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Columbia County

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Columbia County Farm to School Program

Listed Date: April 19th, 2011

Mission:

The mission of the Columbia County Farm to School program is to improve the health and wellbeing of county schoolchildren by fostering awareness of and engagement with local agriculture and its products.

Goals:

  • Improving the food choices, health, and nutrition of schoolchildren
  • Strengthening school policies relating to food options, health, and nutrition
  • Providing schoolchildren with nutrition and agriculture-related education
  • Developing reciprocal connections between schools and children and the agricultural community
  • Engaging schoolchildren and their families in hands-on food-related and agricultural activities
  • Raising awareness of agriculture as a career option
  • Having a positive impact on the local agricultural economy
  • Establishing a long-lived program that will continually build on its successes

Project Partners:

Partners include all six public schools in Columbia County, the Chatham Real Food Market Co-op, Columbia County Bounty, Columbia County Planning and Economic Development, Columbia Land Conservancy, Community Agriculture of Columbia County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties, Jill Eisenstein, Hawthorne Valley Farm including its Farmscape Ecology Program, Hudson-Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Council, Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation, Hudson Valley Bounty, Karyn Novakowski, Old Sawmill Farm, and Questar III.

Additional Info:

The Columbia County Farm to School Program is being developed by the Columbia County Healthcare Consortium/Kids in Motion Program. Kari Rieser, the Kids in Motion Program Coordinator, can be reached via email at kari@columbiahealthnet.org or by phone at 518.822.8820 ext. 317.

Contact Info:

http://www.kidsinmotiononline.org/Farm_to_School__About.html

Virginia Martin
Farm to School Consultant
Virginia@columbiahealthnet.org
518.755.1521

Hudson Mohawk RC&D Farm to School Program

Listed Date: February 3rd, 2008

Contact:
Elizabeth Marks, Hudson Mohawk RC&D Coordinator
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Elizabeth.marks@ny.usda.gov
(518) 828-4385 x105 


Project Objectives:
The Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc. (HMRC&D) has been working on a Farm to School program over the past several years and has learned what works and what doesn’t when it comes to direct farm to school sales. This project uses what has worked with the Councils pilot program with Greenville Central School in Greene County and applies it to a wider geographic area. The HMRC&D has found that the most successful farm to school programs involve fruit orchards since they often have more experience with direct marketing, can deliver, have storage crops available during the school year, have extra product to market, and can sell to schools more profitable value added items such as cider and fresh made doughnuts. Several orchards have approached the HMRC&D seeking assistance with marketing directly to schools and the Council has formed a working committee to assist them. Schools have identified a need to make meals more nutritious and are looking for local, fresh fruits and vegetables that are affordable and easy to prepare.

This project involves three main components. The first is the creation of a marketing/purchasing guide and directory for farms and schools, the second is a series of educational and networking events to provide information and connection opportunities for farmers and schools, and the third is a mini-grant program of marketing funds for farmers to promote their farm and local agriculture in the school. Expected outcomes are increased sales for farmers of surplus products.


Project Partners:
The HMRC&D has a project committee made up of council members, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer counties, the Rensselaer Economic Development office, Roots and Wisdom, Indian Ladder Farm, Niskayuna schools, and other farmers and food service directors.