John May Safety Fund | Financial Help

John May Farm Safety Fund

Investing in the well-being and safety of New York Farms.

Better safe than sorry.

How often do you come across an unsafe situation on your farm and vow to fix it some day? What if we could help?

The John May Farm Safety Fund provides matching funds to small and mid-sized farm operations for repairs and upgrades that make for a safer workplace. You pay half. We pay half, up to $5,000.

Examples of Funded Projects

Niefergold Dairy

Location: Lawtons - Erie County
Amount awarded: $5,000
Total project cost: $17,000

Low ceilings in the barn at Niefergold Dairy made it dangerous for employees to work with animals, and old electrical wiring in the barn created fire and safety hazards. With assistance from the John May Fund, owner David Niefergold Dairy was able to make the necessary upgrades to keep workers and animals safe.

"Thank you for making this possible. Should have made these improvements years ago"
- David Niefergold

The Bineyard

Location: Cazenovia, Madison County
Amount awarded $825
Total Project cost $1,650

The Bineyard strives to expand its hops operation while maintaining a high level of safety for all of their employees. With the John May Farm Safety Fund's help, owner Chad Meigs was able to purchase safety equipment for stringing, harvesting, and processing the hops. Scaffolding, fire extinguishers, and safety harnesses all support healthy and safe farming of hops.

"Safety is now a priority on the farm. Thank you!"
- Chad Meigs

Twin Mill Brook Farms LLC

Location: Central Square, Oswego County
Amount awarded: $3,650
Total Project cost: $7,300

Twin Mill Brook's Holstein and Jersey cows can walk up to the farms' robotic milking equipment on their own schedule. Upgrades to the gating system around the robotic facility allow staff, who often work alone, to safely guide newly freshened heifers and cows that are unfamiliar with the process. With help from the fund, owner Melissa Booth also added a cattle chute to keep cows secure and employees safe while attending to the animals' wellness needs.

"Employees can safely direct the cow into the chute and then contain the cow with panel gates, headlocks, and slings so she doesn't fall—without any of the staff being kicked or hurt."
- Melissa Booth

Catskill Merino Sheep Farm

Location: Warwick - Orange County
Amount awarded: $2,400
Total project cost: $4,800

Farm owner Dominique Herman handles a flock of 300 sheep on her own. With assistance from the John May Farm Safety Fund, she was able to buy a tilt table and animal handling chute so that she can trim hooves and administer vaccines without risking musculoskeletal injuries.

"The health and welfare of my flock is directly tied to my health and well-being."
- Dominique Herman

Noank Aquaculture Cooperative

Location: Southold - Suffolk County
Amount awarded: $1,800
Total project cost: $3,650

The Noank Aquaculture Cooperative used its award to repair a shared workspace for all aquaculture farmers in the co-op—the docks. Safety repairs included a slip-resistant access ramp, new guardrails and dock line markings. Other improvements included US Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices, safety ladders and shellfish sorting platform repairs.

"We would like to thank the John May Farm Safety Fund team for supporting us on this project. Your team allowed us to initiate and complete this project before the harvest season."
- Karen Rivera

Who Can Apply?

We know how complex grant applications can be, so we've kept ours simple.
You only need to meet three criteria. If you are...

An active farmer, part-time or full-time, and...

A New York State resident, and...

Grossing an annual farm income of $10,000 to $999,999, or a dairy farm

...then this program is meant for you.

The Need

Farms can be dangerous, but they don't have to be.

Farms are one of the most dangerous workplaces in the country, and one of the few work environments where family members are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injury.

Every day, more than 100 agricultural workers in the United States suffer a lost work-time injury.

The annual cost of injuries in agriculture is $8.3 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Seven out of 10 farms go out of business within 5 years after a farm accident

We are committed to helping reduce the risk of injury on New York farms.

The Legacy

"If you talk to a farmer, everybody knows somebody that had something really bad happen to them. In most walks of life, you don’t know people who have been killed on the job. Every farmer knows somebody who has been killed on the job"
- Dr. John May

John May Farm Safety Fund

Investing in the well-being and safety of New York Farms.

Contact John May Farm Safety Fund

Better safe than sorry.

How often do you come across an unsafe situation on your farm and vow to fix it some day? What if we could help?

Examples of Funded Projects

Niefergold Dairy

The Bineyard

Twin Mill Brook Farms LLC

Catskill Merino Sheep Farm

Noank Aquaculture Cooperative

Process & Timeline

Through this unique cost-sharing program, New York State farmers are eligible to receive 50% of the cost, up to $5,000, for farm safety upgrades.

Application Submission:

Preliminary Review:

On-Farm Safety Survey:

Committee Review:

Application Approval:

Project Completion:

Funds Awarded:

Need help?

Who Can Apply?

We know how complex grant applications can be, so we've kept ours simple. You only need to meet three criteria. If you are...

An active farmer, part-time or full-time, and...

A New York State resident, and...

Grossing an annual farm income of $10,000 to $999,999, or a dairy farm

...then this program is meant for you.

The Need

Farms can be dangerous, but they don't have to be.

Farms are one of the most dangerous workplaces in the country, and one of the few work environments where family members are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injury.

Every day, more than 100 agricultural workers in the United States suffer a lost work-time injury.

The annual cost of injuries in agriculture is $8.3 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Seven out of 10 farms go out of business within 5 years after a farm accident

We are committed to helping reduce the risk of injury on New York farms.

Our Impact

328 projects funded

$1,340,000 dispersed to NY farms for safety improvements

Learn More

The Legacy

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Contact Us

We know how complex grant applications can be, so we've kept ours simple.
You only need to meet three criteria. If you are...

328
projects funded

$1,340,000
dispersed to NY farms
for safety improvements