Commissioner Richard Ball's comments came after Assemblywoman Jenne reported on the success of the farm-to-school program in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties.
Assemblywoman Jenne has secured $600,000 in state funding over the past two years to expand farm-to-school programs in the North Country. She said the results of that effort have benefitted local farmers and growers and provided students in the region with fresh, locally grown healthy foods in their school cafeterias.
“We have been able with this pilot program to prime the pump to create relationships between schools and growers. We now have a successful models that we can built build on to move toward a much more systematic approach around the state,” she said.
Commissioner Richard Ball said farm-to-school programs are growing in popularity around the state. He said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has helped grow farm-to-school programs around the state with funding allocations in the state budget.
“We’re spending a record amount, $1 million, on our farm-to-school program. It's not just purchasing equipment. It's providing necessary training, working on developing best practices for purchasing from local producers,” Commissioner Ball said.
“I think we’re making great progress. We will be advocating to keep that funding for farm-to-school programs in the (2018-19) budget,” he added.
The initiative would modify the state’s reimbursement formula for school lunches, increasing reimbursement rates by 5 to 25 cents a mean from the current 6 cents for schools that meet set goals for expanded usage of local food products.
The rate would be dependent on the percentage of locally grown and produced products that school districts purchase each year.
While some school districts across the state have been able to offer local food to their students, the reimbursement rate has not changed in 40 years, meaning cash-strapped districts may not be able to fully utilize products from regional farms.
Linda Ostrowski, a school food director from the Capital District area representing the state's School Nutrition Association at the assembly hearing, reiterated her call for an increase in the school meal reimbursement rate.
She said the reimbursement rate of 6 cents that has been in effect since the 1970s has limited the ability of many school districts to purchase fresh, locally grown foods.
Ms. Ostrowski said a $10 million allocation in the budget would provide schools around the state with the funds they need to make local product purchases.
“The 35,000 farmers in our state deserve better. It would benefit the health of our children and the New York State economy,” she added.
Assemblywoman Jenne said the pilot program in the North Country has demonstrated the progress that can be made when schools have the funding necessary to make local food purchases.
“I have seen it in the eyes of students now choosing healthy salads for lunch. I have also heard from local producers about the benefits they are seeing by being able to market their products to local schools,” she noted.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne joined students at Wiley Intermediate School in Watertown earlier this year and had an opportunity to taste some of the greens they had grown on a grow rack in their classroom.
BOTTOM PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne questions New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner during a recent state Assembly Agriculture Committee hearing in Albany.
BOTTOM PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne questions New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner during a recent state Assembly Agriculture Committee hearing in Albany.
