Cornell Cooperative Extension

Jefferson County
grow tray planting

Grow Tray Planting at Indian River Schools

grow trays

School students grow their own lettuce

Student-grown lettuce on its way to the cafeteria

Student-grown lettuce on its way to the cafeteria!

salads

Salads for lunch!

Farm to School Program

Connecting Farms and Schools

CCE has worked with local school districts and community partners to plan and implement several farm to school programs. Each was unique to the needs of their school community, but all programs shared a common goal of providing an appreciation for fresh, local, nutritious food, while simultaneously benefiting the community and local farmers. See below for some examples of that work in action. 

Farm to School Grant partnerships: CCE partnered with Indian River Central School and Watertown City School District to write and Coordinate USDA Planning Grants.
garden School gardens: Master Gardeners help grow gardens with produce that can be used in school meal programs.
Harvest of the Month Monthly Harvest: SNAP-Ed educators bring nutrition lessons, food demonstrations and samples of seasonal recipes to North Country schools.
Ag in the Classroom Ag Literacy Week: Each year CCE coordinates volunteers in 2nd grade classrooms throughout Jefferson County to share a story and activity that promotes NY agriculture.
Ag Ag Extravaganza: Fall event aimed at helping 4th graders develop an appreciation for local agriculture. 
undefined Harvest of the Month lessons highlight the best of New York grown foods throughout the seasons while reinforcing core nutrition messages to help students develop a passion for healthy eating no matter what time of year! Each lesson includes a cooking demonstration of that month’s featured ingredient and a tasting of the recipe. Participating classrooms receive a newsletter with the recipe and tips and resources to share what they learned with their families at home.

Last updated May 19, 2023

Local Foods

Contact Us!

We welcome interested parents, school personnel, and community members to contact us about bringing the farm to your school through: 

  • Harvest of the Month lessons and tastings 
  • Ag Literacy Week 
  • School Garden technical advisement 
  • Connecting your cafeteria and classroom to local farmers 
  • Seed to Table lessons and seasonal recipes 
  • Farm to School toolkits and resources 
  • And so much more! 

Resources

CCE Farm to School Efforts Across NYS

NY Agriculture in the Classroom

New York State Farm to School Program

“When schools and local producers work together, children benefit from higher-quality foods on their plates and program operators have stable sources for the products they need.” 

- Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary

The Dirt: Farm to School e-Letter

USDA’s Farm to School program monthly e-Letter is chock full of updates, webinar info, relevant news, and field notes. Check out the archives, below, to explore grantee success stories, resource highlights, and Farm to School Census facts. 

Be sure to subscribe to receive future editions! 

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