New York State Agriculture Commissioner Announces $8.5 Million Aw...

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced $8.5 million has been awarded to 69 farms, food processors, and distributors across the State through the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Development (NYS G&C ITRD) grant program. The program is helping agricultural operations-from apple growers and vegetable growers to dairy processors and craft beverage producers-to purchase equipment and enhance infrastructure, supporting the use of state-of-the-art practices to bring NYS Grown & Certified food and beverage products to market.

Commissioner Ball said, "Congratulations to all the recipients of this terrific program, which is providing funding for much-needed infrastructure enhancements and equipment that support the innovative practices taking place today on farms and food businesses across the State. These improvements will ultimately help our farms and agribusinesses meet the growing needs of the industry and consumer demand, including producing food that is grown and packed with food safety measures and environmental consideration top of mind, which is what the NYS Grown & Certified program is all about."

The NYS G&C ITRD grant program was created to strengthen the businesses that produce, process, or distribute NYS Grown & Certified food or beverage products. This round of competition sought infrastructure and technology projects focused on distribution capacity enhancement; processing and packaging; production automation and labor efficiency. Proposals were evaluated in two tracks: Projects under $50,000 and projects between $50,000 and $250,000.

Funding was allocated and administered on a regional and competitive basis, following the State's Regional Economic Development Council regions, as detailed below.

• Southern Tier and Western New York - $1,700,000
  • Southern Tier: Five farms/food businesses were awarded
  • Western New York: Eight farms/food businesses were awarded
• Finger Lakes and Central New York - $1,700,000
  • Finger Lakes: 11 farms/food processors businesses were awarded
  • Central New York: Four farms/food businesses were awarded
• Long Island, New York City, and Mid-Hudson - $2,550,000
  • Long Island: Eight farms/food businesses were awarded
  • New York City: Three farms/food businesses were awarded
  • Mid-Hudson: 10 farms/food businesses were awarded
• Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, and North Country - $2,550,000
  • Mohawk Valley: Six farms/food businesses were awarded
  • Capital Region: 10 farms/food businesses were awarded
  • North Country: Four farms/food businesses were awarded

Administered by the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), in coordination with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS G&C ITRD grant program was included in Round XII and Round XIII of New York State's Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

Dave Grusenmeyer, New York Farm Viability Institute Executive Director, said, "NYFVI is pleased to administer this program for NYS Grown & Certified food and beverage producers and we thank the reviewers for their ag business and economic development expertise. It is exciting to see these businesses seeking to build capacity to meet the growing demand from New York's schools and institutions. The NY agriculture community is fortunate to have the NYS Grown & Certified program, these grants and a government that uses its purchasing power to support the local food system. New York consumers should look for the NYS G&C label to support their local farms and enjoy great locally grown and produced food and beverage products."

The NYS G&C ITRD grant program includes $1.36 million for Research and Development-specific projects. More information regarding funding for this type of project, focusing on Research and Development, will be released in the coming months.

About NYS Grown & Certified

Launched in 2016, NYS Grown & Certified assures consumers that the food they are buying is local and produced to a higher standard by requiring participating producers to adopt food safety standards and enroll in an environmental management program. Since the program began, NYS Grown & Certified has grown and evolved to include 20 agricultural commodities and processing industries. This voluntary program is a cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to meet consumer demand for high-quality food and agricultural products. It is supported by a marketing campaign including on-product labels, promotional materials, and sales materials. Learn more at certified.ny.gov and follow the program on Facebook and Instagram.