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

a woman holds a sheep in a show stance

Field Note

Meet our faculty: Jessica Waltemyer, "Animals all the time"
Jessica Waltemyer, New York State small ruminant extension specialist with Cornell PRO-LIVESTOCK, likes to joke that animals rule her life. “Personally and professionally, it’s animals all the time,” she said. “There’s no part of my life that...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • PRO-LIVESTOCK
  • Animal Science
Illustration of people gardening

News

Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest New York runs the Community Gardens Soil Testing Program, which offers free test results and advice to home gardeners anywhere in the state.

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Soil
Linda Elcsisin recieving award with Alexa Maile and others

News

Linda Elcsisin, a veteran youth educator and 4-H volunteer with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Jefferson County, has been named a 2025 National and Northeastern Region Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer. Since 2004, Elcsisin has played a key...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
a group of people in front of a high tunnel with crops

News

At Wild Work Farm in the North Country’s Keene Valley, the last frost can come as late as mid-June, and the first frost usually hits in September, said owner and operator Lissa Goldstein. Coping with that very short growing season is one of...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Willsboro Research Farm
Panel discussion at 2026 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference

News

Nearly 150 dairy industry professionals gathered in East Syracuse, NY last week to hear from industry experts about the latest trends and research related to dairy herd health and nutrition at the 2026 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference. For...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science