Farm to School in NY State

Farm to school programs in k-12 schools and early care and education sites engage young people in hands-on learning and empower school nutrition professionals to source and promote healthy, local food for school meal programs. Program design differs by location but may include procuring and promoting local foods, cultivating school gardens, and engaging students in agriculture, food, health, and nutrition education.

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

 

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: Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Rensselaer, Sullivan

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

 

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

Student picking up pre-plated greens in school lunch line

Explore a collection of farm to school research and reports.

Three students hold hands walking through barn

Join a cross-disciplinary team of Extension associates, CCE educators, and partners from NYS agencies who work together to create better cohesion of farm to school programming across the state.

Middle school students picking strawberries

Materials and guidance for those involved in farm to school efforts including farmers, educators, distributors, vendors, school administrators, and nutrition professionals.

Webinars

Quarterly

NYS Farm to School Webinars

The CCE NYS Farm to School Program Work Team hosts educational webinars for the farm to school community. Recent topics include: 

Farm to School sign on cafeteria wall