Farm to School at a Glance

Cornell Farm to School equips SFAs to increase local purchasing and strengthen meal programs through local procurement, bid development, culinary training, menu planning, local food promotion, and tracking.

students and chef during culinary training

Cornell Farm to School equips educators to share their knowledge across the classroom, cafeteria, and community through professional development; turnkey educational resources including lesson plans and toolkits that integrate farm to school concepts; experiential learning collaborations; and program evaluation.

Cornell Farm to School helps NY producers access and thrive in institutional markets through product development support, navigating complex bids and procurement regulations, understanding and meeting institutional and food safety requirements, and expanding sales to schools, colleges, and other agencies.

Rooted in Place: Growing Farm to School from the Ground Up

NYS Farm to School Summit

The 2026 NY Farm to School Summit, co-hosted by New York State Education Department and Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY, features 4 optional field trips; 41 workshops and sessions for all Farm to School stakeholders including farmers and producers, food service directors, educators, and school administrators; and an Education Expo and NY Trade Floor.

Agenda Sneak Peek

NYS Farm to School Summit

Register for the 2026 NYS Farm to School Summit

The 2026 NYS Farm to School Summit begins with optional field trips and a cocktail reception on February 23rd. Programming extends through February 24th and 25th, including 41 workshops and lightning talks, plus a key note, general session, Education Expo, Trade Floor, and plenty of time for networking.

NYS Farm to School Summit

Education Expo and NY Trade Floor

Join us on the trade floor on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at the Saratoga City Center to promote your farm to school products and services. he trade show floor is open to farms, businesses, and community-based-organizations that support farm to school efforts in New York, including.

Become an Exhibitor!

NYS Farm to School Summit

Summit Merch

Order your NYS Farm to School Summit Merch today and pick it up at registration (free) or have it shipped to you. Choose from branded sweatshirts, aprons, hats, and more!

Order merch now!

NYS Farm to School Summit

Sponsor the NYS Farm to School Summit

Sponsorships help keep the price of the Summit low and accessible, and support allied Farm to School capacity building activities like culinary training, agricultural education, and business-to-business events.

Sponsor the Summit

Culinary Training

Regional Roots: Culinary Training to Enhance School Meals with Local Foods

Regional Roots offers school districts the opportunity to receive FREE customized culinary training aimed at enhancing the skills needed for kitchen staff to prepare scratch-cooked, locally sourced meals for their Child Nutrition programs.

Learn More

Culinary Training

Regional Roots Informational Webinar

Trainings are hands-on and focus on recipes and techniques for incorporating local foods into menus, including fresh produce, raw meats, and local grains, and are customized to meet your program's training needs and program goals.

Regional Roots Informational Webinar

Culinary Training

Sign Up to Schedule Your Training!

Regional Roots is a collaboration between NYS Department of Education and Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY. Trainings are planned in partnership with school Food Service Directors and are led by Brigaid, a team of professional chefs dedicated to supporting institutions meet their food service goals and NYSED Master Instructors, who have years of experience in school food service and are passionate about using local foods.

CCE Harvest NY Farm to School Team Lead

Cheryl Bilinski: cbt32 [at] cornell.edu (cbt32[at]cornell[dot]edu) / (607) 592-9507

Long Island Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Amy Bly

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Long Island Farm to School Procurement Specialist

ab2353 [at] cornell.edu (ab2353[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Counties supported: Nassau, Suffolk

Book a meeting with Amy!

NYC Farm to School Procurement Specialist

SJ Whelan

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY New York City Farm to School Procurement Specialist

sw954 [at] cornell.edu (sw954[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Lower Hudson Valley Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Kristy Apostolides

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Lower Hudson Valley Farm to School Procurement Specialist

kda4 [at] cornell.edu (kda4[at]cornell[dot]edu) / (845) 429-7085, ext. 106

Counties supported: Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester

Upper Hudson Valley Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Katie Sheehan-Lopez

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Upper Hudson Valley Farm to School Procurement Specialist

kms369 [at] cornell.edu (kms369[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Counties supported: Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Sullivan, Ulster

North Country Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Meghan Dohman

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY North Country Farm to School Procurement Specialist

meb377 [at] cornell.edu (meb377[at]cornell[dot]edu) / (518) 791-1888

Counties supported: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence

Central NY Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Lizzy Cooper

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Central NY Farm to School Procurement Specialist

ec795 [at] cornell.edu (ec795[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Counties supported: Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Tompkins

WNY & FLX Farm to School Procurement Specialist

Becky O'Connor

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Western NY & Finger Lakes Farm to School Procurement Specialist

rao84 [at] cornell.edu (rao84[at]cornell[dot]edu) / (845) 706-0293

Counties supported: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Wyoming, Yates

Book a meeting with Becky!

Farm to School Education Specialist

Kate Preston

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Harvest NY Education Specialist

kep98 [at] cornell.edu (kep98[at]cornell[dot]edu )/ (607) 788-4188

NYS Department of Agriculture

Farm to School (general): farmtoschool [at] agriculture.ny.gov (farmtoschool[at]agriculture[dot]ny[dot]gov) / NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Farm to School website

30% NY Initiative: 30percent [at] agriculture.ny.gov (30percent[at]agriculture[dot]ny[dot]gov) / 30% NY Initiative Website

NYS Education Department

farm2school [at] nysed.gov

Farm to School webinars and recordings on topics including local procurement, the 30% NY Initiative, buying local beef, and more.

"Pathways to Progress: Evaluating the Growth and Impact of the 30% NY Initiative, 2023-24" analyzes the procurement data of School Food Authorities that qualified for the 30% New York State Initiative during the 2023-24 school year (SY).

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