Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County

About the Organization

Erie County (CCE Erie) puts knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability, and social well-being. We bring local experience and research-based solutions together, helping Erie County families and communities thrive in our rapidly changing world. We embrace a culture of belonging and encourage respectful conversations about our common experiences and what makes us unique. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County educators use research-supported information from New York’s land-grant university, Cornell University, to address local needs and improve the lives of people across our county. Cooperative Extension programming provides educational opportunities to help people, individually and collectively, make sound decisions about their lives, businesses, and communities; and develop economically, socially, and culturally. CCE Erie provides educational programs to Erie County residents in Agriculture and Food Systems; 4-H Youth Development; Nutrition and Community Health; and Natural Resources, Sustainable Energy, and Climate Change.

Regional Navigator Services

Providing individualized assistance is the bread and butter of CCE Erie’s Regional Navigator work. As a Regional Navigator, CCE Erie offers the following supports related to farmland access or transfer:

• Assistance with creating or updating NY Farmland Finder profiles
• Facilitation of on-farm meetings between farmland owners and seekers
• Assistance with property evaluations by providing a desktop site analysis
• Accompanying farmland seekers on site visits
• Providing farmland owners and seekers with information about land values, lease rates, agricultural assessments, zoning, agricultural districts, conservation easements, transition planning, and financing
• Referring individuals to other professional service providers as needed (appraisers, attorneys, lenders, business development specialists, land trust staff)
• Helping aspiring and beginning farmers assess their readiness to obtain land; helping those who are not quite ready find the training and educational resources needed to increase readiness
• Helping farmland seekers explore financing options
• Connecting farmers with partner organizations such as Farm Net; Erie County Department of Environment and Planning; Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District; Erie County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board; federal agencies such as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service