12/08/2022
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๐๐ท ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐พ๐ฎ:
โข Statewide News
โข Taste NY Updates
โข NYS Grown & Certified Updates
โข Funding Opportunities
โข Spotlight: Grow-NY Round Four Winners Announced
๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐!
The holiday season is officially here: a time for joy, celebration, and gratitude. Among the many things to be grateful for this year is the ever-present gift of agriculture. From the delicious food we prepare for our loved ones to the beautiful trees that light up our homes with holiday cheer, it is a privilege to enjoy our farmersโ great bounty.
OIn November, Commissioner Ball visited NYS Grown & Certified Stokoe Farms, a 6th generation, family-owned Christmas Tree farm in Scottsville, NY, for the Department’s annual tree-cutting event. The event promotes New York’s Christmas tree growers and encourages consumers to buy local this holiday season. A beautiful nine-foot-tall Fraser Fir is now on display at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center in Geneva, so if youโre travelling this season, be sure to stop in and check it out! In fact, each Welcome Center around the State is featuring a New York State Grown & Certified Christmas tree or wreath, helping to highlight New Yorkโs Christmas tree industry. With approximately 300,000 New York-grown trees sold by more than 750 farms in Upstate New York each year, New York ranks sixth in the US for the number of acres dedicated to growing Christmas trees.
Find a NYS Grown & Certified Christmas tree farm near you at certified.ny.gov/wheretobuy or on the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York website at ctfany.org/
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐
The Department was proud to kick off the 2022 New York Produce Show and Conference, and help honor the showโs creator, the late Jim Prevor, with a special recognition from Governor Kathy Hochul. The 2022 New York Produce Show, which is the largest produce show in the northeast, helped market New Yorkโs specialty crop growers under the Departmentโs New York State Grown & Certified marketing label and connect our stateโs producers to buyers from around the world.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
In November, the Department announced several funding opportunities aimed at supporting New Yorkโs agricultural community by enhancing food security and the resiliency of the food system, connecting producers to new markets, and more. Check out information on each new opportunity below.
๐๐๐ $26 ๐ข๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข will provide a boost to New York farmers, increase communitiesโ access to local foods, and further enhance the resiliency of New Yorkโs food system. There are two grant opportunities available through the program.
โข Track 1 is a competitive opportunity focused on the purchase and distribution of New York food products. Learn more: agriculture.ny.gov/rfp-0283-new-york-food-new-york-families-track-1.
โข Track 2 is a non-competitive, first-come, first-serve grant opportunity for eligible applications. This funding track will be awarded to organizations working within the food system to help producers access new markets, fill gaps in the supply and distribution chain, or increase access to food in underserved communities. Learn more: agriculture.ny.gov/rfa-0284-new-york-food-new-york-families-track-2.
Applications for both funding tracks are due January 18, 2023.
๐๐๐ $700,000 ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ง๐จโ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข will help farmers strengthen their markets and make local food more accessible to consumers by establishing online sales, improving infrastructure, and enhancing marketing and promotion efforts.
Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local municipalities, business improvement districts, local chambers of commerce, and public benefit corporations that currently operate one or more farmersโ markets in New York State.
Watch a webinar about this opportunity
For more information on the program and how to apply, visit agriculture.ny.gov/rfp-0282-farmers-market-resiliency-grant.
The deadline for proposals is 4:00 pm Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข will support community growing spaces and recognize their impact on local food resiliency and food security for New Yorkers.
Funding through the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program will help offset costs associated with projects that focus on food production, food safety, and food distribution, and can be used to fund worker wages, contractual expenses, equipment, and other operating expenses.
For more information on the program and how to apply, visit agriculture.ny.gov/rfp-0280-urban-farms-and-community-gardens-grant-program.
Proposals are due at 4:00 pm on December 15, 2022.
๐๐๐ $850,000 ๐๐๐ง๐ข-๐ฉ๐ค-๐๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข helps kindergarten through grade 12 schools increase the use of locally grown food on school menus while providing an economic benefit to New Yorkโs farmers. A portion of the funding, $200,000, will be dedicated to applicants that have not received an award in previous rounds of the program.
Grant funding of up to $100,000 will be awarded for projects that support the establishment or expansion of farm-to-school programs in districts across the State.
Learn more
Proposals must be received by January 24, 2023, by 4:00 p.m.
๐ช๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐
The Department hosted two virtual informational sessions to discuss funding for a $1 million Beginning Farmer Fund and a $4 million Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmer Fund. The sessions provided participants with an overview of the funding and the opportunity to give direct feedback about the programs, which were both included in this yearโs state budget. The program is expected to launch its application period for administrators of the grant programs in the coming weeks, so stay tuned at agriculture.ny.gov and learn more about the farmer fund grant programs at https://agriculture.ny.gov/farming.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ป ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐โ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐
The Department is leading an initiative to develop a comprehensive application for a northeast Regional Food Business Center (RFBC). The USDA RFBC grant opportunity will support and create a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system focused on underserved producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and other businesses within the supply chain.
The Department is collaborating with other state departments of agriculture, land grant universities, and other key partners to identify a broad northeast region and envision a center that can serve a wide range of farm and food businesses and meet the long-term goals of the northeast region. As part of this, the Department held two webinars to engage stakeholders, and is also soliciting comments via a public survey. Learn more about the opportunity and how to submit your comments.
$๐ฑ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ’๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐
Governor Kathy Hochul announced nearly $5 million was awarded to 17 not-for-profit animal shelters and humane societies through the Department’s Companion Animal Capital Fund program. New York State was the first in the nation to fund capital projects for animal shelters. Since the programโs launch in 2017, $20 million has gone toward supporting construction, renovation, and expansion projects that help keep our furry friends safe. Projects funded this year include new living spaces for additional cats, new medical facilities, and shelter renovations to include additional kennels.
The State is proud to continue its commitment to the care of animals awaiting their forever homes, including through an increased appropriation for the upcoming fifth round of the program made in the Fiscal Year 2023 Enacted Budget.
Learn more about the program
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐
The Department announced an upcoming series of roundtable discussions with county fair representatives from across New York to help strengthen and expand these invaluable community events. For many New Yorkers, county fairs serve as the bedrock of agricultural education. From introducing kids and adults alike to agricultural practices to highlighting delicious local products, county fairs provide critical enrichment. These roundtable discussions will take place twice annually, with the initial dates to be chosen at the annual meeting of the New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs, which will be held in January 2023. The discussions will allow stakeholders the opportunity to expand and develop fairsโ agricultural initiatives statewide.
Topics for the first roundtable discussion will include:
โข how to enhance fair marketing and promotion through existing programs such as Taste NY and I Love NY, as well as the creation of new programs to increase awareness of fairs statewide;
โข plans for enhancing agricultural competitions at fairs, including ways to encourage county fair winners to participate at the Great New York State Fair; and
โข other initiatives, including capital planning, emergency management, and commissioning an updated economic impact study.
๐๐ป๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ
Dairy producers still have time to enroll for 2023 coverage through USDAโs Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program! This program helps mitigate some of the risks involved in dairy farming and helps producers manage changes in milk and feed prices. Last year, USDAโs Farm Service Agency took steps to improve coverage for smaller dairies by offering a new Supplemental DMC program and updating its feed cost formula to better address retroactive, current, and future feed costs. The Supplemental DMC Program allows dairy producers to protect their operations by enrolling supplemental production. Signup ends December 9, 2022. Find out more about the program and enrollment
๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐น ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ผ
Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced additional support to Puerto Ricoโs agricultural industry and emergency food assistance organizations in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. With the help of the New York Farm Bureau, the Department worked to gather 19,000 pounds of food from New York farms to donate to Puerto Rican communities in need.
In October, the Department sent a team member to Puerto Rico as part of a multi-agency response to help families and key industries, including the agricultural industry, as they recover and rebuild. The Department also helped coordinate an approximately 37,000-pound donation of mixed fresh produce.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐บ
Thereโs still time to register for this yearโs annual New York State Agricultural Society Forum! The Forum, which will take place Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the Syracuse OnCenter, offers an opportunity for farmers and other key stakeholders to discuss some of the biggest issues facing the food system and natural resource industries. Commissioner Ball will also deliver the 2023 State of Agriculture Address and provide an update on New York Stateโs ongoing efforts to support New York farmers and agricultural businesses. Donโt miss it! Register here
๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐
With the holiday season in full swing, make sure to look locally for your gifts! New York is home to over 33,000 farms, 700 farmers’ markets and farm stands, and thousands of small agribusinesses that offer delicious, home-grown food and beverages as well as local products that make perfect gifts for friends and family. From local gourmet food items and locally produced craft beverages to New York made novelty items, and even bath and beauty products, Taste NY has everything you need for the holiday season! Welcome Centers and Taste NY locations are featuring a wide variety of gifts and gift sets filled with local products made and produced by New York farms and food and beverage producers.
Taste NY gift stores and product displays can also be found at service areas along the New York State Thruway, airports, train stations, and more โ so if youโre travelling this holiday season, be sure to stop in! You can also shop for delicious, local food and products from home by visiting Taste NYโs online marketplace, shoptasteny.com.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฑ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐&๐ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ
In November, the Department announced its selection of the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI) as administrator of the New York State Grown & Certified (NYS G&C) Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Development Grant Program. Program administrator applicants underwent a competitive selection process through Round XII of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative.
As program administrator, NYFVI will now develop a program to administer $5.8 million to farms and food processors that are already in the NYS G&C program or will be joining the program. A total of $5 million will be dedicated to capital projects designed to improve critical farm infrastructure or help farms implement innovative technologies and purchase state-of-the-art equipment. Additionally, $800,000 will support research and development projects supporting the development of new products to be marketed under the NYS G&C program. All projects must have a direct impact on the region served and focus on priority areas including environmental sustainability, new product development, food safety and labor efficiency.
Learn more about the program, and watch this space for upcoming updates on how to apply for funding
๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
โข RFA 0284 – New York Food for New York Families Track 2
Applications are due on January 18, 2023, at 4:00 pm.
โข RFP 0282 โ Farmersโ Market Resiliency Grant
Proposals are due at 4:00 pm on December 15, 2022.
โข RFP 0281 – New York State Farm-to-School Grant Program 2023
Proposals are due January 24, 2023.
โข RFP 0280 – Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program
Proposals are due January 10, 2023.
โข RFA 0263 – Municipal Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning Grants
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
โข RFA 0262 – County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning Grants
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
โข RFA 0181 – Source Water Buffer Program
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
For more information on these or other funding opportunities, please visit our Funding Opportunities page
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐: ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐-๐ก๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ
The Grow-NY Summit awards prizes to innovative food and agriculture startups that are focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. At this yearโs fourth annual summit, ProAgni ProTect, an agricultural startup company that produces antibiotic-free livestock supplements and feeds to lower methane emissions from sheep and cattle, took home the $1 million top prize!
Now in its fourth year, Grow-NY attracts exceptional startups and entrepreneurial talent from around the globe to compete in its business development accelerator and two-day pitch competition at the Grow-NY Summit. The winning teams must commit to operating in the Central New York, Finger Lakes, or Southern Tier regions for at least one year, while providing Grow-NY with a small equity investment stake in their entity. Funding for the competition, which is administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, is provided through the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative.
We congratulate ProAgni and other prize winners, including Craft Cannery, Hempitecture, Labby, Sweet Pea Plant-Based Kitchen, Vivid Machines, and Zalliant on their success, and look forward to another year of agricultural advancement. Learn more