About Program
Harvest New York's goal is to expand and enhance Cornell Cooperative Extension's regional agriculture programs to spur agricultural economic development in New York State. The team began in 2012 in Western New York, expanded into Northern New York in 2016, and now extends into New York City to better serve all of New York. Six project areas are covered by Harvest New York Specialists:
Dairy Food Processing and Marketing
Focuses on dairy and food processing, with emphasis on dairy processing manufacturers making artisan cheeses, ice cream, yogurt, and other value-added dairy products.
Local Food Distribution and Marketing
Increases investment and jobs in agricultural and food systems to enhance the viability of farms through expansion, value-added production, diversification, and distribution of locally produced fruits and vegetables.
Urban Agriculture
Promoting sustainable commercial agriculture development and entrepreneurship for urban farms producing in soil, greenhouses, or vertical/enclosed facilities through educational programming in production, harvesting, packaging, marketing, and food safety.
Farm-Based Beverages
Identifies the challenges faced by the craft beverage industry suppliers in New York State and works with researchers, production specialists, industry reps, and policy makers to overcome the barriers to growth.
Livestock Processing and Marketing
Enhancing development of the livestock and meats processing industries by assessing production and marketing challenges and guiding management practices.
Farm Strategic Planning
Provides producers assistance with farmstead development, facility layout, and environmental planning to optimize production on dairy, crop and livestock farms.
Specialists in these areas develop educational programs that increase agricultural investments, profitability and sustainability by:
Promoting sustainable commercial agriculture development and entrepreneurship for urban farms producing in soil, greenhouses, or vertical/enclosed facilities through educational programming in production, harvesting, packaging, marketing, and food safety.
Farm-Based Beverages
Identifies the challenges faced by the craft beverage industry suppliers in New York State and works with researchers, production specialists, industry reps, and policy makers to overcome the barriers to growth.
Livestock Processing and Marketing
Enhancing development of the livestock and meats processing industries by assessing production and marketing challenges and guiding management practices.
Farm Strategic Planning
Provides producers assistance with farmstead development, facility layout, and environmental planning to optimize production on dairy, crop and livestock farms.
Specialists in these areas develop educational programs that increase agricultural investments, profitability and sustainability by:
- Maximizing connections to research and resources of Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Responding to emerging opportunities
- Assisting with workforce development and business expansion
- Increasing the profitability of this key New York industry
Harvest New York is funded by New York State.
Upcoming Events
Fluid Milk Processing for Quality and Safety (Online Course)
July 1 - December 31, 2018
This online workshop (with rolling registration) is designed for those involved and interested in fluid milk processing and testing with the intent of providing the tools to support and improve on quality assurance/control and food safety programs for bottled milks. While the course design assumes participants have some prior knowledge of dairy microbiology & processing (e.g., Dairy Science & Sanitation Course), critical concepts will be reviewed and expanded on for those who do not. This course can be taken as a stand-along program, but it also fulfills the core training requirement of a Cornell Dairy Foods Certificate for Fluid Milk Processing for Quality and Safety after all required prerequisite courses have been taken (e.g., Dairy Science & Sanitation, HACCP, HTST).2018 Empire State Barley and Malt Summit
December 12 - December 13, 2018
Liverpool, NY
Save the date! Join us for research-based technical updates, best practices for success, and supply chain networking opportunities.Preventive Controls Qualified Individual Training: Preventive Controls for Human Food
January 7 - January 9, 2019
2.5 day class
Watertown, NY
The Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation is intended to ensure safe manufacturing/processing, packing and holding of food products for human consumption in the United States. This course developed by the FSPCA is the "standardized curriculum" recognized by FDA; successfully completing this course is one way to meet the requirements for a "preventive controls qualified individual."Announcements
Food Safety: Critical for the Success of NY Farms
The CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness with over 128,000 hospitalized. According to the Center for Food Integrity, "food safety" is the third most common food topic searched online. The threat to human health from contaminated foods also represents a major financial risk for New York agriculture.Harvest NY specialists are leading the effort to keep consumers safe and NYS farms and processing businesses successful in the emerging world of food safety. Despite the diversity of sectors we serve, each of our program areas touch on this topic; from the 4,600+ NY dairy farms, the 64,000 dairy processing jobs, to the 8.5 million residents of New York City. Although we focus on many other issues, Harvest NY recognizes that food safety is essential for New York farmers and consumers.
Read a report about our food safety work across NYS