By Cassandra Bull, Farm to School Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County
Since 2018, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County has been running a new Farm to School program. This work is funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Farm to School Grant. Over the last several years, great strides have been made in local food purchasing and education, with eight districts on track to reach 30% local food lunch procurement for the 2019-2020 school year. After the COVID-19 pandemic, life changed dramatically as we knew it and this included school food. Cafeteria Managers and their staff have been working tirelessly adjusting to a shifting game board of regulations put forth by the government. How then, you may be asking, is this going to impact their Farm to School programs?
While many schools had to stop buying a large majority of NY products in the spring, five districts working with Cornell Cooperative Extension served enough local food to qualify for the NY30% Initiative. This State-run program allows schools to get an addition reimbursement subsidy for buying local. This week, many schools in Allegany and Cattaraugus continued their New York Thursday effort. This is a special day each month where a cafeteria strives to serve lunch comprised off entirely New York produced or grown ingredients. Other districts are still purchasing local food in their own ways and are serving NY milk, apples, protein, and other produce. Whitesville Central School Cafeteria Manager, Joan Coleman, has forged connections between her district and Whitesville-based farms like Cryder Creek Gardens, White Valley Farm, and Whitesville Poultry. This year, she is planning on maintaining these relationships and serving her students delicious local meals.
The future is rather uncertain for when the K-12 school system can return to normalcy. Budgets have been cut across the board, food supply chains have changed, and there are more complicated menu structures because many schools have implemented alternating "A" groups and "B" groups. Luckily, we have certainty in our community's ability to rely on our district's Cafeteria Managers to feed the children in this region. One thing that remains strong is the enthusiasm shared among our County's Managers who believe in the local food movement as a win-win for students and farmers alike.
Please contact Allegany Extension Educator, Cassandra Bull, at 585-268-7644 ext. 25 or CB775@cornell.edu for questions or to be involved in any of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s programs.
