Department of Agricultureas Farm to School Grant Program, are the second USDA pot that the regionas BOCES has been awarded, said Ray Denniston, special projects coordinator for food services.

In 2012, BOCES worked with the stateas Department of Agriculture and Markets to look at developing infrastructure for connecting local farmers with local schools. In addition to the previous USDA grant, Broome-Tioga BOCES was one of six grantees late last year for state funds to train school staff in food procurement, reach out to producers, buy equipment and educate students on healthy eating.

Despite bureaucratic hurdles, New York’s farm-to-school program is in place in 97 school districts, and there are 17 approved farm vendors, with applications to the USDA from another 14.

With the new grant, BOCES will work in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County and the Food and Health Network of South Central NY (FAHN).

aFarm to school programs provide a powerful opportunity to link the regionas rich agricultural resources with community efforts to address child hunger,a FAHN Coordinator Erin Summerlee said.