NYS Impact

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), part of Cornell University’s land-grant system, connects research, education, and community expertise to address New York State’s most pressing challenges. Working in partnership with campus researchers, local stakeholders, and staff in every county and New York City, CCE translates science into practical solutions that strengthen families, farms, businesses, and natural resources.

Through locally driven programs aligned with statewide priorities, CCE reaches nearly 2 million participants annually, supporting youth development, agricultural innovation, environmental stewardship, public health, and community vitality. This work reflects a collaborative, two-way model—where community needs shape research and Extension delivers measurable public value across New York State.  

The following represents impacts from across the state and our campus colleagues organized under our major programmatic themes.

Agriculture

Floodplain Manager Trainings Metrics Development workshops

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Strengthening Floodplain Management through Training and Resources
Relevance Flood risks are increasing across New York State, yet many local floodplain administrators lack the training and resources needed to effectively reduce damage to lives and property. This challenge is especially pronounced in small and...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Difference between C3 and C4 plants graphic

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Relevance Climate change is altering weed dynamics on dairy and field crop farms across New York State. Shifts in temperature, precipitation, and seasonal patterns are reducing herbicide effectiveness, increasing the spread of invasive species...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
A bag in a field of buds

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Relevance Weed pressure remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing both organic and conventional farmers. Weeds compete directly with crops for water, nutrients and light, leading to reduced yields and profitability when not...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Cornell teddy in a field of arborio rice

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Relevance Agricultural producers across New York State are experiencing increasingly frequent and severe flooding events driven by climate change. These conditions threaten the reliability of traditional grain, vegetable, and fruit production...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Dairy cows eating hay in the summer.

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Relevance New York dairy farms face increasing pressure from volatile milk prices, rising labor, feed, and other input costs, and ongoing supply chain challenges. These factors limit profitability and make long-term planning difficult. Without...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension

Community

A bunch of small businesses

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Expanding Worker Ownership in Rural Small Business
Relevance Thousands of small businesses across New York State will undergo ownership transitions in the coming decade. Nearly 30,000 businesses employing more than 750,000 workers face potential closure or sale without succession plans in place...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Youths working together on a whiteboard

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Relevance The Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) project under the direction of Dr. Anthony Burrow, Director of PRYDE and the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) in the College of Human Ecology...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension

Environment

Slashwall Cranmer Han

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LiDAR Technology and Slash Walls Advance Sustainable Forestry
Relevance Forest regeneration across the Northeastern United States is increasingly threatened by over-browsing from high deer populations, which limits seedling survival and prevents the establishment of new forest growth. Poor regeneration...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Injury to cucumber plant

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Relevance Weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water, and light, leading to reduced yields and economic losses. Weeds can also indirectly impact crops by serving as alternate hosts for pests and pathogens, interfering with crop production...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Home Flooding

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Relevance Floods are increasing in size and frequency across New York State, yet many households remain uninsured and vulnerable to financial losses. Social and economic barriers prevent families from purchasing flood insurance, even in high...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Agritech demo plots

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Relevance Lawns cover millions of acres across the United States and represent one of the most intensively managed land uses in residential and urban environments. Traditional high-input lawn care relies heavily on fertilizers, herbicides, and...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Tweezers holding a piece of lettuce

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Relevance Deer have exceeded the carrying capacity in most forested landscapes of NY and the Northeast. This has resulted in widespread failure of forests to regenerate as diverse and productive young forests that are necessary for multiple...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension

Nutrition

A tracker in the fields

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Field Nitrogen Balances Improve Dairy Farm Nutrient Management
Relevance Nitrogen is essential for crop production, yet excess application can contribute to nitrogen loss with impact on water and air quality. New York dairy farmers face increasing pressure to improve nutrient use efficiency while...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Blackcut Worm Damage

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Relevance The NYS Corn Pest Monitoring Network project conducted a thorough evaluation of stakeholder requirements utilizing an online survey, revealing that black cutworm and true armyworm were identified as particularly detrimental pests...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Judson at Urban Garden NYC

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Relevance Cornell Cooperative Extension's Urban Agriculture program provides support for urban agriculture education in all urban areas of New York State including the five boroughs of New York City. The major emphasis areas are: growing for...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Tweezers holding a piece of lettuce

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Relevance The Sanitation Verification Efficacy project addresses the problem of controlling cross-contamination during food manufacturing, highlighting the challenge of verifying sanitation efficacy. The project led by Abigail Snyder, Cornell...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension

Youth & Families

parents holding up their kid

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School Partnerships Expand Parenting Education in Rural New York
Relevance Parents and caregivers in rural New York often experience limited access to evidence-based parenting education and family support programs due to geographic isolation, transportation barriers and fewer locally available services. Rural...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Promoting Parents Healthy Parenting Practices

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Relevance Parents across New York State are navigating increasingly complex challenges that influence child development, family well-being, and long-term health outcomes. Issues such as opioid misuse, alcohol use, nutrition concerns, behavioral...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Parent and child playing with bricks

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Relevance Play is one of the most powerful drivers of early childhood development, shaping children’s language acquisition, spatial reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and social-emotional skills. Yet many parents—especially those in...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Yellow bird on the left and red bird on the right

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Relevance Many young people today experience limited access to nature-based learning, reducing opportunities to build science literacy, leadership skills, and environmental awareness. Educators have expressed a need for engaging, hands-on...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Workers at the State Farm Milk Bar

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Relevance The NYS Fair Workforce Milk Bar program provided valuable workforce training and employment opportunities for forty Central New York teens, offering them hands-on experience and insights into the agricultural sector's role in the state...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension