07/05/2023
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๐๐ท ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐พ๐ฎ
โข Statewide News
โข Taste NY Updates
โข NYS Grown & Certified Updates
โข Funding Opportunities
โข Spotlight: Commissioner Ball Congratulates Winner of the “Still Growing” Poetry Contest
๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐จ๐ฝ: ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
Every June, Dairy Month gives us the opportunity to recognize New York’s dairy farmers and manufacturers who produce some of the very best dairy products anywhere. This year, we took part in a wide range of Dairy Month activities to promote the industry – check out some highlights below!
โข ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐ก ๐พ๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ $30 ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐๐ง๐-๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฎ
Earlier this month, Commissioner Ball headed up to the North Country to celebrate the completion of Agri-Mark’s nearly $30 million expansion and modernization project at its cheese manufacturing facility in Chateaugay. The expansion is retaining more than 100 full-time jobs, supporting more than 500 agricultural jobs in the region, and helping to boost the stateโs dairy industry in Northern New York โ a fantastic way to celebrate Dairy Month. The 9,600 square-foot expansion included a state-of-the-art cheese production room, which has improved the facilityโs efficiency, and the rebuilding of the 110,000 square-foot manufacturing center, reconfiguring the layout of the facility, and purchasing new equipment and machinery. You can read more about the expansion here and view photos of the new facility here.
โข ๐ฟ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐พ๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐จ
This year, the Department continued our Dairy Education Days series, which brings members of the Department to elementary schools across the state to help kids learn about New Yorkโs dairy community. Commissioner Ball was joined by local dairy farmers and their very eager calves during his visits to Castleton Elementary School and Schoharie Elementary School. Since the series’ launch in 2018, dozens of staff members from the Department have visited their local elementary and middle schools to help New Yorkโs school children understand where their milk and dairy products come from and help them gain an early appreciation of the benefits of consuming local New York products. Educational materials for the schools and students, including fun giveaways, were provided by the American Dairy Association North East (ADANE).
โข ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐จ ๐ผ๐๐ง๐ค๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง๐
Every June, we are proud to highlight the amazing work of dairy farmers from all over the state. Dairy is the largest single segment of New York’s agricultural industry, boasting nearly 3,200 dairy farms, from major global processing companies to small, family-run operations. This year, Commissioner Ball and other members of our staff had the opportunity to visit six farms, many of which are multi-generational, family owned operations: Garelick Fams, DiNitto Farms, Tollgate Farms, Walker’s Farm, Whittaker Farms, and Crystal Valley Farm. We are always grateful to see firsthand the hard work our dairy farmers put into making delicious, healthy products that nourish our communities and help fuel our economy, and we thank all of our hosts this year for another wonderful Dairy Month!
โข ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐จ $23 ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ
Earlier this month the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $23 million in grant funding is available to support processing capacity expansion, on-farm improvements, and technical assistance services to producers through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives. We look forward to once again partnering with the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center to lift up the entire dairy industry in our region, and thank USDA for their continued and renewed commitment to dairy business innovation initiatives. The Request for Applications, information about grant eligibility, and a list of previously funded projects are available on the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative webpage.
Applications are due August 10, 2023.
โข ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฝ๐ค๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐จ๐
The Dairy Promotion Order (DPO) Board met this month in Syracuse to discuss goals for the year ahead. From helping get more dairy products into our schools to supporting new, innovative production methods, our DPO members work hard all year to help promote New York dairy products statewide.
โข ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ผ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ผโ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ง๐๐๐ข ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จโ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ
The Department is proud to congratulate our partners at the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA) on their 30th anniversary this year. Commissioner Ball joined our NEDPA partners for an ice cream social at King Brothers Dairy, along with our partners at Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (NEAFA), New York Farm Bureau, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, and the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, to discuss opportunities to expand and strengthen New Yorkโs dairy industry in the years to come. The Department thanks NEDPA for three decades of work supporting our dairy farmers and producers, and looks forward to another 30 years of partnership!
โข ๐ฟ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ
As the largest single segment of New Yorkโs agricultural industry, the dairy industry boasts a wide range of exciting and fulfilling career opportunities. To help connect more prospective employees to fulfilling work in dairy, the Department launched a new workforce development resource guide, as well as a new Dairy Careers webpage. The resource guide is part of the work of New York State’s Dairy Think Tank, which focuses on understanding the dairy industryโs workplace needs and devising strategies to help processors attract and retain great employees so that they can expand their processing capabilities. We are excited to continue working with industry leaders and with our fellow state agencies to continue building a strong agricultural workforce that will help ensure New York dairy remains a pillar of our industry! To learn more, visit our new Dairy Careers webpage.
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๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐๐ -๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Three finalists have been selected for New Yorkโs Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM)-Leopold Conservation Award (LCA). Awarded in partnership with the Sand County Foundation, the AEM-LCA honors a farm and its nominating Soil and Water Conservation District for their efforts to promote and protect the environment through the preservation of soil and water quality while helping to ensure farm viability for future generations. This year, our finalists are:
โฆ Dygert Farms of Palatine Bridge in Montgomery County,
โฆ Humbert Farms of Rose in Wayne County, and
โฆ Tongore Farm of Olivebridge in Ulster County.
Earlier this year, New York State Soil and Water Conservation Districts were encouraged to identify and nominate the best examples of conservation success in their district. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders.
Sand County Foundation, a national nonprofit conservation organization, will present the $10,000 award with the support of the Department, American Farmland Trust, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation, Farm Credit East, the New York State Agribusiness Association, Audubon New York, and USDAโs Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Learn more about the AEM-Leopold Conservation Award and 2023โs finalist farms.
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐
In honor of World Food Safety Day, which takes place annually on June 7, the Department highlighted several actions the State has taken to enhance our food safety standards, a key focus of this yearโs World Food Safety Day celebration, including launching a new partnership with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and updating our online kosher and halal registries. Learn more about these efforts.
To educate consumers on the importance of food safety standards, the Department also released a series of videos and social media posts to highlight the work conducted by Department staff every day to ensure the Stateโs food supply is safe. Check out the videos below!
โข Happy World Food Safety Day!
โข Celebrate World Food Safety Day with Dygert Farms Creamery
โข Heavy Metal Testing at the New York State Food Laboratory
โข Dairy Microbiology Testing at the New York State Food Laboratory
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๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ
During National Pollinator Week, celebrated nationally this year from June 19 through June 25, New York State released its updated Pollinator Protection Plan, outlining the coordinated work of State agencies to enhance pollinator health, including beekeeper registration, outreach, and education programs; continued support of the New York State Beekeeper Tech Team; improved landscape management at state facilities and along roadways to provide increased habitats; and more.
Over the past several years, New York State has taken steps to promote honeybee health and better protect pollinators statewide. In 2022, the Department launched a beekeeper registration program to better help beekeepers maintain their colonies in a healthy condition, which has since registered 1,625 beekeepers who are managing nearly 31,500 colonies throughout New York State. Additionally, the Departmentโs honeybee health improvement program asks beekeepers to indicate if they intend to sell bee colonies to monitor colony movement across and between state borders. To ensure that the Department can properly inspect bee colonies, all New York State beekeepers must complete the registration form and renew their registration annually at no charge.
Our partner agencies have also taken several steps to ensure that pollinators are protected in New York State. Learn more.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ $๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐, $๐ฐ.๐ฑ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐น๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Following the recent celebration of 100,000 acres of farmland protected in New York State in April, the Department is making available nearly $50 million for additional projects through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program. The program helps to support perpetual agricultural conservation easement projects to keep agricultural land in production and ensure the long-term viability of New York’s farming operations.
For Round 19 of the State’s Farmland Protection program, $47.5 million will be awarded to projects that support the State’s top priorities, including food security, climate resiliency, and source water protection. In addition, the eligibility criteria for the program has been expanded again, now including three new categories: field crops, livestock or livestock products, and access to farmland. Access to farmland is specifically intended to help address ongoing challenges facing new and beginning farmers as well as retiring farmers in this area. Round 19 also continues the one-time incentive payment of 10 percent of the value of the agricultural conservation easement being required for projects that meet climate resilience or source water protection goals.
As part of the funding awarded, $4.5 million will be allocated to each of New York Stateโs 10 economic development regions.
Eligible applicants can apply for the Farmland Protection program through the Grants Gateway. Additional information on the Request for Applications can be found here.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ-๐๐ผ-๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ
Governor Hochul announced that ten programs have been awarded more than $850,000 through Round 7 of New York State’s Farm-to-School program, with four organizations being awarded funds through the program for the first time. Funding provided through the Farm-to-School program helps schools connect with local producers, increase the use of locally grown food on school menus, and improve student health, while providing increased economic benefits to New York’s farmers. See a full list of awardees and get more information on the projects here.
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ
The State celebrated the 10th Invasive Species Awareness Week in early June, an annual opportunity to learn more about invasive species and all the ways the State is working to combat these pests that can harm New York agriculture and the environment. A number of events were held across the State, inviting the public to learn more about invasive species, like the Spotted Lanternfly and Asian Longhorned Beetle, and how they can help to control their spread and help protect the agricultural industry. Find out more about the invasive species that impact agriculture here.
๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ-๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Strategic Planning Working Group has released the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Five-Year Strategy. APHIS brought together the working group in August 2022 with representatives from APHIS, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the National Plant Board (NPB). The working group developed a unified approach to reduce the SLF’s spread and impacts through a coordinated approach and collaboration among state and federal resources.
SLF has now spread to 13 additional states since it was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. Spotted Lanternfly is a destructive pest that feeds on more than 70 plant species, including plants and crops that are critical to New Yorkโs agricultural economy, such as grapevine, apple trees, and hops. First found in New York State on Staten Island in August 2020, the population has been observed in https://agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.
๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ-๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ป ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
Farmers in Oneida and Herkimer Counties: mark your calendars for Agri-Smart, an informational session taking place on Wednesday July 19 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Mohawk Valley Community College’s Wilcox Hall Schaffer Theater in Utica. The session will provide information about grants, agricultural programs, National Grid incentives, NYSEG incentives, the NYS Grown & Certified Program and grants, the Climate Resilient Farming program, and more!
If youโre a producer, local farmer, agri-business, looking to start an agri-business, or working with agri-businesses in this region, feel free to join in to learn more! RSVP by July 12th to Amy Heiderich at aheiderich@ocgov.net. Stay tuned for more information about opportunities like these across the state.
๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ง๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Continuing the Departmentโs celebration of the Taste NY programโs 10-year anniversary in 2023, Commissioner Ball visited the Southern Tier Welcome Center on June 21st. The special event showcased the Welcome Centerโs successes in connecting New York producers to more consumers, including bringing $700,000 in product sales at the Southern Tier Welcome Center and drawing more than half a million visitors in 2022. Over the years, the Welcome Center has brought in products from over 150 vendors across the state.
The celebration at the Southern Tier Welcome Center brought together regional agricultural, tourism, and supporting partners to introduce visitors to the New York farmers and producers whose products are available at the Welcome Center. Vendors sampling at the event included Amish Agriculture, Black Dog Honey, Clines Catering, Jukebox Donuts, Juuuice, KDE Flavored Coffee Company, Shamrock Creek Farms, Sinfully Sweet Fudge, Walling Maple, and in celebration of Dairy Month, Gilliganโs Ice Cream was also featured. Learn more about the celebration, and stay tuned to the Departmentโs social channels for more news about #TasteTurns10.
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป & ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ
The New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development Grant Program, through the Consolidated Funding Application Round 13, will provide grants on a competitive basis to eligible applicants who will administer a grant program that will assist agricultural entities in implementing projects that will invest in critical farm infrastructure, adopt state-of-the-art practices, purchase innovative technology or equipment, or conduct cutting edge research to aid in the development of new products to meet consumer demand marketed under the New York State Grown & Certified program. Projects must have a direct and timely benefit to New York agricultural producers/processors and significance to the region served by the eligible applicant. The program will be overseen by the Department. Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
โข RFA 0294 – Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Round 19 – Agricultural Conservation Easement Projects
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
โข RFP 0291 – Climate Resilient Farming
Applications are due August 7, 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 0238 – Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Round 18 – Conservation Easement Projects
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: ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ “๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด” ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐
In September 2022, the Department announced a challenge to New Yorkโs third to eighth grade students to write a poem that celebrated the resiliency of our food system, following the 2022 NASDA Conferenceโs theme, โStill Growing.โ Earlier this month, Commissioner Ball visited Stokes Elementary School in Rome, NY, to honor one of our winners, Chase Willson, who got to read his poem at the conference last September. We thank all the young writers who participated in this contest and congratulate Chase on his much deserved win. We love hearing about the ways our youngest New Yorkers think about and value agriculture, and it is a great joy to read all of your work!
