New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets - Farm to School Program

News and Events

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Farm to You Fest! (New York Harvest for New York Kids week), is an annual celebration of local food and agriculture held in the fall. This weeklong event is supported by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Farm to School Program, the New York State Education Department Child Nutrition Program and the many, many partners on the New York Farm to School Coordinating Committee.

The mission of the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Farm to School Program is to strengthen local agriculture, to improve student health, and to promote regional food systems awareness. Farm to You Fest! is just one of the things we do to meet that mission.

We offer a variety of fun and educational material free of charge. To order resources for your event simply fill out an (coming soon!) Order Form DOC | PDF and email, fax, or mail it back to us at the given addresses. Your orders will be filled as quickly as possible, as long as supplies last.

Check out the award winning activities that you can do during Farm to You Fest! week:

School cafeterias can feature NY farm products on their menus; provide healthy recipes to children and parents
Classrooms can do food-tastings with local items such as apples and cheeses
Plan a visit to a local farm or farmers’ market
Play a Nutrition Trivia Game in the classroom
Invite a farmer, nutritionist, Dairy Princess, or Cornell University Cooperative Extension Educator into the classroom
Plan a Health Fair that includes local foods and farm activities
Daily cafeteria menu can highlight the great NYS apple: Monday Apple Cider; Tuesday Apple Crisp; Wednesday Applesauce; Thursday Warm Cinnamon Apples; and Friday Apples & peanut butter dip
Organize demonstrations like a cider press or corn roasting and enjoy the proceeds
Organize a healthy, local food scavenger hunt at a farmers’ market
Host a Harvest Festival; include activities such as a petting zoo, square dance, cow milking, potato sack races

Resources for Farm to You Fest!
Tips for Planning Your Event
Examples of Past Events
2008 Events: Upstate | NYC and Long Island

For more information contact the Department of Agriculture & Markets Farm to School staff: Upstate contact - Sarah K. Johnson at sarah.johnson@agriculture.ny.gov or (518)457-1721; and NYC/LI contact - Bob Lewis at bob.lewis@agriculture.ny.gov or (718)722-2830.

If your organization has an upcoming agricultural event that you would like added to our calendar, please send the following information to sarah.johnson@agriculture.ny.gov

- date(s) of the event
- name of the event
- exact location of the event
- time of the event
- all contact information including contact name, phone number, email address and websites

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