Windsor Central High School is one of six schools selected for the inaugural New York State Farm to School Institute, an intensive year-long program for New York schools to develop and grow their farm to school programs through Farm to Institution New York State, or FINYS, a collaborative initiative coordinated by American Farmland Trust.
“We are thrilled that Windsor Central High School is one of only six schools selected to participate in the Farm to School Institute. This a natural extension of our Ag efforts. In the past year alone, we have expanded the Ag in the Classroom program and purchased a 6.7-acre parcel of land across from the high school to use as a land lab. Windsor Central High School has also established the first Future Farmers of America chapter in Windsor in 50 years, and the only one in Broome County,” said Dr. Jason Andrews, Superintendent of the Windsor Central School District. “This will help bring more local products into our cafeterias, and help connect our students more closely with our local growers.”
“Reaching nearly 1.7 million students across New York daily through school lunch programs, K-12 schools can play a critical role in both improving access to and consumption of foods grown and raised in New York,” says Erica Goodman, New York state deputy director at American Farmland Trust. “Through FINYS, we are excited to work closely with the inaugural New York State Farm to School Institute participants over the coming year to elevate their farm to school goals and help expand market opportunities for New York farmers.”
Officials from WCHS will attend a three-day in-depth
training at the Omega Institute from Aug. 12-14, meet for a one-day gathering
in fall 2019, receive coaching to support them during the year and be eligible
for a Farm to School Implementation Award of $5,000.
WCHS’ team will receive support to enhance their technical knowledge on how to procure and prepare local foods, access to tools for community engagement and strategies to support classroom and culinary education. The New York State Farm to School Institute will focus on the issues and opportunities for our specific state, including the 30 percent local food lunch reimbursement and farm to school grant allocations from Governor Cuomo’s “No Student Goes Hungry” Initiative.
The New York State Farm to School Institute is a project of Farm
to Institution New York State, a collaborative initiative coordinated by American
Farmland Trust, working to dramatically expand the volume of food grown on
local farms that is served in institutions across New York. It is made possible
thanks to support from the NoVo Foundation, the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family
Foundation and members of the American Farmland Trust. Learn more at www.finys.org.