Specialists
Sam Anderson
Urban Agriculture Specialist
Areas of Interest: Urban Agriculture, IPM, Soil Management
Kristy Apostolides
Farm to School Coordinator, Lower Hudson Valley
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Cheryl Bilinski
Local Food Systems Specialist, Farm to School Lead
Areas of Interest: Farm to Institution, Supply Chain Development, Farm-Based Beverages
Amy Bly
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Long Island
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Lizzy Cooper
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, Central NY
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Makela Elvy
Urban Gardens Specialist
Areas of Interest: Composting, Soil Health, NYC Community Gardens
Yolanda Gonzalez
Urban Agriculture Specialist
Areas of Interest: Urban Agriculture, Marketing
Mallory Hohl
Urban Gardens Specialist
Areas of Interest: Nutrition, Farm to School Initiatives, Youth Engagement, Local Food Systems, WNY Urban Gardens
Kwesi Joseph
Urban Gardens Specialist
Areas of Interest: NYC Urban Gardening, Cover Crops, Compost Management, IPM
Becky O'Connor
Farm to School Coordinator, WNY & Finger Lakes
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Anya Osatuke
WNY Berry Specialist
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Lindsey Pashow
Ag Business Development & Marketing Specialist
Areas of Interest: Horticulture Marketing, Craft Beverage Industry, Produce Auctions
Judson Reid
Extension Vegetable Specialist, Team Leader
Areas of Interest: Greenhouse Production, Small Farming Operations, Produce Auctions
Katie Sheehan-Lopez
Farm to School Coordinator, Upper Hudson Valley
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Zach Spangler
Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist
Areas of Interest: Resilient Farming Practices, Climate Change Mitigation, Ecosystem Services
Precious Tshabalala
Food Systems Specialist
Areas of Interest: Local Food Procurement and Distribution
Daniela Vergara
Emerging Crops Specialist
Areas of Interest: Hemp, Hops, New Crops to NYS
Jenna Walczak
Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist
Areas of Interest: Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Agroecology
Sara Jean (SJ) Whelan
Farm to School Regional Coordinator, New York City
view details about 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