New York state has been selected by the
\nU.S. Department of Agriculture to participate
\nin a federal pilot program for the procurement
\nof locally-grown produce in New York
\nstate schools.<\/p>\n
The Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed
\nFruits and Vegetables was included
\nin the 2014 federal Farm Bill and creates a
\nnew project to procure unprocessed fruits
\nand vegetables. New York is one of eight states
\nselected to participate in this first-of-its-kind
\nfederal initiative, the application for which
\nwas submitted by the New York State Office
\nof General Services.<\/p>\n
“New York is a nationally recognized leader
\nin the promotion and support of locally grown
\nfood, and with this selection we will ensure
\nthat students have access to fresh and nutritious
\nlocally-grown produce,” Gov. Andrew
\nCuomo said, “I thank the USDA for partnering
\nwith us to showcase the very best of New
\nYork’s thriving agricultural industry.”
\nNew York’s pilot will be administered by
\nthe State Office of General Services and will
\nbegin in Rochester. OGS will begin talking
\nwith farmers, food hubs and schools in the
\nregion about the program and how they can
\nparticipate. Because many of the Rochester
\norganizations have not worked with the USDA
\nbefore, OGS will help walk them through the
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes on the heels
\nof the Governor’s newly-created “Buy NY”
\ninitiative, which was announced at last week’s
\nUpstate-Downstate Agriculture Summit. “Buy
\nNY” is a joint effort by the State Department of
\nAgriculture & Markets, Department of Corrections
\nand Community Supervision, Office of
\nMental Health, Department of Health, Office
\nof General Services and Cornell Cooperative
\nExtension to leverage existing centralized
\ncontracts regarding the purchase of state
\nfood products, including produce and dairy
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
The USDA first established a Farm to
\nSchool program to improve access to local
\nfoods in schools in 2010 and, in order to establish
\nrealistic goals to increase the availability
\nof local foods in schools, USDA conducted
\na nationwide Farm to School Census. The
\nfirst survey was taken during the 2011-2012
\nschool year.<\/p>\n
Prior to the creation of the Census, the
\nstate Department Agriculture and Markets
\nsurveyed more than 1,000 school food service
\ndirectors across the State to gauge their interest
\nin farm-to-school initiatives and to identify
\nbarriers and opportunities.<\/p>\n
As a result, in 2012, New York was selected
\nas one of only five states across the country
\nawarded funding from USDA’s first Farm to
\nSchool program, immediately enabling the State Department of Agriculture and Markets
\nto implement the best practices and opportunities
\nidentified in the survey.<\/p>\n
Though still in the early stages, the program
\nhas already been successful. In 2013,
\nBenton Berries, a local farm in Penn Yan, NY,
\nmade weekly deliveries of tomatoes to Binghamton,
\nJohnson City and Owego-Apalachin
\nschool districts. Approximately 3,000 pounds
\nof local tomatoes were served in 16 cafeterias
\nto more than 11,500 students in total that year
\nas a result. Also in 2013, the Binghamton City
\nSchool District served approximately 12,000
\npounds of local apples from Reisinger’s Apple
\nCountry, an orchard in Watkins Glen, N.Y, to
\n6,000 students in 10 school cafeterias.<\/p>\n
“Inclusion in this pilot program is a testament
\nto the hard work of numerous state
\nagencies at the direction of Governor Cuomo
\nto find multiple opportunities to bring more
\nlocally grown and produced products to the
\ntables of New Yorkers,” OGS Commissioner
\nRoAnn Destito said. “Since 2011, OGS has
\nbeen working with local farmers through
\nour warehouse in Long Island. Over 225,000
\npounds of local potatoes, apples, cabbage,
\ncarrots, turnips, broccoli, corn and beets have
\nbeen distributed to 36 school districts. ”<\/p>\n
“I believe that the procurement of locally produced
\nfoods in schools and institutions is
\nnothing short of a golden opportunity for New
\nYork agriculture,” State Agriculture Commissioner
\nRichard A. Ball said.<\/p>\n
Provisions in the federal Farm Bill require
\nthat the selection of states included in the
\npilot must be based on a demonstrated commitment
\nto building their own farm-to-school
\nprograms, the quantity and variety of local
\nfruits and vegetables producers in the state,
\nand the number of local education organizations
\nserving different population sizes and
\ngeographic regions in the state.<\/p>\n
Senator Charles E. Schumer said, “Through
\nthis innovative federal-state pilot program,
\nNew York will provide schools throughout the
\nstate with locally grown fruits, vegetables, and
\nproduce; it is a win-win for New York farmers
\nand students. Now, New York’s agriculture will
\nnot only be farm-to-table but farm-to-school.”<\/p>\n
Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, a member of
\nthe Senate Agriculture Committee said, “This
\nis great news for our schools and our local
\nfarmers. New York state is home to a strong
\nagricultural industry that has the potential
\nfor even more growth. By connecting schools
\nthroughout the state with locally-grown food,
\nwe can give our children better access to
\nhealthy, nutritious food options, while strengthening
\nNew York’s own agricultural industry.<\/p>\n
I look forward to working across all levels of
\ngovernment and with USDA to continue to
\nbuild on this important initiative.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[66,118],"class_list":["post-16173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news","tag-business-news","tag-ny-state"],"yoast_head":"\r\n