Cheryl Thayer

Local Food Distribution & Marketing Specialist

CCE Erie County
21 South Grove Street
East Aurora, NY 14052

phone 607-592-9507
email Cheryl

Areas of Interest
Food-to-Institution Programs, Farm-Based Beverages, Local Food Promotion

Cheryl's work aims to increase investment and jobs in agriculture and food systems to enhance the viability of farms through expansion, value-added production, diversification, and distribution of locally produced farm goods. Through a coordinated effort, Cheryl partners with community organizations, economic development organizations, government entities, Cornell faculty, and agricultural producers to develop programs designed to strengthen the regional food system, both in direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets. Cheryl earned her Bachelors from Penn State, and her Masters of Public Administration from Cornell University, where she concentrated her studies in Environmental Policy. While attending Cornell, Cheryl conducted food systems planning work, both domestically and internationally. Prior to attending grad school, Cheryl worked in the corporate food system sector in New York City.

Upcoming Events

Artisan Dairy Food Safety Plan Coaching Workshop

February 26 - February 27, 2019
2 days
Plattsburgh, NY

This coaching workshop is intended for Artisan Cheese and Dairy Food Producers who are preparing to create, or are already developing, a FSMA compliant, preventive control (PC)-based, food safety plan for their facility. The goal of this workshop is to provide Food Safety Plan review and coaching sessions that guide attendees through each step in development process. PCQI lead trainers will be present to review topics and answer questions.

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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

Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest New York