Dairy farms in the New York City watershed have become the focus of national and international attention with hundreds of visitors coming to the area each year to view implementation of their whole farm plans for water quality protection. Agri-tourism, serving the areaÇs many tourists, include activities like old-fashioned railroad rides, on-farm visits to meet farmers and their animals firsthand, maple sugar tour days, and the wholesale and direct marketing of livestock, vegetables, wool, meat and eggs. These efforts seek to connect consumers, many of whom are served by the New York City water supply, with the people and places at the source who are conserving the land that produces and protects their food and water.

Recipients of WAC's Farm Beautification grant receive funding for beautification projects that improve or expand their ability to attract sales for their farm operation. Projects include attractive new farms signs, decorative wooden fences, landscaping of the farmstead, and most importantly, the restoration of historic barns and outbuildings to serve as retail space on the farm.

Through this program, WAC has identified many small food producers, in addition to the hundreds of dairy farms already under Whole Farm Planning , seeking to market themselves as food suppliers in alternative agriculture. One example: a recent meeting was held for dairy farmers concentrating on grass/pasture feeding to identify farms interested in the opportunities offered by on-farm cheese processing. Another is the Catskill Family Farms cooperative growers' group, now entering its fourth year selling gourmet fingerling potatoes and an array of other specialty crops.