

“We know that many farms sustained significant damages from the November Storm. Our ability to help these critical agri-businesses recover from these storm damages and remain in business will benefit all of Erie County, as we all rely on local farms and agribusinesses”, said Mark Gaston, Field Director with the Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District.

“Our intent is to strategically invest in and strengthen our local farms and agri-businesses business that were adversely impacted by the November Storm but were not eligible for full insurance coverage or federal/state loan assistance resulting from the November Storm not being declared a federal disaster”, said Daniel Castle, Commissioner of the Department of Environment and Planning.

Applications are still being accepted until November 2024 or until all funds are allocated. All applicants will need to submit proof that damages occurred between Nov. 16 to Nov. 21, 2022 and that eligible repairs were not covered by an insurance settlement/payment or an SBA Loan. Funds approved by ECSWCD will be in forgivable grants conditioned upon preservation of farmlands for a period of five years.

For more information:

About the Erie County Soil and Water Conservation district, visit www.ecswcd.org

About the Erie County Department of Environment & Planning, visit www.erie.gov/environment