Joshua Bakelaar, local economies and agriculture director for the Adirondack North Country Association, said a meeting Thursday in Canton will bring together school district officials, farmers, processors and distributors.
"This is the next step in implementing a farm-to-school pilot program so our school districts can buy products from local farmers and producers," Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell said.
"We are moving ahead so we will be able to have this pilot program ready to roll out for the beginning of the 2016-17 school year. The pilot program will help local farmers, producers and school districts in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties this year while continuing work to be able to roll out the program across the state next year," she added.
Mr. Bakelaar said approximately 15 schools in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties have expressed an interest in participating in the pilot program. Each school will get an allotment of funds ranging from $2,750 to $40,000 for the school year tied to a formula that includes the number of meals served in each school's cafeteria the previous school year.
Participating schools can use up to 20 percent of their funding to develop a farm to school program, train staff, engage students and families and develop local food related infrastructure.
Mr. Bakelaar said schools also have the option of using up to 100 percent of their funding allocation to purchase New York State food products with the exception of fluid milk.
He noted schools have expressed an interest in purchasing tomatoes, apples, pears, lettuce and carrots.
This year’s state budget allocated $300,000 to the Adirondack North Country Association to oversee the farm-to-school pilot program specifically targeting schools in the North Country to help purchase food from regional farmers."
Assemblywoman Russell’s farm-to-school pilot program is part of her larger “Drive for 25” initiative, which is also supported by the New York School Nutrition Association.
That initiative would provide increased state funding of up to 25 cents more per lunch for schools that meet set goals for expanded usage of local food products.
That initiative would modify the state’s reimbursement formula for school lunches, by increasing reimbursement rates by 5 to 25 cents a meal from the current 6 cents.
The rate would be dependent on the percentage of locally grown and produced products that school districts purchase each year.
This pilot program will provide a nutritional and economic benefit to the community and serve as a template for schools across New York State, Assemblywoman Russell, chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy, noted.
“This measure affirms our commitment to the state’s farmers and the well-being of our students,” Assemblywoman Russell reiterated. “I continue to fight for policies that provide healthy food to schools and help stimulate the local agricultural community. I am optimistic the success of this pilot program will lead to additional funding for the program in future budgets.”