June 17th, 2024
By Olivia Fuller
American Farmland Trust Announces Six School Teams to Join New York State Farm to School Institute
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY— Farm to Institution New York State, or FINYS, a collaborative initiative led by American Farmland Trust, selected six schools to join the sixth annual New York State Farm to School Institute. The Institute is a one year-long professional development opportunity for school teams to develop and refine their farm to school programs and to help bring more New York grown food into the cafeteria and classroom.
“Farm to school is a win-win for schools, students, farmers, and communities,” said Stephanie Hsu, Farm to Institution New York State Manager at American Farmland Trust. “New York students can get fresh, local foods grown and raised in New York in their cafeterias, while local farmers and producers have access to new market opportunities. The New York Farm to School Institute provides schools with a simple and clear pathway to grow their farm to school programs and create systems to ensure their sustainability for years to come. I’m looking forward to seeing what exciting farm to school activities our sixth cohort of Institute schools will come up with this year.”
Participating 2024-25 New York schools include:
- Blue Creek Elementary School (North Colonie Central School District)
- Hudson City School District
- Newfield Central School District
- Syracuse City School District
- Taconic Hills Central School District
- Washington Middle School (Jamestown Public Schools)
School teams, comprised of school nutrition professionals, educators, administrators, and community partners, will receive support to enhance their technical knowledge on how to procure and prepare local foods, access to tools for community engagement and strategies to support classroom and culinary education. Participants will convene for a two-day retreat on August 13-14 at the Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam Junction and will receive coaching and peer support throughout the school year and an implementation award to develop and execute their farm to school action plans. Upon completion, schools become alumni members of a New York Farm to School Institute Network – continuing to share best practices and resources with others championing farm to school for years to come.
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ABOUT FINYS: Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) is a collaborative initiative led by American Farmland Trust to dramatically expand the volume of food grown on local farms that is served in institutions across New York. We believe that transforming the local food economy requires systemic change and efforts of many – from agriculture, racial justice, equity, youth leadership, public health, economic development, environment, education, and other sectors.
About American Farmland Trust: American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 7.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.