About Harvest New York

Through a partnership between Harvest New York, New York State Seed to Supper, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Makela Elvy, Victoria Giarratano, and Ashley Helmholdt served as lead organizers for the 2026 Resilient Gardens Conference. Together, these partners source data from community gardeners to shape the conference’s design, so each year feels fresh and relevant to participants. More than 75 gardeners attended the event held in Poughkeepsie, NY.

This summer, Cornell Farm to School partnered with New York Agriculture in the Classroom to offer three professional development workshops connecting educators with agriculture, food systems, and hands-on classroom cooking. One of the unique aspects of the series was that teachers taught teachers. Educators shared classroom-tested lessons, cooking activities, tips, and strategies that participants could take back to their own schools. The workshops were held in Central, Western, and Eastern New York.

Harvest New York’s Ag Climate Resiliency program published Rock Dust Applications and Enhanced Rock Weathering on New York Farms, a comprehensive fact sheet developed to help farmers, agricultural advisors, Extension educators, and other stakeholders evaluate the potential benefits, risks, implementation considerations, and remaining uncertainties associated with rock dust applications and enhanced rock weathering (ERW). The publication explains the scientific basis of carbon capture through ERW while also addressing practical topics including soil fertility impacts, environmental considerations, carbon accounting challenges, economics, participation in carbon programs, and key questions farms should consider before adopting these practices. 

Urban growers face unique production challenges, including limited space, proximity to neighbors, and heightened vulnerability to invasive pests. One such pest, swede midge, is a tiny fly that can cause severe damage to brassica crops. To help growers identify and manage this emerging threat, Harvest New York and partners organized two hands-on field days focused on pest management strategies for small-scale growing spaces. Held in Buffalo and Rochester, the events featured swede midge demonstration trials evaluating management strategies for urban farms, plus local growers sharing practical pest management approaches.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) are renewing a partnership to strengthen farm to school across New York State through a historic multimillion-dollar, five-year investment from NYSED’s Child Nutrition Program. This expanded partnership builds on a successful three-and-a-half-year pilot between NYSED and Cornell that created new tools for New York’s farm to school ecosystem. The NYSED/CCE partnership will build on the pilot program, providing sustained support to school food professionals, educators, producers, and supply chain partners. The work will continue to strengthen connections between the cafeteria, classroom, and community.

Many urban gardens are not thinking about incorporating trees into their existing crop plans. However, trees play a vital role in enhancing climate resilience and mitigating the urban heat island effect that urban farms often combat. To address the need for urban farmers and gardeners to connect with other urban farmers and food forest service providers, Harvest New York, in partnership with Cornell Small Farms, held the first ever Urban Agroforestry Summit in July.

A series of Fruit and Berry Twilight Meetings delivered berry and fruit production education and research updates to growers in Monroe, Oswego, and Orleans counties. These annual meetings are organized by Harvest New York’s Anya Stansell, Cornell IPM’s Anna Wallis, and the Lake Ontario Fruit Team’s Janet Van Zoeren. Host farms shared notes on pest management, frost protection, high-tunnel raspberry production, establishing blueberries, and plant nursery stock management.

The GROWS (Gaining Relevant and Outstanding Work Skills) program continued to expand its workforce development and agricultural education efforts in 2026, serving 8 GROWS participants and more than 30 regular work experience volunteers through hands-on training, mentorship, and community engagement. Program growth was supported by the acquisition of a dedicated transportation van through funding from the Avangrid Foundation, significantly expanding participant access to educational experiences and increasing operational capacity. Substantial gains in productivity were seen too, with harvests increasing from 572 pounds in June through August 2025, to 1,010 pounds during the same period in 2026! All produce was donated to local food assistance organizations and community nutrition programs, extending access to fresh, locally grown food.

Harvest New York has worked with CCE Suffolk County to convene a multi-sector cannabis working group to discuss regulations, laboratory consistency, municipal opt-outs, and data gaps in a $3.3 billion industry. Dr. Daniela Vergara is supporting CCE Suffolk with facility assessment, and discussion of regulatory compliance and industry stakeholders.

In the North Country and beyond, Dr. Vergara is supporting counties as they increasingly recognize the economic potential of cannabis.

This summer, Lindsey Pashow, Statewide Agritourism Specialist with Harvest New York, had the opportunity to work with Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) summer intern Audrey Wansink. Audrey focused on several projects designed to strengthen resources and communication within New York’s agritourism industry. A major component of her work was developing a series of agritourism case studies highlighting six operations across New York State. These businesses represent different regions, scales, and agritourism models, helping demonstrate the diversity of agritourism across the state. Audrey also explored how agritourism businesses are supported at the county, regional, and state levels. 

Harvest New York, New York Soil Health, and Foodlink Community Farm welcomed over 50 growers and guests to participate in soil lead screening and soil health demonstrations on September 1 in Rochester. This free event showcased interactive tables focused on soil health from seven partner organizations. Soil lead screening was the main focus of the event, as gardeners were able to reserve a time to get their garden soil screened for the lead and other heavy metals. New York Soil Health conducted the soil lead screenings, as this event was included in their annual soil health series. (Photo by Frank Keophetlasy)

Sometimes an agricultural extension specialist is a lot like a private detective. It’s as true in New York City as anywhere else, though not everyone gets to take the subway to their field visits. Let’s walk through a typical day in August 2026. Swap the trenchcoat for jeans, and “private” for “public,” but keep the magnifying glass. We’ll need that.

The Biochar in the Bronx Project reached an important milestone during the third quarter when its five-member team participated in Seeking Synergies: Connecting People and Places to Advance the Circular BioEconomy, held in August at Cornell’s Soil Factory in Ithaca. The two-day gathering brought together farmers, artists, scientists, community members, processors, researchers, and public agencies from New York, California, and Kenya to explore how organic residuals can be transformed into valuable resources within more sustainable and equitable agrifood systems. Throughout the gathering, Biochar in the Bronx Project team members shared experiences from their work in New York City, learned how others were approaching similar challenges, and identified areas of common interest.