07/06/2022
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๐ป๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐:
โข Statewide News
โข Taste NY Updates
โข NYS Grown & Certified Updates
โข Funding Opportunities
โข Spotlight: Panel on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health at Gracie Mansion
๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ-๐จ๐ฝ: ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
Celebrated in June, Dairy Month provides us an annual 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 rage of Dairy Month activities to promote the industry – check out some highlights below!
– ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐จ
On June 23, Commissioner Ball visited Schoharie Elementary School to teach students about where dairy products come from – and the folks at Schoharie Valley FFA brought a calf along to make it a really memorable experience for the kids! This visit was part of our Dairy Education Days series, which took place in elementary schools statewide this year for the first time since the pandemic.
Did you know World Milk Day is celebrated each year on June 1? World Milk Day is an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. This year, we were proud to our dairy education series on the World Milk Day website.
– ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐๐ค๐จ๐ค ๐พ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ
On June 17, Commissioner Ball and Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon stopped by BelGioioso Cheese Manufacturing Plant in Schnectady to discuss the Stateโs workforce and economic development efforts for New Yorkโs dairy industry, including the Dairy Think Tank.
The Dairy Think Tank was created in 2020 at the advice of the Milk Marketing Advisory Council to bring together industry leaders to discuss the current challenges facing the dairy industry and the industryโs future. The Commissioners have partnered with individuals, such as BelGioioso Cheese General Manager Tim Cronin, through the Dairy Think Tank to further develop the dairy industry in New York State, with a focus on addressing the industryโs workforce needs and spurring regional economic growth. Learn more.
– ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง๐
Working with the Food Bank for NYC, Masbia Soup Kitchen Network in Brooklyn and Queens distributed kosher dairy products to families in need for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos. The products, including sour cream, farmer cheese, and cheese blintzes from Lamb Farm and Mehadrin Dairy, were purchased through the Stateโs Nourish New York initiative. Over 10,000 pounds of local dairy products were given out in total during the distributions, impacting over 20,000 New Yorkers facing food insecurity.
Alexander Rapaport, Executive Director of the Masbia Soup Kitchen Network said, โThis is the third Shavuos that families in need were able to celebrate with dairy through the Nourish New York program. It was actually launched three years ago, right before Shavuos. I am extremely grateful to Governor Hochul for making this funding permanent. It is a huge help. Before this program was around, Masbia had almost no access to kosher dairy products. This initiative was a game changer and with the cost of food at an all-time high, more and more families rely on Masbia to put food on their tables.โ
– ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐๐
In honor of Dairy Month, the Department released a new Dairy Resources Guide cataloging the programs and other resources New York State offers to dairy farmers and producers. The guide is available on the Departmentโs website.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ
Meet Sean Hennessey, the Interim Director of the Great New York State Fair, who will spearhead the stateโs largest festival later this summer. Commissioner Ball appointed Sean as the Assistant Director of the New York State Fair in May. Seanโs background as Assistant Commissioner for Operations at the New York State Department of Transportation โ where he led emergency response efforts; managed emergencies; and served as a mitigator between elected officials and neighbors โ coupled with his role as one of the organizers of the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival โ where he booked international artists โ serves as an excellent foundation to take the Fair to the next level.
Sean is very passionate about all things New York State, and a big fan of all โmade in New Yorkโ products. He has always been enamored with the Fair, in a personal and business sense, and looks forward to presenting a stellar showcase of all that New York State has to offer โ in farming, food, fun, and family โ next month. The 2022 Great New York State Fair begins Wednesday, August August 24 and continues through Labor Day, Monday, September 5.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐
The Department and the Division of Veteran Services (DVS) announced an expanded FreshConnect Checks Program to increase participation in the program by Veterans, Servicemembers, and their immediate families. This year, county Veterans services agencies are now able to distribute FreshConnect Checks, increasing the number of distribution sites from 31 to 59.
The FreshConnect Checks program encourages recipients to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at participating farmersโ markets. The program provides $2 incentive coupons for every $5 in SNAP benefits spent with the market, increasing the purchasing power of SNAP consumers by 40 percent. $200,000 in FreshConnect Checks is available at all DVS offices statewide and coupons are currently being distributed. Veterans interested in learning more should call 1-888-838-7697.
$๐ญ.๐ญ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐
๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐
Nearly $1.1 million has been awarded to 32 organizations through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention (SNAP-Ed) grant programs. The SNAP-Ed Food Box and Community Growers grant programs each provide funding to eligible groups to further expand access to fresh, affordable foods in underserved communities across New York State and support New Yorkโs agricultural industry. Funding is still available through the Food Box Grant Program and eligible organizations are encouraged to apply by July 18. Learn more.
The SNAP-Ed Food Box and Community Growers grant programs each support Governor Hochulโs 2022 State of the State priorities to make local food accessible to more residents. As part of the Governorโs vision to expand SNAP access to New York farms, the State will become a national leader in facilitating SNAP EBT purchases direct from New York farmers online. Additionally, SNAP recipients will receive a special FreshConnect benefit toward purchasing a food subscription from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐
World Food Safety Day takes place annually on June 7. In honor of this Day, the New York State Departments of Agriculture and Markets and Health highlighted several actions the State has taken to enhance food safety for all New Yorkers.
First, the Produce Traceability Blue Ribbon Task Force (Task Force) is helping to strengthen the produce supply system across New York. Developed with input from Task Force members, the Guidance for Produce Traceability shares best practices and bolsters the tracing of produce in New York State.
Additionally, in 2018, both departments formed an interagency collaboration to determine actionable limits of contaminants commonly found in spices, particularly heavy metals. In 2022, the groupโs research has been published in the Journal of Regulatory Science.
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has also developed a new Food Safety blog series featuring NASDA membersโ and farmersโ perspectives. As part of the series, Commissioner Ball, NASDA President and seasoned farmer, answered the question “how is it that produce fresh from the farm and grown in the soil reaches the grocery store safe and ready to eat?” Find his responses on the blog.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
Following an update to Agriculture and Markets Law in 2021, the Department launched a beekeeper registration program so that beekeepers can be better assisted in maintaining their colonies in a healthy condition. To ensure that we can properly inspect bee colonies, we encourage all New York State beekeepers to complete the registration form and renew their registration annually at no charge.
Additionally, this year the Department launched an enhanced communications strategy including new updates to our website and a series of roundtable meetings with beekeepers that are aimed at strengthening the connection between beekeepers and state partners. This announcement came during National Pollinator Week, June 20-26, which was honored with a proclamation issued by Governor Kathy Hochul affirming New Yorkโs continued commitment to supporting New York Stateโs pollinators.
๐ฆ๐ถ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ-๐๐ผ-๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ $๐ญ.๐ฐ๐ด ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
New York’s Farm-to-School Competitive Grants Program launched in 2015 to increase the purchase of local food by school districts and individual schools. This year, sixteen programs have been awarded over $1.48 million in funding. Awarded projects include Capital Roots’ initiative to create aggregation points and Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s plan to provide education support for staff.
We congratulate all the organizations that received funding. These groups connect students with their local farmers by creating farm-to-school programs that educate them about where their food comes from. Find the full list of awardees in our press release.
๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing up to $200 million in assistance for specialty crop producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 and 2023.
The new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program will help to offset costs for specialty crop producers to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. USDAโs Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for 2022 from June 27, 2022, through January 31, 2023.
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Applications are being accepted through August 1 for the New York Concord Grape Innovation Award. Funded by the Department and organized and hosted by Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, the competition will award more than $100,000 in cash prizes and packages of support from Cornell experts.
The link to apply, as well as a full breakdown of the guidelines and awards, is available on Cornell’s website: cals.cornell.edu/concord-grape-award.
๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ!
The Taste NY Vendor Marketplace at the Great New York State Fair is now open for registration. Located in the Horticulture Building, the Marketplace will showcase food, wine, cider, and spirits and give vendors the opportunity to sample and sell products to fairgoers. The hours of sampling and selling are Monday – Thursday from 10 am to 9 pm, and Friday – Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm.
Participation in Taste NY at the Great New York State Fair requires a $200 refundable deposit. Space is limited and assignments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Each vendor will be allowed to showcase their products for up to three days.
Please visit https://forms.office.com/g/nv1qk1PbAb to register or email joseph.ganley@agriculture.ny.gov with any questions.
๐๐ป๐ท๐ผ๐ ๐ก๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป & ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต
Celebrate Ice Cream Month this July with some #NYSCertified ice cream! Did you know that a single cow can produce enough milk to make 9,000 gallons of ice cream? By selecting NYS Grown & Certified ice cream, you are enjoying yummy ice cream that is verified for following food safety and environmentally sustainable standards. There are several NYS Grown & Certified processors in New York State, featuring some of your favorite ice cream flavors – during Ice Cream Month, and all year round! They include:
Adirondack Creamery at Mercerโs Dairy (Boonville, NY)
Battenkill Creamery (Salem, NY)
Boice Brothers Dairy (Kingston, NY)
Byrne Dairy (Lafayette, NY)
Eat me ice Cream (Lafayette, NY)
Hidden Pastures gelato (Glenfield, NY)
King Brothers Dairy (Schuylerville, NY)
Mercerโs Dairy (Boonville, NY)
Perryโs Ice Cream (Akron, NY)
Ronnybrook Farm Dairy (Ancramdale, NY)
Stewartโs Shops
Upstate Niagara Cooperative
Find out more at certified.ny.gov.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
RFA 0273 – SNAP-Ed Food Box Grant Program: https://on.ny.gov/3yJ7VJv
Proposals are due July 18, 2022 by 4:00 pm.
RFA 0263 – Municipal Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning Grants: https://on.ny.gov/3AuAYSz
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
RFA 0262 – County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning Grants: https://on.ny.gov/3AylGfx
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
RFA 0181 – Source Water Buffer Program: https://on.ny.gov/3AuEfS2
Applications are taken on a rolling basis.
For more information on these or other funding opportunities, please visit our Funding Opportunities page : https://agriculture.ny.gov/funding-opportunities.
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐: ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐
On June 21, New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosted a national convening on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health at Gracie Mansion. Commissioner Ball spoke among three other panelists: New York City Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks, Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, and New York City Health & Hospitals Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Michelle McMacken.
During the panel, the Commissioner highlighted the need for an urban-rural connection with K-12 schools as a great starting point. He additionally spoke on the efforts of Nourish New York and the building of a food hub in the south Bronx. You can find a full recording of Commissioner Ball’s statement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARC55KLAJs
