Maggie Reeger, FaHN VISTA, spoke with Glenda Neff, an individual FaHN Sponsor and Co-coordinator of Farm to Institution NYS (FINYS), to learn more about her efforts to increase local food procurement throughout New York State.

On her work with local food and agriculture:
Glenda’s interest in food and agriculture began during childhood. She has always felt strongly about food justice, and even as a child, “I had this feeling that people should never have to go hungry.” Through the 1970s, Glenda was part of a food co-op start-up in Syracuse and befriended local farmers. For a few years, she volunteered by helping farmers with marketing their products, and she started a workplace CSA at her publishing job. By 1997, she decided to leave her day job and make a living by working with farms and food organizations. “Everyone has a right to good food. That’s been my motivation. By becoming friends with farmers, I learned that farmers should be able to make a good living.”

And yet, many farmers struggle to get good prices and reliable markets for their products. Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) began when American Farmland Trust brought together a diverse group of leaders in agriculture, economic development, and public health to look at what was needed to increase purchasing of New York-grown and raised foods by schools, colleges, hospitals, and smaller settings like daycare, senior meals, and group homes.

To support farmers, FINYS provides market readiness training. Cornell Cooperative Extension and other grower organizations will offer workshops to farmers about business management, food safety, and other quality assurance measures that are necessary for selling to institutions. FINYS also coordinates communication across diverse sectors in New York State to push local food policies forward. “Our current action alert is to build support for an incentive for K-12 school districts to receive extra funding to purchase food from New York farmers.” Sign up for updates to stay on top of food policy in New York State.

On being a FaHN sponsor:
Glenda has lived in Cayuga County next door to the FaHN region for a number of years. She became familiar with FaHN through her work with Ray Denniston, a longtime FaHN member and Farm to School colleague.

“I see FaHN as a great model for regional collaboration. That’s why I support it and became a sponsor. FaHN has been fostering communication and partnerships throughout its region. And of course, the challenge is to raise funds and have resources for staff, interns, and AmeriCorps members. This type of work can’t be done by trying to fit it into everything else. There must be dedicated staff and resources.”

To read the full article, visit our Food for Thought blog.