New York Media Coverage

Farm to School: Planting a food story by Virginia Martin. Register-Star. Published 06/23/2011.
Columbia County’s Farm to School program may seem new, but it’s been developing over some years. The concept of food as something that, voila, magically appears only to satisfy requirements of palatability and low cost, is, we hope, entering its twilight among the broader population. In our schools, that outdated food concept has been a subject of enormous concern and discussion, and our teachers and school food services had been keeping a sharp eye on the various farm-to-school efforts elsewhere that were improving, among other things, children’s health and nutrition. Read the entire article.

Local school districts buying more produce from area farms by PAUL POST. Saratogian. Published 06/11/2011.
Last fall’s apples are still putting smiles on the faces of area students under a “buy local” program that might be gaining momentum. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture ruling now allows local schools to specify “New York-grown” when placing bids for lunch program apples. Read the entire article.

Doing the dirty work by Barbara Tucker. The Tonawanda News. Published 04/14/2011.
Students growing food for a school cafeteria may seem like an unlikely project. Not, however, to members of the Science Club at Cardinal O’Hara High School. Members of the club broke ground in the fall with the intention of growing a garden for the school lunch program. “The students enjoyed playing in the dirt,” says club moderator Marley Smith. “Knowing that the garden will produce vegetables for the newly anticipated salad bar was a huge motivation factor to recruit more 16 students to get down and dirty.” Read the entire article.

Lewis farmers to mull sales to schools by STEVE VIRKLER. Watertown Daily Times. Published 03/29/2011.
An informational session has been set this week for Lewis County vegetable and fruit growers interested in selling to schools. As part of the county's Farm to School initiative, cafeteria managers at local schools have been surveyed to determine what types and quantities of items they may purchase locally. Read the entire article.

Students get local flavor at New York State Food Day by LISA KAPPS. Observer-Dispatch. Published 03/02/2011.
When Westmoreland Elementary School students filed through the cafeteria line Wednesday, alongside the staples like and peanut butter and jelly were burritos made with New York state beef and cheese, and quesadillas made with New York state cheddar. Read the entire article.

Local milk not on many school menus by THOMAS DIMOPOULOS. Post-Star. Published 02/26/2011.
With farm-to-school initiatives springing up across the country, school lunch programs have started to add products like lettuce and apples that school districts can purchase directly from their local farmers.Milk, however, is a more difficult sell. Read the entire article.

Report from the front lines: TEDx Manhattan by Emily Olson. Gastronomy at BU. Published 02/20/2011.
Curt Ellis, co-founder Food Corps, spoke at the TEDx Manhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” conference. Curt modeled Food Corps after the Peace Corps with the hope that young people will want to spend a year working towards school food public service. Curt believes that school food is where it all begins, and that cafeterias should be transformed into health food venues. Read the entire article.

SRPs make nutrition a top priority by Liza Frenette. NYSUT United. Published 02/09/2011.
Sweet potato roux in maca­roni and cheese? Yes, it's a school lunch created by Julie Holbrook, food service direc­tor for Keene Central School and a member of Keene Support Staff As­sociation. She is among the many NYSUT food service professionals making school meals healthier. Read the entire article.

Consensus grows in Brighton, Pittsford for better school food by Stacy Gittleman. Democrat and Chronicle . Published 01/25/2011.
The parenting program, sponsored by the Regina and Harry Cornell Fund, features a panel of health care professionals and parent advocates from the Brighton and Pittsford school districts who will share ideas on making healthy eating choices in and out of school and in area restaurants. Read the entire article.

School garden yields healthy harvest by Matt Bosley. Valley News. Published 10/20/2010.
In its ongoing effort to grow healthy minds and bodies, one local school is growing its own food. Keene Central School has been growing its own organic vegetables, fruits, and spices in a school garden for use in school meals, due largely in part to the efforts of superintendent Cynthia Johnston and cafeteria manager Julie Holbrook. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program Changes Kids' Views on Food by Associated Press. New York Times. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary School in Vermont know where the veggies in their soup come from. They've visited the farms. They also know something about how the carrots, onions and cabbage are grown and their nutritional value. They've studied it in class and grown their own in school gardens. Read the entire article.

Tater tots out, apples in by DREW KERR. PostStar. Published 11/04/2009.
Little Debbie has left the building. So have the French fries, the high-fructose fruit snacks, the faux chicken nuggets and the packages of potato chips - items previously available to students in the Saratoga Springs City School District during their lunch hour. In their place: roasted potatoes from Sheldon Farms in Salem, honey crisp apples from Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville and myriad other examples of local produce - including some grown by students in their own school-based gardens. Read the entire article.

Food system reform starts with children by Jennifer Wilkins. The Ithaca Journal. Published 10/24/2009.
Evidence from numerous studies points to the critical role diet plays in chronic disease risk. Treatment costs for diet-related diseases are mounting: $147 billion for obesity, $116 billion for diabetes and hundreds of billions to treat cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Making healthier food choices more affordable and available to all Americans is a logical complement to - if not an essential component of - reform. Read the entire article.

How Healthy Are Your Child's School Meals? by Sue Shellenbarger. Wall Street Journal. Published 10/22/2009.
Just yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack challenged the nation's middle schools and high schools to provide healthier meals and more time for exercise and physical activity for their students, according to the New York Times. Read the entire article.

Gardenshare Presents Annual Awards. The Gouverneur Times. Published 10/13/2009.
GardenShare presented its seventh annual Growing Community Awards to Julie Holbrook for Keene Central School's gardening and composting project and to Cindy Harnas for South Jefferson Central School's farm-to-school project. Read the entire article.

Better Diets, Healthier Nation by Jennifer Wilkins. Albany Times Union. Published 10/06/2009.
Most Americans agree that the United States needs health care reform in in a big way. The debate about how to change the system has centered on its many inefficiencies and lack of competition, the economic logic of physician-ordered tests and procedures, and mind-boggling layers of bureaucracy. Many support a public option so that no one in this country need go without health coverage. Read the entire article.

Averill Park BOE discusses policies by Joseph A. Phillips. Troy Record. Published 09/22/2009.
The Averill Park Central School district board continued to hash out a series of governance and "ends" policies aimed at better defining accountability within the district, and received a report on a new program with implications for school lunches, curriculum and community relations. Read the entire article.

Slow Food for The Bridgehampton School | The Sag Harbor Express by Kathryn Menu. The Sag Harbor Express. Published 09/04/2009.
Boasting an edible garden and a Career Academy-based curriculum originally centered on landscape design - this year reaching out into botany and nutrition - students at the Bridgehampton School have been actively participating in the evolution of how food is viewed on the East End of Long Island for several years now. Read the entire article.

Senator Applauds Efforts To Serve Home Grown Produce In Schools, Restaurants. Long Island Exchange. Published 08/28/2009.
Senator Kenneth P. LaValle (at podium) commended J. Kings Food Service for its success in bringing local produce to over 300 Long Island schools and universities, and for enabling local restaurants to feature home grown produce on their menus. Read the entire article.

States Push Locally Grown Food by Tami Yu. Digital City. Published 08/11/2009.
Whether you like to eat your veggies or not, the slow food movement is steadily making headway across the nation. Currently there are 41 states, operating the Farm to School program. Read the entire article.

LEAVING A BAD TASTE: "Closed campus" policy at KHS could take bite out of restaurant profits by Kyle Wind. Daily Freeman. Published 06/21/2009.
School administrators plan to "close the campus," keeping juniors and seniors from leaving school grounds for lunch, as they are allowed to now...because the district is looking for more locally grown fruits and produce to improve the quality and healthiness of its meals, which now will be served to nearly all students. Read the entire article.

Harlem students harvest lessons on Yorktown farm by Brian J. Howard. LoHUD.com. Published 06/17/2009.
34 students from the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy 2 charter school took part yesterday in the Something Good in the World's Earth School's Farm-to-School program at Hilltop Hanover Farm. The purpose is to partner with schools by bringing students to the farm for several repeat visits so they can learn about where their food comes from, how it grows and how it gets to their plates. Read the entire article.

New Roots rounding out faculty by Liz Lawyer. Ithaca Journal. Published 06/10/2009.
The faculty and staff for New Roots Charter School is nearly complete, including a newly-appointed Farm to School meal program coordinator. Read the entire article.

From the Ground Up: A Student-Centered Wellness Program with its Roots in the Garden. . Published 06/08/2009.
A budding farm to school program in Marbletown Elementary School, in Stone Ridge, NY with volunteer opportunities. Read the entire article.

City schools promote healthy foods by Mareesa Nicosia. The Saratogian. Published 05/23/2009.
New initiatives to promote healthy eating in the district include the Farm to School program started last year and gardens on school grounds to provide vegetables and herbs for lunch menus. Division Street and Greenfield elementary schools broke ground on gardens this spring while Lake Avenue Elementary began a composting project to fuel a garden in the near future. Read the entire article.

Urban Agriculture: Reap What You Sow. Buffalo Rising. Published 05/16/2009.
These days it's hard to find a neighborhood on the West Side that doesn't have some sort of gardening or farming initiative rooted. Whether it's a tree farm, garden cooperative, organic garden or anything else that revolves around the idea of reclamation through grassroots empowerment. Read the entire article.

NY First Lady Urges Nutrition Program. The Gouverneur Times. Published 05/14/2009.
The Governor also proposed the Healthy Food/Healthy Communities Initiative, which the legislature passed this year. It offers a new revolving loan fund to increase the number of healthy food markets in underserved communities. Additionally, the New York State Departments of Health and Agriculture & Markets have worked with schools, communities and farmers to develop and expand the Farm to School program. They worked to obtain procurement exemptions that would promote the use of local fruits and vegetables in schools, and to support edible school gardens. Read the entire article.

Charter School Planning Proceeds, But Questions Still Remain by Dani Neuharth-Keusch. Cornell Sun. Published 04/30/2009.
In 2005 the U.N. began the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development with the vision to "integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning," according to UNESCO.org. The New Roots School is meant to be an application of those ideas, expanding beyond the classroom and into the streets and natural areas of Ithaca. New Roots students will contribute to Ithaca's sustainability by restoring wetlands, researching agriculture in the context of climate change, bringing solar panels to low-income neighborhoods and creating green business networks, according to a press release. In the spirit of sustainability, the meal program at New Roots is a "Farm to School" initiative to support locally grown and organic products. Read the entire article.

Aubertine, Gillibrand Write Letter To Vilsack To Change USDA Ruling by Robert Harding. The Albany Project. Published 03/02/2009.
One of the items I discussed with Sen. Darrel Aubertine during my interview with him on Friday was his joint effort with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to write a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack asking him to change a USDA ruling that would allow fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally to be allowed into local schools. Read the entire article.

Aubertine, Gillibrand Fighting for New York Farmers. NewzJunky. Published 02/27/2009.
The 2008 Farm Bill through the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program authorizes schools to buy local produce that has not been processed for students to eat outside of school cafeteria programs. For convenience, the program operates best when this local produce has been washed, sliced and bagged, since it is eaten outside of the lunchroom. Read the entire article.

Senator Aubertine Appointed Chair of Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. News LI. Published 02/25/2009.
Farm to Fork: This Commission will promote programs which build bridges between our state's farmers and organizations, such as schools, colleges, nursing homes and correctional facilities. This opens up new markets for our state's agriculture industry and provides healthy, local food for these organizations. Read the entire article.

Making sense of fat tax' concept by Carole Estabrook. The Citizen. Published 02/15/2009.
If the state is to have any influence on future generations, it should closely monitor and investigate the food that the state supplies for school lunches. And what items are available for purchase with food stamps. I know what I used to eat in school, and I can say that tremendous strides have been made in the last decade to promote farm to school programs, nutrition education and to encourage healthier choices. Read the entire article.

New Roots board members defend idea of charter school by Liz Lawyer. Ithaca Journal. Published 02/10/2009.
Hamilton also announced that the school has received an additional $150,000 in federal grant money, approved by the SUNY board. The grant will go toward the school's Farm to School program, materials for community-based sustainability projects, co-sponsorship of a Talking Circle on Race through the Multicultural Resource Center, and renovations to make its building ADA compliant. Read the entire article.

Turning tables on school lunches by Sharon Hong. Times Union. Published 02/01/2009.
Frank Gillen and Briana Zeck, high school students on the youth panel, said people may think teenagers prefer junk food or fast food, but that isn't always the case. "In my history class half of the kids refuse to eat school lunch," said Zeck, a junior at Cobleskill-Richmondville. "They don't eat it because they don't know where it came from or what it went through." Zeck and Gillen said there aren't enough healthy options at school. Read the entire article.

A reach for local foods by Michael White. The News-Review. Published 12/11/2008.
Farmers, state officials, food distributors and school food directors huddled last week in U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's Long Island offices to craft a plan for offering locally grown produce in New York schools. Read the entire article.

New guide links farms, schools by Richard Roth. The Independent. Published 12/06/2008.
A Farm to School Guide and Directory for the Hudson-Mohawk area is now available online from Cornell Cooperative Extension. The guide offers assistance to school food service directors interested in buying local food, and to farmers who want to expand local markets. Read the entire article.

Schumer wants local farms' produce in school cafeterias by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher. News Day. Published 12/04/2008.
Dismayed that Long Island schools are serving students mostly processed food, Sen. Charles Schumer said yesterday he wants to see more products from local farms in New York cafeterias. Read the entire article.

Harvest Festival Brings the Country To Children with Developmental Disabilities by Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Published 11/21/2008.
The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of autumn in the country were recently enjoyed by a group of students from John Bowne High School's agriculture department and the special needs children attending Block Institute at its' 2008 Harvest Festival. Read the entire article.

Makeovers for school lunches by Doug Gruse. PostStar. Published 11/12/2008.
Saratoga Springs and several other local schools have been working to incorporate fresh food into daily meals by seeking fruits and vegetables from local farmers. The schools are part of a growing Farm to Schools initiative nationwide. Read the entire article.

Local health officials say children's obesity is epidemic by Billie Dunn. The Daily Mail. Published 08/22/2008.
Steps to a Healthier New York partners with schools because 95 percent of children attend schools. The partnership is comprised of four main components - "Rock on Cafe," which provides affordable and nutritious meals to students, "Farm to School," which connects schools with local farms to provide health and nutrition education, "Learning in Motion," which incorporates physical activity into academic lessons, and "Healthy Fundraising," which develops and implements healthy fundraising policies. Read the entire article.

Rural Health Network pushes locally grown veggies in schools by George Basler. Press & Sun-Bulletin. Published 08/01/2008.
Jack Salo wants to encourage interest in serving locally grown fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias. The time is ripe to promote the effort, said the executive director of the Rural Health Network, which promotes health initiatives in Tioga, Delaware and rural Broome counties. Salo was at Whitney Point High School for a workshop sponsored by the network on Farm to School programs, started across the country to connect schools with local farms. Read the entire article.

Promoting local produce in schools by Karen Lee. News 10 Now. Published 07/31/2008.
Lunch is served at Whitney Point High School, but you won't find cheese steaks or tater tots here. The lunch you see is part of the Rural Health Network's Farm-to-School initiative. All the items on the menu are all from local farms. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program will be topic. Press Connects. Published 07/07/2008.
The Rural Health Network of South Central New York will host a free workshop on Farm-to-School programs from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 31 at Whitney Point Senior High School. Farm to School is an initiative that facilitates connections between school districts and local farms to improve nutrition and health education among elementary, middle and high school students. Read the entire article.

East Hill Notes. The Ithaca Journal. Published 06/14/2008.
Worth noting given the increasing costs of transportation: The Cornell Farm to School Program is continuing to help community leaders and extension educators develop and sustain connections between New York farms and cafeterias in schools, universities and other institutions. The program also offers assistance to anyone interested in developing farm-to-school connections. For more information, visit farmtoschool.cce.cornell.edu. Read the entire article.

Meeting the acting surgeon general: the rewards of teaching by Elof Carlson. Times Beacon Record. Published 05/23/2008.
The Surgeon General is looking around the country for good models. He suggested a good one for Long Island, a farm to school program that would introduce Long Island vegetables and fruits directly from farmers to the schools, benefiting both in a "win-win" approach. Read the entire article.

Let's help local farms, school lunchrooms by Julia della Croce. The Journal News. Published 05/22/2008.
Parents need to speak up to their school boards and elected officials to make healthy school food a requirement and support initiatives for farm-to-school programs. Fresh, nourishing food should be the right of everyone, not just the privileged, and its availability to our children should be a public goal. Read the entire article.

Support Our Local Farmers Letter to the Editor by State Senator James L. Seward. The Daily Star. Published 02/28/2008.
Farm to School legislation authorized the purchase of New York farm products by schools, universities and other educational institutions. It's been instrumental in ensuring that local farm products reach our school cafeterias, benefiting children and farmers alike. Read the entire article.

Barclay Plan Will Strengthen Schools, Ensure Quality Education for Kids. NewzJunky. Published 02/21/2008.
Assemblyman Barclay's plan would improve the quality of school nutrition programs, and provide a boost for agriculture-related businesses here in Central and Northern New York, by enhancing the ability of local farmers to sell their products in our local schools. His proposal would remove barriers and provide increased State support for the purchase of local farm products by school districts. This will provide farmers with the opportunity to have a local market for their goods, while also supplying our school children with fresh locally grown healthy food and dairy products. Read the entire article.

Upstate farmers to supply school veggies by Associated Press. CBS: Albany. Published 12/24/2007.
Under a new "Farm to School" program, children in the Big Apple will soon be crunching carrots from upstate fields. Schoharie Valley Farms, southwest of Albany, will soon start shipping carrot slices to more than a million kids in New York City's 1,400 schools. Read the entire article.

Local Carrots With a Side of Red Tape by Kim Severson. NY Times. Published 10/16/2007.
The dirt on Richard Ball's farm in Schoharie County is 15 feet deep, rich with minerals and perfect for growing sweet carrots.About 150 miles south, the New York City schools serve 850,000 meals a day. Some of them contain carrots. But the carrots come from other states. So Mr. Ball and a group of people dedicated to getting local food into cafeterias had an idea: Why not feed New York City schoolchildren New York State carrots? Read the entire article.

Area schools join state in recognizing benefits of locally-grown foods by Kevin Goodwin. The Saratogian. Published 10/02/2007.
This week is New York Harvest for New York Kids Week (NYH4NYK), which is the annual celebration encouraging nutritious food choices among children, while promoting and supporting New York farmers. It ties in with the state's ongoing Farm-to-School efforts, which work to promote fresh New York products on school menus. Read the entire article.

A Feast for the Children by Kathryn Hudy. The Ithaca Journal. Published 09/24/2007.
Nutrition program expands in local schools; helps children make healthy choices Read the entire article.

More Schools Looking to Local Fields for Freshness by James Goodman. Democrat and Chronicle. Published 09/18/2007.
More cafeterias go with homegrown Read the entire article.

FEAST for Health by Susan Lang. Cornell Chronicle. Published 08/01/2007.
Kids prepare unfamiliar, healthy foods in class that become part of school lunch in CU nutrition-education program. Read the entire article.

Make food part of curriculum. Albany Times Union. Published 06/03/2007.
If you consider an obesity rate of nearly 25 percent among New York children much too high, think that good eating habits should be reinforced at school and want agriculture in the state to be strong, you'll find Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Healthy Schools Act easy to like. Read the entire article.

School menus turning more green, local by Dan Howley. Albany Times Union. Published 03/25/2007.
A Farm-to-School bill now before the education committee would reimburse state school districts an extra 5 cents on every meal in exchange for their efforts to get New York produce -- the closer to home the better -- into the schools. Read the entire article.

 Dean Casey Addresses Farm to School Initiatives. YouTube. Published 01/31/2007.

Dean Casey from Farm Bureau discusses what Farm Bureau is doing to help foster Farm to School initiatives.

Read the entire article.

Commissioner: Celebrate NY Harvest for NY Kid Week by NY State Department of Agriculture & Markets. NY State Department of Agriculture & Markets. Published 09/29/2006.
Commissioner Nathan L. Rudgers today encouraged schools across the State to celebrate New York Harvest for New York Kids Week (NYHNYK), which runs October 2-10. This annual celebration encourages nutritious food choices among children, while promoting and supporting New York’s harvest. Read the entire article.

Do Apple Slices Make the Grade? by Kim Peterson. The New York Times. Published 04/05/2006.
A little plastic bag filled with New York apple slices is a symbol of change in the city's school cafeterias. The question is whether it's a change for better or worse. Read the entire article.

Food to School Program Equals Healthier Children by The Empire State Farmer. The Empire State Farmer. Published 03/15/2006.
The Farm to School meeting was held at the CCE office in Watertown, N.Y. on Tuesday, February 21st, with Rosalind Cook as the moderator and coordinator of this event. Rosalind is the Community Food Security Educator and Farmers; Market Nutrition Program Team Member for CCE of Jefferson County. Read the entire article.

From the fields to the lunch line in Katonah by Diana Bellettieri. The Journal News. Published 10/19/2005.
Nine-year-old Theo Kuhn never expected to be learning during his lunch period. But this month he learned that apple farmers release thousands of bees to pollinate their trees in the spring. He also found out ­ after taste-testing four different types of locally grown apples ­ that Cortlands are his favorite. Read the entire article.

Alliance wants more locally grown foods in schools by Elizabeth Leonard. Poughkeepsie Journal. Published 10/14/2005.
The Northern Dutchess Alliance is working with the Cornell Cooperative Extension to host a "Farm-to-School" initiative, which will bring more local foods into schools. Farm-to-School programs aim to increase the amounts of locally grown foods used in the school meals program. Targeting "nutrient-rich" foods, they may emphasize fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, local meats, dairy products and eggs. Read the entire article.

Local farms supported by Emily Paret. Campus Times. Published 10/06/2005.
Wilson Commons Wednesday featured the "Harvest of Rochester," which reflected the changes that Dining Services has made in an effort to achieve their goal of sustainability. On a number of fronts, we are working on taking a larger role in the issue of sustainability, Director of Campus Dining Services Cameron Schauf said. "This Wilson Commons Wednesday featured local products and those partnerships. Read the entire article.

Farm-school partnerships teach ABCs of healthy eating by Chris Swingle. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Published 09/28/2005.
Schools in Geneva, Ontario County, have found that connecting with local farmers is one way to serve healthier, tastier food at low cost. They buy apples from local farmers. The district's baker lives in Penn Yan, Yates County, and picks up local tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and melons at a produce auction there twice a week. Last year, the district began buying some items from Pedersen Farms, five miles from the schools' central food-receiving office. Read the entire article.

Commissioner Applauds New Apple Slicing Facility: North Country Company Slices NY Apples for NYC Sch by Department of Agriculture & Markets New. Press Release. Published 12/22/2004.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nathan L. Rudgers today visited a new fruit processing facility, Champlain Valley Specialty of New York, Inc., in Keeseville, Essex County, and offered congratulations on its first 900 cases of apple slices ordered for New York City schools through the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Program. Read the entire article.

Week yields healthy harvest: Students learn about nutrition, agriculture by Syracuse Post-Standard. Syracuse Post-Standard. Published 10/06/2004.
Rachel Kaufman's eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at all the plump, red apples hanging from the trees at Owen Orchards. Read the entire article.

Commissioner Lauds Use of NY Products in NY Schools by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Published 09/16/2004.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nathan L. Rudgers today applauded the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for increasing the use of New York food products in New York school meals and expanding its Fresh Program to include 150 schools in the Syracuse and Binghamton areas, in addition to New York City’s 1,100 schools. Read the entire article.

Wright's Farm to school bill passes Senate. The Valley News. Published 06/26/2004.
The New York State Senate recently passed a bill that would allow local school districtd to use and serve local farm products, said Senator Jim Wright, who authored the bill. The legislation cuts red tape for local municipalities. Read the entire article.

County has food appeal; Locally Grown Products featured at Farm Bureau Luncheon by Fred A. Mohr. The Post-Standard. Published 03/08/2003.
State and local lawmakers rubbed shoulders with farmers and their advocates while dining on Oswego County-produced fare Friday at the second Farm Bureau legislator luncheon. "We grow everything in this county: onions, potatoes, apples, pears. We have wineries, dairy farms, you name it," said Nancy Weber, a member of the county Farm Bureau's promotion and education committee. "We're the best-kept secret in the state." Read the entire article.

Hannibal elementary students join "New York Harvest" by Andrew Henderson. The Valley News. Published 10/05/2002.
Hannibal is one of two school districts in New York State to participate in the Farm to School Program, which was created by Cornell University. The other school district is Johnson City. The program, managed by Tracy Farrell of Cornell, is a multi-state project that is funded by the USDA. "The point of the whole project is to see what we can do in New York State about getting more New York-grown food into the schools," Ms. Farrell said Wednesday. "It's an event like this that raises awareness in the community and this is a very agricultural community." At the state level, Governor George Pataki recently signed a law that promotes New York Harvest for New York Kids Week. Read the entire article.

Taking Home-Grown to Heart; Farm to School Program puts N.Y. Produce in Cafeterias by Scott Scanlon. HighBeam Research. Published 10/03/2002.
James Sivy and several of his classmates huddled around a tray of honeycomb Wednesday and tried to muster the courage to taste a forkful of the gooey concoction. Sivy took a chance, as the eyes of his friends grew wide. "You want to chew until the only thing left is the wax, and then you want to throw away the wax," Ruthie Trujillo, of Grindstone Farms in Richland, said as Sivy chomped down. "It's pretty good," said the 10-year-old fifth-grader from Dennis M. Kenney Elementary School in Hannibal. Read the entire article.

History of Fulton police and fire departments to be discussed tonight. The Valley News. Published 09/14/2002.
In a joint bipartisan letter to State Education Department Commissioner Richard Mills, Republican Senator Jim Wright and Democratic Assemblyman Felix Ortiz have requested that the State Education Department modify state regulations to make it more feasible for schools to purchase fresh, locally grown produce from farmers. The proposed changes would allow municipalities - including school districts - to purchase produce directly from local farmers. Currently, the General Municipal Law makes the process too cumbersome for food service directors to utilize prospective suppliers. The lawmakers are asking Commissioner Mills to issue simple and fair guidelines, as part of the Farm to School program, to encourage schools to buy local farm products. The criteria would establish reasonable steps that schools would need to take to purchase products through traditional bids, quotes, or using the existing bidding exemption law. Read the entire article.

Initiative to aid State Farmers Takes Root by Debra J. Groom. The Post-Standard. Published 04/01/2002.
Farmers in Madison County and the rest of the state could pick up more customers through a program recently approved by Gov. George Pataki. The Farm-to-School Initiative urges schools, colleges and other educational institutions to buy more products from New York state farms. The program's goal is to increase sales for New York farmers and increase the amount of fresh, locally grown food served to state children. Some Madison County school districts already get some of their fruits and vegetables from New York growers. Read the entire article.

Hannibal students are eating meals with more local flavor by Andrew Henderson. The Valley News. Published 03/09/2002.
Since September, students in the Hannibal Central School District have been eating meals that feature more local flavor. The district is one of the first two pilot sites for Cornell University's Farm to School Program, a multi-state project that is funded by the USDA. The program works closely with a task force composed of members of NY Farms and New York State Foodservice Association. Read the entire article.