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

A grey dapple horse grazing in the foreground, fall leaves on the trees in the background.

Report

Horse Farm Improvement Program Boosts Management and Welfare Across NY
Relevance Horses are a significant part of New York State agriculture, contributing to the economy, land stewardship, and animal services. Despite the sector’s size, horse owners and managers have had limited access to coordinated, research...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
A tractor outfitted with precision cropload management gear.

Report

Relevance Precision crop load management is critical for New York apple growers to optimize fruit size, quality, and return bloom while managing labor and production costs. However, no single digital imaging tool currently meets monitoring needs...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
A person examines a device in a garden with rows of crops and protective tunnels, with houses in the background.

Report

Relevance New York State agriculture faces ongoing threats from invasive pests and diseases that reduce crop yields, threaten poultry health, and disrupt farm viability. Invasive insects cost U.S. agriculture $13 billion annually, with...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Several red 'Crimson Beauty" raspberries hang from green leaves and stems.

Report

Relevance Raspberry and strawberry production in the United States is concentrated in California and Florida, where climate variability and rising costs challenge long-term sustainability. Demand for locally grown fruit is increasing, creating...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
A person in protective clothing demonstrates meat cutting on large beef sections while others observe, all wearing masks and hairnets in a processing room.

Report

Relevance New York State livestock producers face limited access to meat processing in part due to a shortage of trained butchers. Farms often encounter processing waitlists of 12 months or more and therefore must schedule slaughter dates before...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension

Community

A bunch of small businesses

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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
Aerial view of slash walls in Nepaugh

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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
Aerial view of slash walls in Nepaugh

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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

Report

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