With an eye toward sustainability, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, better energy efficiency, and increased farm resilience, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) agriculture specialists and educators closely monitor the rapidly changing environment farmers are working within. Tapping into the latest research and best practices, ag specialists help growers and producers combat an increasingly uncertain world. 

To see what programs are offered in your area, visit or contact a local office.

Featured Programs

two men stand in a vineyard with grapes in the foreground
Regional Agriculture Programs

CCE regional agriculture teams are comprised of specialists who serve multi-county regions throughout New York state, providing research-based information, programs and technical assistance to dairy, livestock, field crops, vegetable, grape and fruit producers.

woman with cat puts her hand through a fence with sheep
Cornell Small Farms

The Cornell Small Farms program is a partnership between Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and CCE that connects small farm owners and operators with a variety of educational opportunities including Labor Ready Farmer, Baskets to Pallets, Farm Ops and others.

students work in a garden next to a fence
Harvest New York

CCE's Harvest New York specialists support workforce development and business expansion with a focus on diary food processing, urban agriculture, farm-based beverages, local food distribution, berry production, farm strategic planning and emerging crops.

people look at a hoof
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

CCE’s Agriculture Workforce Development program demystifies new farm and labor laws to help to build committed, engaged and effective teams through tried-and-tested human resource management practices and research-based leadership and management development education.

worker in a field
Cornell Cooperative Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program (CCE-PSEP)

CCE’s PSEP promotes the proper use of pesticides for the applicator, the consumer, and the environment, and also serves as a pesticide education center for those interested in pesticide chemicals.

kids stand at a fence
New York Agriculture in the Classroom (NYAITC)

NYAITC is a partnership between CCE, Cornell University, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Education Department and the New York Farm Bureau. The program fosters awareness, understanding and appreciation of how we produce food and fiber, what we eat and how we live, by helping educators, pre-k to middle school students and their communities learn about and engage with agriculture and food systems.

New York State

Farm to School

Farm to school programs in schools and early care and education sites engage young people in hands-on learning and connect families to fresh, healthy local food. In New York State, a cross-disciplinary team of Extension associates, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educators, and partners from NYS agencies work together to create better cohesion of farm to school programming across the state.

Buffalo school children on a farm visit

Partner Organizations and Programs

CCE agriculture educators and specialists work closely with campus faculty primarily in the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, researchers with Cornell Agritech and the Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station and other partners to drive sustainable development in New York communities.

Stories

Crystal Stewart Courtens at CCE field day holding garlic and speaking to attendees

Multimedia

News

Faces of Extension: Crystal Stewart-Courtens
Crystal Stewart-Courtens, regional vegetable specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture program, built one of the Northeast's premier garlic research and extension program from scratch over 14...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
A Christmas tree plot with a fresh dusting of snow.

News

Christmas tree farming is more than a holiday tradition in New York; it’s a vital part of the state’s economy. Spanning more than 22,000 acres and generating up to $22 million in annual sales, the industry delivers festive cheer while sustaining...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Cornell Integrated Pest Management
4-H member Nate de Jong on stage at Grow NY

News

Competing for a grand prize of $1,000, eight finalists took the stage to pitch food-system innovations at the Grow-NY Youth Competition November 13 in Canandaigua, New York. The event, held on the final day of Empire State Development’s Grow-NY...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
Christy Hoepting jumping in a field of onions, with onions in her hands

News

Christy Hoepting, vegetable specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Cornell Vegetable Program, discovered her calling in the rich, black soil of Ontario Canada's muck fields, where she saw firsthand how applied research could...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Field Crops
  • Vegetables
A researcher form the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation collects specimens for Oak Wilt assessment in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

News

Violent storms can leave trees tangled in power lines, blocking roads and trails. Getting downed trees cleared quickly is crucial to helping New York state communities recover. Nowhere is this more important than in the Adirondacks, where...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension