New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that six Farm to School programs across New York State have been awarded funding to help increase the use of healthy, locally grown foods on school menus. According to the governor's office, the Farm to School program is aimed at developing and strengthening connections between farms and schools to help grow the agricultural economy and increase the amount and variety of specialty crops procured by schools for healthier meal options.
An additional goal of the program is an educational component to increase student knowledge of, and preference for, locally produced specialty crops. Funding from the Farm to School program will be used to train school staff in food preparation and procurement, conduct outreach to producers, educate students, and purchase equipment to support food transport, storage and preparation.