$25 Million Restaurant Resiliency Program Will Support Restaurants and Families in Need
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Statewide News
Taste NY Updates
NYS Grown & Certified
Updates
Funding Opportunities
Spotlight: New York State
Teacher of the Year
$25 Million Restaurant Resiliency Program Will Support
Restaurants and Families in Need
Governor Hochul has announced the
launch of the $25 million Restaurant
Resiliency Program to provide relief to
the restaurant industry, which
continues to face severe challenges
from the COVID-19 pandemic. The
program, proposed by the legislature,
will build on the State's successful
Nourish New York initiative. It will
provide funding to New York's network
of food banks and emergency food
providers to purchase prepared meals
from New York restaurants and deliver
them to families in need.
The Restaurant Resiliency Program will award funding, which was passed as
part of the 2021-22 New York State Budget, from the New York State
Department of Health to New York's network of ten food banks across the
State. The list of food banks and their award amounts can be found here.
Emergency food providers will work directly with restaurants who are deemed
eligible for the program by the New York State Department of Agriculture and
Markets. They will need to show capacity to create meals aligning with
MyPlate.gov standards, be up to date with licensing requirements, and have
passed all health inspections. Participating restaurants are encouraged to use
New York ingredients where possible. Additional information and an application
for the program can be found here.
Fourth Round of Nourish New York Launches
The fourth round of the Nourish New
York initiative launched this month,
allowing New York's emergency food
providers to continue to purchase
surplus products from New York
farmers and dairy manufacturers
to deliver to New York families in need
through the end of the year,
including the holiday season. Since its
launch during the height of the
pandemic in May 2020, Nourish New
York has helped New York's network of
food banks and emergency food
providers purchase 36 million pounds
of food from local farmers and
deliver more than 30 million meals to communities across the state.
Funding for this fourth round of the program, which was passed as part of the
2021-22 New York State Budget, will be reallocated to participating food banks
and emergency food providers through contracts extending to December 31,
2021. Emergency food providers can spend the money allocated to them by:
Setting up food-drive through events/giveaways;
Distributing dairy vouchers that can be redeemed in grocery stores for
products like cheese, yogurt, milk, sour cream, and butter, throughout the
state, and/or;
Purchasing products directly from New York dairy/food manufacturers for
their feeding programs.
A total of $85 million has been invested in Nourish New York to date through
four rounds of funding. The program provides funds directly to the state's
emergency food providers to help them buy New York agricultural products,
such as milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, and produce, meat, seafood,
and eggs. It also funds the delivery of these goods to New Yorkers through
large drive-through distributions, food box and school meal programs, food
pantries, and soup kitchens. In addition, the program supports the state's
farmers and producers who lost markets for their products due to the
pandemic. Through the food banks' purchases, 4,178 farms have been
impacted.
Commissioner Ball Elected President of NASDA
Commissioner Ball has been elected
to serve as the National Association
of State Departments of Agriculture
(NASDA) 2021-2022 President.
Commissioner Ball officially
accepted the designation at
NASDA’s 2021 annual meeting,
which took place in September in
Louisville, Kentucky.
As president, Commissioner Ball will
help guide the implementation of the
policies adopted during the meeting,
which include expanding emergency
food supply networks; emphasizing
the importance of free interstate
commerce; growing the hemp
industry; and promoting agricultural
workforce reform. This is in addition
to NASDA’s priority issues, which
are trade, food safety, food systems,
workforce development, infrastructure and capacity, and climate resiliency. As
president, Commissioner Ball will also host the 2022 NASDA Annual Meeting
in Saratoga Springs, New York, on September 26-29, 2022.
"I am honored to be elected NASDA's new president and to lead as our states
work together to ensure that agriculture continues to grow and thrive," said
Commissioner Ball. "I have long valued the opportunity to gather with some of
the best minds in agriculture, our commissioners, secretaries and directors of
agriculture, as well as our community partners, collaborating through NASDA
to advocate for and implement change that will have a lasting impact on our
shared industry. The policies set forth and implemented by NASDA this year
will deliver on our collective commitment to address the most important and
pressing agricultural issues of today while strengthening our farms and food
supply for the future."
Spotted Lanternfly Update
The Department continues to reach
out to New York State residents and
industries to provide updates on
Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) to slow the
spread of this invasive species.
The Department is asking residents to
destroy any SLF found in New York
City. People living in any of the five
boroughs do not need to report SLF sightings to the Department or collect
samples at this time. Since SLF are known hitchhikers, the Department is also
asking NYC residents who are doing any traveling outside of the city to
thoroughly inspect their cars or personal items for SLF to be sure not to
inadvertently transport them to a new area.
If you live outside New York City, you can help the Department by reporting
SLF immediately after it is found. Follow these steps:
Take a photo.
Collect a sample and place it in a freezer or in a jar with rubbing alcohol
or hand sanitizer.
Contact the SLF responders: https://agriculture.ny.gov/ReportSLF.
Later in the fall, the public can help further by scraping off and destroying SLF
egg masses. For more information, please visit
agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.
Announcing a Revitalized Great New York State Fair in
2022
In September, Governor Kathy
Hochul announced that the Great
New York State Fair will return in
2022 as a 13-day event, allowing for
greater participation of fairgoers and
vendors at not only the New York
State Fair, but also at a number of
the State's county fairs that had
coinciding schedules.
The Governor also directed a review
to assess support, growth, and
revitalization opportunities for all fairs
in New York as the State moves into
the next fair season. The Department
will work with county fairs to evaluate ways to increase marketing and
promotion of county fairs, as well as opportunities to improve youth and
agricultural programming initiatives at all fairs statewide, including the State
Fair. The review will also examine the State Fair's smoking policy, considering
fairgoer feedback and experience.
Governor Hochul said, "Returning to a 13-day schedule next year ensures that
fairgoers can once again experience all of their favorite shows, exhibits,
vendors, and attractions around the New York State Fair while also supporting
greater coordination with our county and youth fairs. This will provide an
increased economic benefit to more communities and encourage New Yorkers
to experience the best of agriculture and entertainment across the State. We
are ready to help and support all fairs, and to do what's best for everyone to
enjoy them."
Learn more.
Chobani Donates New York Products to Families in Need
During Hunger Action Month in
September, New York State-based
food maker Chobani helped families
affected by Hurricane Ida and
evacuees from Afghanistan housed
on U.S. military bases by donating
and delivering nearly 300,000
products, including New York
yogurt. Commissioner Richard A.
Ball joined representatives from
Chobani and the Center for
Refugees in Utica on September 14
to help load a trailer that delivered
relief to Mamaronek, New York,
which was in the path of Ida, and to
encourage other New York
businesses to assist where possible.
Chobani sent approximately 100,000
products, including New York-made
yogurt, by truck to food banks in
metropolitan New York City and the
surrounding areas, and an additional
100,000 products to Louisiana, all to help those who were in the path of
devastation left by Hurricane Ida. In addition, in partnership with the United
Service Organizations (USO), Chobani sent a truckload, nearly 100,000 cups
of product, including New York-made yogurt, from its plant in Central New York
to Fort Lee in Virginia and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey,
where Afghan evacuees are being housed and supported by US service
members. Learn more.
We thank Chobani for leading the way in donating healthy, delicious New York
dairy products to families in need.
USDA Assistance Available to New York Farms Impacted
by Hurricane Ida
New York agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by
Hurricane Ida and related weather events. The USDA has technical and
financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover.
Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report
losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their
recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses, and damages.
Learn more.
Explore New York Agritourism This Fall
With autumn well underway, the time
is ripe to take advantage of all the
great agritourism opportunities that
New York State has to offer. From
pumpkins, to apples, to corn mazes,
and so much more, New York farms
are offering fun for all ages this fall.
Many u-pick farms are open for
business across NY, so call your local
farm and get outside to have some
family fun and support your local
farmer today.
Celebrate National Apple Month With Taste NY
Taste NY Markets are taking a shine
to New York apples! October is
National Apple Month and New York
is the second-largest apple producing
state in the country - in fact, New
York State produces 29.5 million
bushels each year! To celebrate, from
October 15-17 Taste NY Markets
across the state will offer specials,
showcase local U-pick information,
and feature various other promotions
to "apple-aud" our growers’ efforts.
Visit Taste.ny.gov for a list of
locations.
Celebrate Cider Week With NYS Grown & Certified
Producers
Mark your calendars for fall Cider
Week New York, taking place from
October 22 through the 17, 2021! With
events ranging from cider tastings to
orchard tours to chef and cider pairings
to dinners and more, there are plenty
of ways to celebrate cider across the
entire state. For more information and
to be kept in the loop on the full listing
of events and where to enjoy cider,
cider lovers can sign up at
www.ciderweeknewyork.com.
Choose NYS Grown & Certified cider
this month as you celebrate Cider
Week and all things fall! By choosing #NYSCertified cider, you know that your
delicious cider was grown right, right here in New York State. Visit
certified.ny.gov/wheretobuy to find a cidery near you.
Current Funding Opportunities
RFP 0260 - Erosion and Sediment Control Implementation Grants for the
Genesee River and Finger Lakes Watershed Round 2
Proposals are due by 4:00 pm on October 25, 2021.
RFP 0237 - Saturated Buffers Pilot Project
Proposals are due by 4:00 pm on October 25, 2021.
RFA 0238 - Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Round 18 -
Conservation Easement Projects
Applications are taken on a rolling basis
RFA 0215 - County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Planning Grants
Enrollment is open as of November 2019.
RFA 0216 - Municipal Agricultural and Farmland Protection Planning
Grants
Enrollment is open as of November 2019.
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.
Spotlight: New York State Teacher of the Year
We have a lot to be proud of when it
comes to New York State agriculture
and that includes our tremendous
agricultural teachers who are working
every day to educate our young
people about the opportunities in the
industry. One of those amazing
teachers, Carly Santangelo of Cuba-
Rushford Central School District, has
been recognized for her extraordinary
work and has been named the 2022
New York State Teacher of the Year!
Mrs. Santangelo is an agriculture
teacher who engages students,
colleagues, and the community by
connecting academic content to life-
long skills through school-wide,
hands-on projects. She actively
pursues opportunities to expand the
walls of her classroom through
grants, field trips, community connections, and guest speakers. She believes in
service learning and works alongside her students to give back to the
community in and outside of school.
Mrs. Santangelo was awarded this distinguished recognition at a special
ceremony held in September by the New York State Department of Education.
Thanks to her hard work, and the work of teachers like her, the future of New
York agriculture is bright. Congratulations!
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