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October is Farm to School Month!
With the closing of the New York growing season comes the opportunity to celebrate the relationship between farmers and local schools. In the past few years, farm to school programs have gained momentum across the U.S. and in the FaHN region. The National Farm to School Month website is a great resource for anyone looking to get involved!
This year each week will correspond with a different theme: 
October 3rd - 7th: Education
October 10th - 14th: Healthy School Meals
October 17th - 21st: Farmer's + Produce
October 24th - 28th: The Next Generation
October 3rd through 7th is also NY Farm to You Fest! Cafeterias throughout Broome and Tioga counties will be featuring NYS products on their menus, including milk, pears, carrots and more! Three middle schools will be participating in taste tests to determine which pear they prefer, the local or non-local version. We are very excited to partner with the Rock on Cafe/Broome-Tioga BOCES Food Service and CCE-Broome on this initiative. You can also learn about other exciting programs in the region including the Youth Farm Project and Fresh Snack Program in Tompkins County and Farm Catskills.
To learn about benefits from farm to school initiatives visit the resource guide on the National Farm to School Network's website.
Don't forget to use the hashtag #F2SMonth to read about other organizations' successes and to share your own!
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Farm to School Month Sponsor Spotlight: Chobani
Our sponsor spotlight this month is Chobani, founded in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya and headquartered in Norwich, New York. In honor of Farm to School Month we wanted to highlight some of the work Chobani has done to support healthy options and choices in school meals, support agricultural education, and local farms.
Recognizing that farm to school programs are a win for kids, farms and communities, Chobani has partnered with schools locally to participate in farm tours for students and explore opportunities to bring more gardening and agricultural education to students through greenhouses and other programs. Last year the USDA officially named them the main provider of Greek Yogurt to K-12 school meal programs in the United States. In response Chobani wrote, "this is one of the most important things we can do as a company, which is why we decided to offer our products to schools at significantly reduced prices to allow any and every school to participate." Their selection by the USDA as an official provider was the successful continuation of a program that started in 2013 and was initially piloted in ten states. To read the full blog post go here.
In addition to working with schools across the country, Chobani offers tips and recipes on their blog to help families pack healthy lunches and start the day with a nutritious breakfast. Check out a few recipe ideas below:
Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast Popsicles
Serves: 2
½ cup granola, divided
¾ cup Chobani® Whole Milk Vanilla Greek Yogurt
¼ cup 1% milk
1 banana
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Prepare popsicle molds and add 1 tablespoon of granola into each mold. Combine yogurt, milk, banana and peanut butter in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicle molds, sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of granola. Freeze overnight.
Orange & Pomegranate Greek Yogurt Overnight Oats
Serves: 2
Follow this method with any combination of oats, Greek yogurt and fruit.
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup vanilla coconut milk
1 (5.3oz) cup Chobani® Fruit on the Bottom Pomegranate
Pinch kosher salt
½ cup orange segments
2 tablespoons chopped nuts
In 2 small jars, evenly divide oats, coconut milk, yogurt and salt, then stir to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Top with orange segments and nuts before serving.
You can find more recipes, healthy eating tips and news on the blog!
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Check out the Rural Health Network's monthly e-newsletter for September news and updates, including articles on FaHN!
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October 6, 2016
Thursday, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
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Annie's Project Classic
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County
A six part series that runs every Thursday until November 10, 2016. Register here.
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October 7, 2016
Friday, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
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Aspiring Farmers Academy
100 Eaton Street Morrisville, NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County
Register here.
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October 8, 2016
Saturday, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Tioga County Farm Trail
Tioga County Tourism & Tioga Ag Resource Group, Tioga County, NY
Learn more here.
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October 11 & 12, 2016
Tuesday & Wednesday, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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Taste of the Catskills
Maple Shade Farm, Delhi, NY
Learn more here.
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October 13, 2016
Thursday, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
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How Secure is Our Food Supply in the Face of Climate Change?
Greenstar Community Projects and CCE - Tompkins Ithaca, NY
Preregister here.
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October 18, 2016
Tuesday, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
October 25, 2016
Tuesday, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
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Marketing Your Farm & Food Business Workshop Series
CADE, Oneonta, NY
Register here.
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October 26, 2016
Wednesday, 7:45 am - 4:30 pm
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Getting There: A Conference on Bridging the Transportation & Healthcare Gap
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Binghamton, Rural Health Network
Register here.
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Farmers Market Manager Training Conference
November 15-17, 2016
Albany, NY
Click here for more information.
NESAWG It Takes a Region Conference
November 10-12, 2016
Hartford, CT
Click here for more information.
2017 NOFA-NY Winter Conference
January 20-22, 2017
Saratoga Springs, NY
Click here for more information.
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Community Garden & Urban Agriculture Report is Now Available!
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FaHN values data-driven approaches to measure progress in agriculture and food access within our 8-county region. The purpose of the Community Garden & Urban Agriculture Report is to inventory the number and capacity of community and educational gardens, and urban agricultu re initiatives located in the FaHN region. The first Community Garden & Urban Agriculture Report was conducted by FaHN in 2010. To gather information for this report surveys were distributed to 93 farms/gardens. Participants responded on a number of different areas that included; when the garden was established, if the garden was active in the most recent growing season and if any produce from the garden was donated. This report will serve as a baseline to measure future changes in community garden initiatives. The full report can be found here.
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Chef Ann Foundation
Project Produce: Fruit & Veggie Grants for Schools. No application deadline.
Learn more here.
Community Foundation of Tompkins
General Letter of Inquiry due October 17, 2016.
Learn more here.
NE Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
Partnership Grant deadline: October 25, 2016
Farmer Grants deadline: November 29, 2016
Learn more here.
Whole Kids Foundation
School Garden Grant - Application period is September 1st - October 31st, 2016
Learn more here.
Decker Foundation
Applications due November 1, 2016
Learn more here.
Local Foods, Local Places
Apply by submitting a letter of interest by November 6, 2016
Learn more here.
New York Farm Viability Grants
Applications are due by November 10, 2016.
Learn more here.
Annie's Grant for Gardens
School Garden Grant, applications will reopen in November 2016
Learn more here.
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Join us in 2016 as a FaHN member or sponsor! You can help us and our partners:
- Ensure that children have access to fresh, healthy and local food
- Combat chronic disease by making healthy food more accessible
- Promote local agriculture
- Advocate for policy change
- Use data to strengthen our regional food system
For more information on how to take advantage of this opportunity contact:
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Youth Programs Coordinator, Food Bank of the Southern Tier - Learn More.
Part Time Program Manager, Farm Catskills, Delhi, NY - Learn More.
Ag in the Classroom Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, Binghamton, NY - Learn More.
AmeriCorps Positions promoting Food Access & Health!
Fall positions available with a range of organizations.
View positions and apply: Rural Health Service Corps website.
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