Cornell University in Ithaca and a Bloomfield food business will each receive $100,000 in federal grants, while a separate $500,000 project will help Finger Lakes farms reach New York City customers.
The three projects are among six New York recipients sharing $1,915,024 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, according to a [news release](https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-schumer-announce-nearly-2-million-in-usda-funding-for-new-york-state/) from U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. The grants support efforts to connect farmers with buyers and expand access to affordable, locally produced food.
## Grants support Finger Lakes food sales
Cornell’s $100,000 award will support MeatSuite, an online platform that connects consumers with farmers selling meat in bulk. The project is intended to expand access to affordable meat produced locally.
Finger Foods Soups LLC in Bloomfield will receive $100,000 to increase visibility and retail sales of Finger Foods Farm’s frozen farm-to-freezer meals. The meals use New York-grown ingredients.
Brooklyn-based Farm to People LLC will receive $500,000 to expand its ability to aggregate farm products and improve producer access along the Finger Lakes-to-New York City corridor. The project is aimed at farms that cannot affordably reach the city market on their own.
## Other awards support markets and certification
Chester Agricultural Center in Chester will receive $466,921 to establish a Northeast Group Good Agricultural Practices-certified entity. The project will create a model for certification that can be replicated across the region to help farms expand access to institutional buyers.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County in Binghamton will receive $248,103 for a coordinated, streamlined approach to supporting farmers market vendors and food entrepreneurs across New York.
The Research Foundation for SUNY, on behalf of the University at Buffalo, will receive $500,000 for a project in Amherst. It will use training, outreach and promotion to strengthen mobile markets’ role in the local food economy.
The awards come through USDA’s Local Food Promotion Program and Farmers Market Promotion Program. More than $1.1 million is designated for local food promotion and more than $700,000 for farmers market promotion.
- NY Food for NY Families applications are open
- USDA talks plans to improve internet, water access in rural Upstate New York
- INSIDE THE FLX: USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small discusses opportunities in New York (podcast)
- Do you qualify for a $600 stimulus check from the USDA’s $700 million dollar program?
Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture and Rural Development Subcommittee, said the grants would help urban and rural communities expand access to healthy food and support regional economies. She also criticized what she described as the Trump administration targeting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Schumer also linked the awards to what he described as administration cuts to SNAP, saying the grants would support farmers, rural communities and access to locally grown food.
The senators’ offices said they will monitor the issuance of the grants to ensure the funding is administered efficiently.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.