Governor Andrew Cuomo announced $6.3 million for to nine projects to help protect 2,764 acres of at-risk farmland in the Capital Region, including $2.3 million to the Columbia Land Conservancy in Columbia County. Cuomo announced the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program at the Capital Region Sustainability Conference Nov. 29 in Schenectady. "The continued strength of New York’s agricultural industry is essential to our economy,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding will support the next-generation of Capital Region farmers, preserve our natural resources, and continue to strengthen the industry for generations to come.”