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New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced that $850,000 is now available for eligible school districts to expand Farm-to-School programs across New York State. The program helps kindergarten through grade 12 schools increase the use of locally grown food on school menus while providing an economic benefit to New York’s farmers. A portion of the funding, $200,000, will be dedicated to applicants that have not received an award in previous rounds of the program.
Commissioner Ball said, “The Farm-to-School Program is a great way to ensure New York’s students have access to fresh, healthy foods and they understand where their meals come from. I’m proud that this program continues to help schools tap into the local food movement and serve more healthy lunches with products either grown in their school garden or purchased from their community farmers. This is a win-win for our agricultural industry and for our state’s future leaders.”
Applicants eligible for Round 7 of the Farm-to-School program include kindergarten through grade 12 school food authorities, public schools, charter schools, not-for-profit schools, and other entities participating in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, or the Summer Food Service Program. Not-for-profit entities working with school food authorities and eligible schools are also able to apply, and projects that partner with producers and food processors are encouraged.
Grant funding of up to $100,000 will be awarded for projects that support the establishment or expansion of farm-to-school programs in districts across the State, including:
Applicants can view and download the full Request for Applications here. All applicants to Round 7 of the Farm-to-School Program can apply here. Proposals must be received by January 24, 2023, by 4:00 p.m.
An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. Register here. For more information, contact Emily Cook at [email protected].
Since the launch of the Farm-to-School Program in 2015, $6.8 million has been committed to support Farm-to-School projects across the state. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has awarded a total of 116 projects, benefiting hundreds of school districts in every region in the state.
The Farm-to-School Program is a major component of New York State’s focus on enhancing its food system, including combatting food insecurity, and increasing access to food in underserved communities. The State has launched several groundbreaking programs in recent years to improve access to healthy, locally grown foods and to bring New York-grown foods and beverages to communities who need it most as well as New York State schools. In addition to the Farm-to-School program, the New York State 30% Initiative, and child nutrition programs administered by the State Education Department (SED) are focused on buying more local products from New York farmers and increasing healthy and nutritious local foods for New York school lunches.
Additionally, SED was awarded nearly $12 million from the USDA Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program to help schools purchase local and regional foods and beverages for the school day through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. These healthy and unique products will continue the state’s goal of improving child nutrition while building new relationships between schools and local farmers.
Regional Coordinators
New York State funds a team of Regional Farm-to-School coordinators through Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest New York Program to provide boots-on-the-ground assistance to schools with developing local purchasing programs, connecting with local farmers, and working towards achieving the 30% Initiative. Beginning in 2020, the State has invested over $1.2 million in the Regional Coordinator program. Find and connect with a local coordinator here.
New York State has leveraged over $170,000 of federal funding for Farm to-School work through federal Farm-to-School grants received in 2021 and 2022. These grants will help support management of the 30% Initiative and provide two training opportunities for producers on accessing regional Farm-to-School markets.
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
10B Airline Drive
Albany, New York 12235
The Great New York State Fair
581 State Fair Boulevard
Syracuse, New York 13209
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State Agriculture Commissioner Announces $850000 to Expand … – Department of Agriculture and Markets
