Contact Information
Contact Harvest New York

Sam Anderson
Urban Agriculture Specialist55 Hanson Place, Suite 350
Brooklyn, NY 11217
cell 781-366-5939
email Sam

Kristy Apostolides
Farm to School Coordinator, Lower Hudson Valleyphone 845-429-7085 x106
email Kristy

Cheryl Bilinski
Local Food Systems Specialist, Farm to School Leadphone 607-592-9507
email Cheryl

Amy Bly
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Long IslandCCE office
Long Island, NY
phone 631-827-1015
email Amy

Lizzy Cooper
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Central NYCentral NY
phone 315-630-0405
email Lizzy

Makela Elvy
Urban Gardens Specialistcell 347-804-5820
email Makela

Yolanda Gonzalez
Urban Agriculture Specialist55 Hanson Place, Suite 350
Brooklyn, NY 11217
cell 516-305-0358
email Yolanda

Mallory Hohl
Urban Gardens Specialistcell 716-880-0275
email Mallory

Kwesi Joseph
Urban Gardens Specialistcell 718-809-2781
email Kwesi

Becky O'Connor
Farm to School Coordinator, WNY & Finger LakesCCE Erie County
email Becky

Anya Osatuke
WNY Berry Specialistcell 607-752-2793
email Anya

Lindsey Pashow
Ag Business Development & Marketing SpecialistCCE Franklin County
335 W Main St
Suite 150
Malone, NY 12953
cell 518-569-3073
email Lindsey

Judson Reid
Extension Vegetable Specialist, Team LeaderCCE 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 Valleyphone 845-340-3990 x334
email Katie

Zach Spangler
Ag Climate Resiliency SpecialistHudson Valley
cell 518-935-8062
email Zach

Precious Tshabalala
Food Systems SpecialistSouthern Tier of NYS
email Precious

Daniela Vergara
Emerging Crops SpecialistCornell AgriTech
Geneva, NY
cell 812-219-0172
email Daniela

Jenna Walczak
Ag Climate Resiliency Specialistcell 518-791-1888
email Jenna

Sara Jean (SJ) Whelan
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, New York CityNYC Dept of Education office
Long Island City, NY
cell 929-895-2257
email Sara Jean (SJ)
Announcements
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