New York state has been selected by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to participate
in a federal pilot program for the procurement
of locally-grown produce in New York
state schools.
The Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed
Fruits and Vegetables was included
in the 2014 federal Farm Bill and creates a
new project to procure unprocessed fruits
and vegetables. New York is one of eight states
selected to participate in this first-of-its-kind
federal initiative, the application for which
was submitted by the New York State Office
of General Services.
“New York is a nationally recognized leader
in the promotion and support of locally grown
food, and with this selection we will ensure
that students have access to fresh and nutritious
locally-grown produce,” Gov. Andrew
Cuomo said, “I thank the USDA for partnering
with us to showcase the very best of New
York’s thriving agricultural industry.”
New York’s pilot will be administered by
the State Office of General Services and will
begin in Rochester. OGS will begin talking
with farmers, food hubs and schools in the
region about the program and how they can
participate. Because many of the Rochester
organizations have not worked with the USDA
before, OGS will help walk them through the
process.
The announcement comes on the heels
of the Governor’s newly-created “Buy NY”
initiative, which was announced at last week’s
Upstate-Downstate Agriculture Summit. “Buy
NY” is a joint effort by the State Department of
Agriculture & Markets, Department of Corrections
and Community Supervision, Office of
Mental Health, Department of Health, Office
of General Services and Cornell Cooperative
Extension to leverage existing centralized
contracts regarding the purchase of state
food products, including produce and dairy
products.
The USDA first established a Farm to
School program to improve access to local
foods in schools in 2010 and, in order to establish
realistic goals to increase the availability
of local foods in schools, USDA conducted
a nationwide Farm to School Census. The
first survey was taken during the 2011-2012
school year.
Prior to the creation of the Census, the
state Department Agriculture and Markets
surveyed more than 1,000 school food service
directors across the State to gauge their interest
in farm-to-school initiatives and to identify
barriers and opportunities.
As a result, in 2012, New York was selected
as one of only five states across the country
awarded funding from USDA’s first Farm to
School program, immediately enabling the State Department of Agriculture and Markets
to implement the best practices and opportunities
identified in the survey.
Though still in the early stages, the program
has already been successful. In 2013,
Benton Berries, a local farm in Penn Yan, NY,
made weekly deliveries of tomatoes to Binghamton,
Johnson City and Owego-Apalachin
school districts. Approximately 3,000 pounds
of local tomatoes were served in 16 cafeterias
to more than 11,500 students in total that year
as a result. Also in 2013, the Binghamton City
School District served approximately 12,000
pounds of local apples from Reisinger’s Apple
Country, an orchard in Watkins Glen, N.Y, to
6,000 students in 10 school cafeterias.
“Inclusion in this pilot program is a testament
to the hard work of numerous state
agencies at the direction of Governor Cuomo
to find multiple opportunities to bring more
locally grown and produced products to the
tables of New Yorkers,” OGS Commissioner
RoAnn Destito said. “Since 2011, OGS has
been working with local farmers through
our warehouse in Long Island. Over 225,000
pounds of local potatoes, apples, cabbage,
carrots, turnips, broccoli, corn and beets have
been distributed to 36 school districts. ”
“I believe that the procurement of locally produced
foods in schools and institutions is
nothing short of a golden opportunity for New
York agriculture,” State Agriculture Commissioner
Richard A. Ball said.
Provisions in the federal Farm Bill require
that the selection of states included in the
pilot must be based on a demonstrated commitment
to building their own farm-to-school
programs, the quantity and variety of local
fruits and vegetables producers in the state,
and the number of local education organizations
serving different population sizes and
geographic regions in the state.
Senator Charles E. Schumer said, “Through
this innovative federal-state pilot program,
New York will provide schools throughout the
state with locally grown fruits, vegetables, and
produce; it is a win-win for New York farmers
and students. Now, New York’s agriculture will
not only be farm-to-table but farm-to-school.”
Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, a member of
the Senate Agriculture Committee said, “This
is great news for our schools and our local
farmers. New York state is home to a strong
agricultural industry that has the potential
for even more growth. By connecting schools
throughout the state with locally-grown food,
we can give our children better access to
healthy, nutritious food options, while strengthening
New York’s own agricultural industry.
I look forward to working across all levels of
government and with USDA to continue to
build on this important initiative.”