New York Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball announced $1.5 million in funding for the Farm-to-School program that encourages the purchasing of local foods for schools. 

The funding includes $300,000 for schools that have not previously received grant money toward the program.  

“New York State’s Farm-to-School program helps schools overcome some of the challenges they may face in sourcing products locally and make it easier for them to increase the use of New York-grown foods straight from the farm,” Ball said in a press release. 

There has been $8 million in funding allocated to the program since it began in 2015 and this is round eight of grants, totaling 139 projects. The awards will range from $50,000 to $100,000 and include a focus on increasing the amount of New York farm products for school meals. 

Additionally, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order last August requires schools and other New York state institutions to serve 30% locally produced food in their meals by 2027. The state also increased reimbursement from 5.9 cents to 25 cents per meal for schools that hit that 30% mark. 

Increasing locally produced foods in schools was a priority for 2024 of the New York Farm Bureau said President David Fisher in a press conference in January as it would increase income for farmers.  

“This funding will allow the program to expand into more schools across the state, providing nutritious foods to students and economic benefits to our farmers. This new round of grants can be used for a variety of purposes all designed to make it easier for schools to incorporate healthy, NY farm products into the meals they serve,” said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo in a press release. 

The grants can go toward contractor services, staff training, food for menu development and taste-tests, transportation costs, supplies and equipment, permanent physical or structural improvements, insurance and permits, and salaries and wages.