Join ANCA and partners in Syracuse for the 2024 New York Cooperative Summit. There, you'll meet cooperative developers and business members from across the state, and learn how the cooperative model can help save legacy businesses and jobs, build racial and economic justice, and contribute to strong, resilient communities. The summit will explore all things cooperative — including employee ownership, cooperative housing, food co-ops, and more.

Trade Show Celebrates 38 Years

Last month, ANCA hosted our 38th annual Adirondack Buyer Days. Thank you to all who attended the show in Saratoga Springs!

In our latest What's Up North blog, ANCA's Lauren Richard and Dani Delaini reflect on the impact of this annual trade show over the years — and at this particular moment where we're seeing an uptick in new micro-enterprises in our region, even amidst the various challenges our rural small businesses face.

Showcase Your Business

Does your company or organization have a service, product or message you'd like to share with a broad audience of clean energy contractors and advocates?

Sign up by April 30 to be an Conference Exhibitor. Booth space is limited and will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

SOIL Loans for Two More Farms

ANCA's SOIL Loan Fund continues to support small farms seeking flexible financing for projects that make a real difference for their production, sales and longterm viability.

Congratulations to the program's most recent recipients, Tangleroot Farm of Essex and Tucker’s Black Angus Ranch (pictured) of Brushton.

Composting Open Houses

When: Friday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: Whitten Family Farm, Winthrop, NY

Our friends at Whitten Family Farm will host a composting open house on Friday, April 26. Attendees will have the chance to meet local Compost Liaisons; participate in a microscopy workshop with soil health expert John Culpepper; see the farm's state-of-the-art aerated static pile composting system; and get a free analysis of compost or soil samples. Learn more.

Find Your Local Compost Business

Spring is here, and so is gardening season. Contact your local compost business for locally generated compost or to sign up for food scrap collection services. Local providers include Blue Line Compost in Bloomingdale; River Valley Regeneratives in the Plattsburgh area; The Cook Family Farm in Malone (pictured); North Country Compost in Canton; Placid Earth in Lake Placid and Whitten Family Farm in Winthrop.

Contact ANCA's Organics Recycling Coordinator Jen Perry at jperry@adirondack.org to learn more about composting programs and opportunities.

Clean Energy Communities Congrats

In the first four months since the launch of NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities Round 3.0, 28 North Country communities have completed high impact actions that earned Advanced CEC designation and match-free clean energy grants. This translates into $320,000 to fund heat pump installations, building upgrades, EV charging stations, and more.

Congratulations to all the communities who are completing actions and earning credit toward clean energy grants while also saving money and greenhouse gas emissions. Special congratulations to those communities that recently qualified for grants:

• Village of Canton: $10,000
• Village of Carthage: $10,000
• Village of Deferiet: $10,000 and $5,000
• Town of Dickinson: $5,000
• Town of Essex: $10,000
• Town of Harrietstown: $10,000
• Town of Inlet: $10,000
• Town of Keene: $10,000
• Town of Minerva: $10,000
• Town of Moriah: $10,000
• Town of New Bremen: $10,000
• Town of Potsdam: $10,000
• Town of Wells: $10,000 and $5,000
• Village of West Carthage: $10,000

Don’t miss out — funding is limited! Contact ANCA's Clean Energy Team at energy@adirondack.org to learn how your community can take advantage of this opportunity.

ADI Supported in NYS Budget

Thank you to the legislators who supported ADI in the 2025 State Budget. State support enables ADI to continue offering and developing community-requested initiatives and interventions that promote welcoming and belonging to all residents and visitors across our region. This includes initiatives such as our Policing program (pictured) which has trained officers from over 13 agencies in the North Country including NYSDEC Forest Rangers, University Police, NY State Troopers, and local law enforcement agencies in anti-bias and trauma-informed policing.

Generous Acts Support

Thank you to Adirondack Foundation for supporting our work "Creating Inclusivity for North Country Sustainability." The Generous Acts will support ADI's 2024 Symposium, which will empower participants to create a more sustainable Adirondack region by helping businesses and organizations increase diversity and create inclusive workplaces. The symposium will address the numerous requests ADI receives from local businesses and non-profit organizations seeking help workplace practices.

Engage With ADI

The Adirondack Diversity Initiative is active with groups, organizations and communities across the region. Keep up to date with opportunities to engage with ADI's work by joining the ADI Facebook group and signing up for the newly revived ADI monthly e-newsletter. Read last month's newsletter here.

Partnering for Business Transitions

ANCA is honored to be a partner in the Northeast Transition Initiative, and we’re proud of all of NETI's inaugural fellows — including representatives for New York’s North Country include Aviva Gold of CITEC Business Solutions; Russ Kinyon of AEDC, and Robert Griffin of Onondaga Regional SBDC.

Each is dedicated to supporting businesses through succession planning and business transitions and introducing them to alternative options like employee ownership.

NYS Budget Supports ADI and Other ANCA Programs

Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and legislators including Senator Pete Harckham, NYS Senator Jose M. Serrano, and Assemblyman D. Billy Jones for New York State’s continued investment in ANCA, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and our work across the North Country.

State support enables us to provide free services to small businesses, including farmers and food businesses; advance clean energy projects that reduce energy use and costs; and promote welcoming and belonging for all who live, work and travel in our region.

Thanks also to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senator Dan Stec, Senator Mark Walczyk, Assemblyman Scott Gray, Assemblyman Matt Simpson, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and the entire Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus for their ongoing support.

Welcome New Staff

ANCA's Clean Energy Program has welcomed two new staff members this Spring. Keeley Jock has joined us as a Climate Justice Fellow, and Nicole Draina is our new Clean Energy Communications Coordinator. Learn more about Keeley and Nicole on our staff page.

Visit our jobs page for openings with member and partner organizations and regional nonprofits:

• Development Officer: AdkAction
• Executive Director: Harrietstown Housing Authority 
• Climate Communications and Development Coordinator: The Wild Center
• Local Foods Educator: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County
• Summer Steward: Paul Smith’s College VIC

Have an opening you want to promote? Send a web link to jobs@adirondack.org.