Delgado Announces Funding to Support Small Farms in Sullivan County
LIBERTY, NY—Today, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) announced a nearly $100,000 grant for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County. These funds will provide needed guidance to beginning farmers in Sullivan and Delaware Counties to prepare them to scale up their operations and remain in compliance with complex food safety requirements. This funding will be used to provide customized training to small and medium sized farms.
“I’m deeply committed to helping our small farmers access new markets and consumers. Today, I’m proud to announce funding for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County to help them support our small farmers across Sullivan and Delaware Counties. This funding will give our family farmers access to resources that will allow them to learn best practices relating to food safety, ensuring both production of the highest quality food and opportunities for growth,” said Rep. Delgado. “This grant will help our farmers understand food safety regulations, so beginning farmers will be best prepared to remain in compliance with federal regulations as they expand farmland and production.”
Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County Executive Director Colleen Monaghan said, “With the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), it’s imperative that CCE Sullivan be able to serve as a resource to farmers who will need to tweak their practices to meet new regulations. The training and assistance this grant will support helps consumers stay safe, and opens new and larger markets for small and mid-sized farms who might otherwise be exempt from the rule. We’re pleased to receive the USDA Food Safety Outreach Program award and we thank the Congressman’s office for their support!”
The grant announced today will allow the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County to increase technical assistance to producers exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, increase food safety training opportunities available in the region for small and medium sized farms, provide additional resources to producers covered by the Produce Safety Rule, and provide training and consulting opportunities for producers seeking a third-party Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) audit. This funding will also help accomplish the long-term goals of increasing the amount of producers with food safety knowledge, along with the number of food safety trainings and workshop participants in the region over the next two years. It will also scale up the number of producers with Food Safety Plans and GAP audits, as well as increase the amount of producers that participate in the NYS Grown and Certified program and sell to the Catskills Food Hub. The end result will be an increase in retail and wholesale markets for producers, while providing a safe, nutritious and secure food supply for consumers to purchase farm, fresh products. This will help grow the agriculture economy in the region, prevent foodborne illnesses, protect public health, and provide access to safe and nutritious food for low-income communities.