Kate Preston

Farm to School Education Specialist

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Before starting with Harvest NY, Kate was an Agriculture in the Classroom Educator for CCE Madison County. Her fondness for education and agriculture started when she was a young girl and joined the Otsego County 4-H program where she raised and showed her own herd of dairy goats, as well as beef cattle and horses. Pursuing her growing passion for agriculture, Kate attended SUNY Cobleskill for a Bachelors in Agricultural Business Management, followed by Masters in Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership from the University of Missouri. As the Farm to School Education Specialist for Harvest NY, Kate provides support and educational opportunities to Farm to School programs in NYS.

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New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Factsheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Factsheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.

NYS Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment

As part of a multi-year project exploring non-spray pest management options that are economically and environmentally sustainable for urban farms, we conducted a needs assessment with urban growers across New York State. The New York State Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment presents findings on current pest management practices, challenges, and topics of future interest.