The Farm to SUNY pilot project began in 2013, working with four public universities in New York State, including University at Albany, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego and SUNY New Paltz.
Growing Resilience: Unlocking the Potential of Farm to School to Strengthen the Economy, Support New York Farms, and Improve Student Health in the Face of New Challenges
Following the release of the Growing Opportunity report, this research, conducted during the summer of 2020, sought to collect new information from schools after year two of the incentive program, including clarifying remaining barriers schools face in purchasing New York food products and reaching 30%, as well as the impact COVID-19 may have on farm to school in New York.
Growing Opportunity for Farm to School: How to Revolutionize School Food, Support Local Farms, and Improve the Health of Students in New York
This report from American Farmland Trust reveals the incredible economic potential for the New York farm economy of recent farm to school initiatives, as well as their opportunity to increase access to healthy, local food for kids throughout the state.
On the Plate at SUNY: Growing Health, Farms and Jobs with Local Food
On the Plate at SUNY is the second report in a series developed by American Farmland Trust and The New York Academy of Medicine investigating the purchasing of local food by institutions in New York State.
The Public Plate in New York State: Growing Health, Farms and Jobs with Local Food
Boosting public spending on fresh foods grown on New York State farms and served in schools, childcare centers, older adult centers, food pantries and other institutions, has the potential to improve health for more than six million New Yorkers, while increasing economic opportunities across the state. The findings are part of a new report, The Public Plate in New York State: Growing Health, Farms and Jobs with Local Food, by The New York Academy of Medicine and American Farmland Trust.
New York Academy of Medicine, American Farmland Trust, FINYS
USDA Farm to School Census
Look up School Districts who reported to the 2019 USDA Farm to School Census on their procurement and education activities in 2017-2018, and those who plan to start farm to school programs in the future.
Working with institutional buyers and providing farm fresh foods to new markets is an exciting opportunity. However, entering into a new business arrangement with a school as a local farm can be a daunting task. What are the relevant laws around distributing to schools? What are the necessary steps to secure a contract to provide produce to a school? The Farm to School Legal Toolkit from The Food and Beverage Law Clinic (FBLC) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, in partnership with Common Ground Farm, seeks to help answer your legal questions on farm to school and present options available to you when starting a new farm to school venture.
Food and Beverage Law Clinic at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and Common Ground Farm
Farm to School Farmer Self-Assessment Tool
This Farmer Self-Assessment Guide from Michigan Farm to School is a good place to organize information about your farm and consider what you need to have in place before marketing to school districts. It is applicable to many other institutional markets as well.
The USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit guides you through questions to consider and helpful resources to reference when starting or growing a farm to school program.
New York State Grown & Certified is the first statewide, multi-faceted food certification program designed to strengthen consumer confidence in New York products, address food product labeling, and assist New York farmers so they can take advantage of the growing market demand for foods locally grown and produced to a higher standard.
Locally Grown: Farm to School Programs in New York State
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released a new report, "Locally Grown: Farm to School Programs in New York State," an overview of farm to school in New York State, the challenges facing farm to school programs and suggestions for improving their success.
Instituting Change: An Overview of Institutional Food Procurement and Recommendations for Improvement
This report by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future reviews the literature and key information resources regarding institutional food service procurement systems, presents the potential benefits of a largescale shift among institutional procurement policies, discusses some of the existing barriers to the adoption of policies that favor regionally and/or sustainably produced food, and provides recommendations and tools for influencing institutional food procurement practices.
The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices
The Local Food System Toolkit was developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to help communities reliably evaluate the economic impact of investing in local and regional food systems. The Local Food System Toolkit provides detailed guidance in seven modules to measure and assess the expected economic impacts of local food investments. Using real-world projects, experiences, and applied research, it provides grounded, credible, and useable assessment methods. The Local Food System Toolkit can be used by policy makers, community leaders, private businesses or foundations to offer specific estimates that will help them decide whether to invest in initiatives that increase local food activity.
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Farm Food Safety Video Overview
This video is an overview of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) through on-farm risk assessment from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Learn more about GAPS Training offered by Extension and NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets, as well as updates on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and economic information on the implementation of GAPs collected from growers through extensive interviews.
Sign up to learn about programs, events, trainings from New York Ag in the Classroom. Check out the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix that contextualizes national education standards in science, social studies, and nutrition education with relevant instructional resources linked to Common Core Standards.
