In our Farm to School Coordinator Spotlight series, we interview F2S Coordinators from around the state to highlight the boots on the ground support they provide. For our second Spotlight, we hear from Cassandra Bull, Farm to School Coordinator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County.

Harvest NY (HNY): Tell us about your background and how you came to work in Farm to School (F2S).

Cassandra: I am an artist, farmer, and community builder. I originally came to Western New York to pursue a degree in Fine Arts at Alfred University. Soon after arriving in Allegany County, I discovered our farmers market, which quickly opened my eyes to the world, value, and importance of local food systems. My appreciation for this resource led me to enroll in a second degree program in Agriculture at Alfred State College. I was researching sustainability and associated agriculture as the primary way individuals interact with nature on a daily basis, three times a day, when they eat. I see the promotion of seasonal food and equitable agricultural practices as an effective approach to lessen humanity's impact and increase appreciation for the planet's resources.

During my undergraduate study I worked on a local farm and noticed issues with the direct market channel. I became interested in Farm to Institution as an alternative avenue for small farms to reach consumers. I researched Farm to School Networks, specifically in Vermont and the New England region, and chose the movement as a thesis for my undergraduate work. I started working for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County as an AmeriCorps VISTA School and Community Garden Coordinator. During my tenure in that position, I was able to write several grant proposals to coordinate a county-wide Farm to School program through Cornell Cooperative Extension that facilitates districts increasing local food procurement. We were originally funded in 2018 through the NYS Dept. of Agriculture Farm to School grant, and were refunded by the 2020 Farm to School grant as well.

HNY: What region do you work in?

Cassandra: Allegany County school districts, and the Allegany-Cattaraugus School Nutrition Association.

HNY: What do you focus on in your Farm to School work?

Cassandra: My passion lies within procurement. The most interesting part of my work involves tracking NY purchasing data, measuring impact across food sectors, and collaborating with Cafeteria Managers to create plans that introduce more local product into school meals. I enjoy creating systematic, informed, and iterative roadmaps that outline how a school district is going to achieve their Farm to School procurement goals. Once we have a plan of what and how much to purchase, it is easier to track, to order, to document, and to advertise to our stakeholders.

HNY: Tell us about one of your favorite Farm to School success stories.

Cassandra: We have had a surprising amount of success with incorporating local protein into school meals. One easy way for schools to serve more local foods is through the procurement of animal products such as meat and eggs. These products are often sourced hyper-locally, usually from within 20 miles of each school district, and are versatile ingredients that fit well in many kinds of meals. Meat and eggs are often available year-round (as opposed to many vegetables) and there is an abundance of producers within the Allegany region. Local meat can be frozen and stored for long periods of time. There are many benefits to purchasing animal products locally. If sourced properly, these products can be more environmentally friendly and have higher nutritional value for students.

There are many benefits to purchasing local protein, but there is one notable con: the price. Schools purchase ground beef for $1.14/pound from the government, but local beef ranges in the price of $4.00-$4.50. This amounts to $0.50-.56 cents per 2oz. serving. Though this price seems high compared to what the schools usually purchase, it is not unreasonable when compared to other meat products schools are currently purchasing. Other products, like chicken, may be cheaper for schools to purchase locally but are very labor intensive to cook properly, cut, and serve to students. Per serving price below:

• CHICKEN NUGGETS: $.31-.36

• CHICKEN PATTY: $.27

• HOT DOG: $.15

• POPCORN CHICKEN: $.49.5

• NYS HOT DOGS: $0.56

• NYS GROUND BEEF: $0.53

I have previously estimated that if a school serves a local meat product at their school once a month, this will raise their NYS procurement percentage by 2%. If a school serves local meat twice a month, this raises their percentage by 4%, and weekly, by 8%.

HNY: How has COVID-19 impacted your work?

Cassandra: COVID-19 has certainly derailed the Farm to School renaissance in the Southern Tier West Region of WNY. Some examples:

• Budgets: With budgetary cuts being 20% across the board, our school partners are finding it even more difficult to justify spending money on more expensive products, especially beef and processed items that they could otherwise receive through government subsidy programs.
• Price increase: We are working with some hyper-local farms who have increased their prices due to increased demand through their retail operations or increased processing prices for items like beef.
• Product scarcity: Direct market farms have experienced a sharp increase in public interest for their products. Many of our schools pre-ordered items like berries. Though vendors had original quotes from farmers, during the season the farmers were selling out so quickly that they did not want to sell to the schools with lower price margins. Two of my districts were planning on continuing to purchase CSA shares, but they sold out almost immediately.
• Uncertain futures: Many of my managers are unwilling to commit to purchasing food that is best served hot, or is not practical for transportation. Because of this, many NY products they would be purchasing for regular cafeteria-based meals are not being purchased now. The districts don't know how long they will be serving in their current manner and don't want to purchase product that they might be "stuck" with.
• Increased trash: New government safety protocol recommends that our schools use disposable trays, silverware, cups, etc. The students at home are receiving their meals in packaged material as well. Many of the schools I work with are used to serving on reusable hard plastic trays. The added increased cost for school food authorities has made budgets more restrictive for local foods and is generally not good for the earth!
• Decreased staff prep time: Many of my districts are working with A and B student groups. Half of the students are remote learners for two days of the week and the groups switch later in the week. Much coordination has to happen to prepare take home meals and in-person meals, and many districts have two different menus to reflect this. In short, there is a lot more staff time dedicated to the complex menu options and less staff time for processing raw local ingredients for school meals.
• Reduced number of 30% NY qualifying SFA's: Due to the pandemic, at least four of the collaborating districts in Allegany and Cattaraugus County that were on track to qualify for the NY 30% Initiative did not end up qualifying. This is largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite these challenges, there are some successes and sentiments that remain strong amid the pandemic. Many districts here want to continue their monthly NY Thursdays and want to continue purchasing local products as much as their capacity allows. They all believe in the benefits to local farmers and students that the NY 30% Initiative has and want to continue pursuing this goal, even if it is not met in SY 2020-21.

HNY: Where can we find you?

Cassandra:

• CB775@cornell.edu,
• 585-268-7644 ext. 25 
• http://allegany.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/farm-to-school

Thumbnail photo credit NY School Nutrition Association