If you know which specialist you would like to reach, their contact information is provided below. If, however, you are unsure whom to contact, please use the inquiry form to the right and the appropriate team member will respond to your request.

Sam Anderson

Urban Agriculture Specialist

55 Hanson Place, Suite 350
Brooklyn, NY 11217

cell 781-366-5939
email Sam

Kristy Apostolides

Farm to School Coordinator, Lower Hudson Valley

phone 845-429-7085 x106
email Kristy

Cheryl Bilinski

Local Food Systems Specialist, Farm to School Lead

phone 607-592-9507
email Cheryl

Amy Bly

Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Long Island

CCE office
Long Island, NY

phone 631-827-1015
email Amy

Lizzy Cooper

Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Central NY

Central NY
phone 315-630-0405
email Lizzy

Makela Elvy

Urban Gardens Specialist

cell 347-804-5820
email Makela

Yolanda Gonzalez

Urban Agriculture Specialist

55 Hanson Place, Suite 350
Brooklyn, NY 11217

cell 516-305-0358
email Yolanda

Mallory Hohl

Urban Gardens Specialist

cell 716-880-0275
email Mallory

Kwesi Joseph

Urban Gardens Specialist

cell 718-809-2781
email Kwesi

Becky O'Connor

Farm to School Coordinator, WNY & Finger Lakes

CCE Erie County
email Becky

Anya Osatuke

WNY Berry Specialist

cell 607-752-2793
email Anya

Lindsey Pashow

Ag Business Development & Marketing Specialist

CCE Franklin County
335 W Main St
Suite 150
Malone, NY 12953

cell 518-569-3073
email Lindsey

Judson Reid

Extension Vegetable Specialist, Team Leader

CCE Yates County
417 Liberty Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527

phone 315-536-5123
cell 585-313-8912
fax 315-536-5117
email Judson

Katie Sheehan-Lopez

Farm to School Coordinator, Upper Hudson Valley

phone 845-340-3990 x334
email Katie

Zach Spangler

Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist

Hudson Valley
cell 518-935-8062
email Zach

Precious Tshabalala

Food Systems Specialist

Southern Tier of NYS
email Precious

Daniela Vergara

Emerging Crops Specialist

Cornell AgriTech
Geneva, NY

cell 812-219-0172
email Daniela

Jenna Walczak

Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist

cell 518-791-1888
email Jenna

Sara Jean (SJ) Whelan

Farm to School Regional Coordinator, New York City

NYC Dept of Education office
Long Island City, NY

cell 929-895-2257
email Sara Jean (SJ)

No upcoming events at this time.

New Ag Climate Factsheet Released

The intersection of agricultural production and greenhouse gases is gathering increasing attention. This is an opportune time to consider how vegetable production interacts with carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, and how using cover crops may alter this picture.

The factsheet, Greenhouse Gases and Soil Organic Carbon in Vegetable Production and the Role of Cover Crops, written by Zach Spangler, Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist with CCE Harvest NY, and Elizabeth Buck, Fresh Market Vegetable Specialist, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, discusses:

• Sequestration of atmospheric carbon in agricultural soils as soil organic carbon (SOC). Is vegetable production impacting SOC?
• Net greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) from the soil.
• Impact of cover crops on soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide emissions, and other GHG emissions.

The NY Food Hub Collaborative Takes Root!

Cornell Cooperative Extension has received a USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership Planning and Development grant for the NY Food Hub Collaborative. This is a 2-year project.

The NY Food Hub Collaborative brings together 29 local food system stakeholders representing 21 organizations to realize the long-term goal of improving the economic viability of mid-tier value chain partners targeting local markets by improving efficiencies, maximizing profits, and increasing demand for NY food products. Three objectives guide the project tea toward that goal:

1. Establish a Collaborative of interdependent food hubs designed to work collaboratively to efficiently, affordably, and effectively market NY food products to institutional markets.

2. Identify the potential for small, mid-size, and socially disadvantaged producers to be competitive in state agency and institutional contracts.

3. Develop strategic business relationships between mid-tier value chain partners including food hubs, producers, processors, distributors, and markets that emphasize organizational interdependence, trust, and transparency and equitably distribute responsibilities and rewards.

Objectives will be met through strategic planning amongst Collaborative partners, virtual field trips to learn best practices from national partners, business-to-business development opportunities, producer and market partner training, and a series of outputs. Outputs include an interactive local food system asset map, a procurement guide on selling NY food products to various institutional markets, an analysis of existing procurement policies across institutions and recommendations for improvement, market analyses of key institutional market partners, a NY Collaborative product guide, and an implementation plan that provides a framework to operationalize the NY Food Hub Collaborative.

Project Partners:

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome, Oneida, Essex, and Saratoga Counties
• Farm Fare
• Syracuse University
• Upstate Growers & Packers
• Eden Valley Growers
• Capital Roots
• Farm Fresh First
• 607CSA
• Hub on the Hill
• Headwater Food Hub
• Syracuse Onondaga Food Systems Alliance
• Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corp.
• Center for Agriculture Development and Entrepreneurship
• NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
• Buffalo City School District
• Syracuse City School District
• NYC Citywide Administrative Services

Additional project partners will be identified as the project takes root. If you're interested in learning more or getting involved, please reach out to Project Director, Cheryl Bilinski, cbt32@cornell.edu.