The Hudson Valley Biochar Pioneers program is an initiative of the 4 Corners Carbon Coalition designed to accelerate biochar adoption across New York’s Hudson Valley. Supported by Giving Green and delivered in partnership with Terraset, Sustainable Hudson Valley, NY Carbon, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, this campaign equipped 14 farms—spanning diverse sizes, crops, and counties—with locally produced biochar for application on between 1 and 7 acres of active cropland.
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The Hudson Valley Biochar Pioneers program was designed to catalyze biochar adoption among farmers in New York's Hudson Valley. The campaign was conceived and advanced with four core objectives:
Provide technical and financial support for biochar application on active cropland, enabling real-world experience and field trials.
Partner with and generate demand for local biochar producers in the Hudson Valley to strengthen regional supply chains and markets.
Leverage farmer experiences and outreach to showcase biochar’s potential as a climate-smart soil practice. Build a foundation for widespread understanding and support for biochar among local community, farming and advocacy organizations, as well as state policy makers.
Successfully initiate and complete a campaign outside the Four Corners states (AZ, CO, UT, NM) in New York State.
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The initiative began in August 2023 with 4 Corners Carbon Coalition and Sustainable Hudson Valley forming a partnership to bring biochar to the region’s farms. Soon after, Cornell Cooperative Extension, an affiliate of Cornell University, joined to provide technical review and educational support for farmers, drawing on their extensive field and lab research expertise.
Giving Green generously awarded a $100,000 grant to support the work, and Terraset provided fiscal management and disbursed funds to the biochar supplier while ensuring grant compliance.
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NY Carbon, a Saugerties-based biochar producer, was selected as the exclusive supplier for the campaign. As the only commercial-scale biochar producer in the Hudson Valley, NY Carbon uses 100% woody waste feedstock sourced locally. They were chosen for their proven track record, having partnered with Scenic Hudson Valley and American Farmland Trust on field research projects where their biochar was thoroughly characterized in labs for quality and properties.
Outreach was carried out through strong regional networks and relationships fostered by Sustainable Hudson Valley, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and NY Carbon. Sustainable Hudson Valley leveraged its dense local network to promote the program across the region. Cornell Cooperative Extension provided technical expertise and educational content for farmers, while NY Carbon brought practical insights as a local supplier.
Together, they organized a series of webinars and in-person sessions that introduced the campaign to farmers, highlighting the science, benefits, and practical application of biochar in Hudson Valley agriculture, and fostering farmer interest and engagement.
Through a competitive application process, 14 farms across 8 Upstate New York counties were selected as awardees, each receiving sufficient biochar to apply on 1-acre of active farmland. Farm sizes ranged from small 1-acre independent operations to large 1,200-acre commercial farms.
Sustainable Hudson Valley, 4C, and OpenAir contributed to selections first, ensuring broad regional representation and diversity in farm size, history, and crop types, while Cornell Cooperative Extension soil scientists and field staff reviewed site details to ensure viability and success. This careful process aimed to balance geographic distribution and showcase a wide range of agricultural operations.
Baseline soil samples were collected by Cornell Cooperative Extension field staff before biochar delivery. To measure the impact across different farms in the same region, the campaign aims to study changes in soil health, performance, and carbon stored in the soil from the air.
Testing includes chemical, physical, and biological indicators such as nutrient levels, pH, CEC, organic matter, bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity. A second round of testing will occur 24 months later to evaluate these changes in soil health and productivity.
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Over a three-week period in late April and early May 2025, biochar was delivered to participating farms. Farmers inoculated the biochar with compost, compost tea, cow manure, or a mix of these before application. This inoculation step was critical because biochar alone is chemically stable and biologically inert; inoculating it with organic amendments jump-starts microbial activity and nutrient availability, ensuring it supports soil biology once applied.
Two webinars, led by Cornell Cooperative Extension experts, provided guidance on the practical aspects of preparing and applying biochar using diverse equipment and site conditions. Applications were completed within 2–4 weeks following delivery.
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The program integrates storytelling and public engagement to build momentum for biochar adoption. Activities included webinars such as the December 2024 session co-hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension on biochar benefits and application, farm tours, regional gatherings, and video content documenting the campaign’s progress.
A tour at White Feather Farm and a practitioners' gathering in Saugerties, NY, as well as a screening of the documentary Legion 44 in Rhinebeck, brought additional regional visibility. Outreach targets farmers, policymakers, and the public to showcase biochar’s potential in carbon-negative agriculture. Upcoming efforts include a major event at Cornell Tech during New York Climate Week 2025 and a comprehensive impact report planned for 2027.
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Fourteen farms were selected as Hudson Valley Biochar Pioneers, representing a diverse mix of agricultural operations across eight counties. These farms vary widely in size—from small 1-acre independent growers to large 1,000-acre commercial producers—and include a range of crops and farming practices.
By engaging this diversity, the program is able to promote and study the impact of biochar in multiple contexts within the same region, measuring its effects on soil health, crop performance, and carbon storage potential. This real-world collaboration with local farmers is demonstrating how biochar can work across different types of farms and supports broader adoption across the agricultural community.
Established in 2002 by Hector Tejada, Conuco Farm grows vegetables, herbs, fruits, and edible flowers using regenerative and natural practices.
Four Fold Farm serves as the seed production wing of the Hudson Valley Seed Company. The farm produces heirloom shallots, alliums, sunchokes, and a diverse collection of dahlia tubers, focusing on organic and open-pollinated seed varieties.
Established in 2017, Flowering Sun Ecology Center is a community-run project that cultivates organic gourmet mushrooms, produce, herbs, and trees. The center also serves as an educational hub, teaching sustainable practices and fostering a connection to the earth
Established in the early 1900s, Samascott Orchards transitioned from dairy to fruit production in the 1940s and now spans over 1,000 acres. The farm grows more than 72 varieties of apples, along with a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and livestock.
Founded in 2021 by Ivy Nallo and Zack Nussdorf, Manor Rock Farm began as a kitchen garden and expanded into a 1-acre microfarm with greenhouses. The farm raises Mangalitsa and Kunekune pigs on 180 acres of fallow woods and cultivates herbs, fruits, and vegetables.
Founded by Maya Kotsogiannis, Alma Roots Farm cultivates a variety of vegetables on about half an acre of rented land. The farm employs low-till, organic methods and focuses on providing nutrient-rich produce to the local community
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Scotch Ridge Berry, Tree and Flower Farm is a family-owned farm specializing in naturally grown fruit, tomatoes, herbs, and cut flowers. The farm markets its products through farmers markets and limited u-pick offerings
Wyrm Farm is a farm located in Columbia County, New York, that offers a 15-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. The CSA shares consist of locally grown, organic produce that is harvested shortly before delivery. The distribution point for the CSA is the rooftop of the Swiss Institute in New York City.
Husmann Hollow Flower Farm is a flower farm located in Northeast Dutchess County.
Occupying farmland owned and operated by the Boice Family since 1903, Boice Ranch produces hay, straw, and other agricultural products and is the home of American Honey products.
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Founded in 1998, Oechsner Farms produces food-grade crops like corn, spring and winter wheat, buckwheat, rye, soybeans, clover, hay, and cover crops—selling cleaned and packaged grains to flour mills, bakeries, breweries, and distilleries
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Founded in 1992, Lakeview Organic Grain is one of New York’s earliest certified organic grain operations, fThey produce a diverse range of certified organic crops—including corn, soybeans, wheat, spelt, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, cabbage, and dry beans—for use in milling, livestock feed, and seed markets
Established in the 1960s, Macauley Farms is a multi-generation family operation in Livingston County. The farm raises beef cattle and grows grain corn, soybeans, and wheat using no-till farming, cover crop rotations, and nutrient management to build soil health, improve water quality, and increase resilience to climate change.
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Founded in 1992, Lakeview Organic Grain is one of New York’s earliest certified organic grain operations, fThey produce a diverse range of certified organic crops—including corn, soybeans, wheat, spelt, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, cabbage, and dry beans—for use in milling, livestock feed, and seed markets
Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material made by heating organic matter (like wood or crop residues) in a low-oxygen environment—a process called pyrolysis. When applied to soils, it acts as a long-lasting amendment that improves soil quality, supports crop productivity, and locks away carbon that would otherwise return to the atmosphere.
Biochar improves soil in multiple ways:
Chemical benefits: Raises soil pH (helpful falth?**cidic soils), increases cation exchange capacity (CEC) for better nutrient retention, and reduces nutrient leaching and runoff.
Physical benefits: Enhances water retention, porosity, and aeration while reducing compaction and bulk density.
Biological benefits: Provides habitat for beneficial microbes, boosts soil microbial activity, and supports healthier root systems.These combined effects lead to greater soil fertility, resilience, and crop growth.
Biochar is a highly stable form of carbon. When created and added to soil, it effectively locks atmospheric carbon into a solid structure resistant to decomposition. This carbon can remain in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years, making biochar one of the few agricultural practices that actively removes CO₂ from the air and stores it long
While 4 Corners originated and is anchored in the Western U.S., it has always been our goal to expand nationally and globally wherever local communities are interested in what our coalition offers. The Hudson Valley campaign emerged from personal connections. Chris Neidl, 4 Corners co-founder and current director, was born and raised in Albany, at the northern end of the region, and worked in the area for many years, forming strong relationships with local community and environmental advocacy groups. The very beginnings of the idea of the campaign came from a friendly Zoom catch-up between Chris and Melissa Everett, Executive Director of Sustainable Hudson Valley, who was just beginning to explore the link between carbon removal and agriculture at the time. The rest is history.
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