Big Apple Crunch 2023 GVCS 1st Grade
GVCS Taste Test Thursday #ITRIEDSOMETHINGLOCAL
NY Pizza with The Farm Bridge Pizza Sauce and Cuba Cheese from Cuba-Rushford CSD
Wellsville CSD taste tests NY Cauliflower.
Summer Breeze Strawberries Farm grew fruit for Allegany County schools in 2019.
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Cassandra Bull gives Local Food presentation at 2019 NYSNA Conference.
NY Egg rolls being served for NY Thursday at Wellsville CSD.
NY Hot dogs taste tested at Scio CSD.
Farm to School
What is Farm to School?
Farm to School initiatives are popping up throughout New York and all over the country – in day care centers, in public and private schools, and in colleges and universities. These programs focus on featuring locally grown, healthy foods in school meals. They often also include other components such as classroom lessons on food and nutrition; visits to farms and farmers’ markets; creation of school gardens, and the support of school-based community supported agriculture (CSA) programs.
What is Local?
Local means many different things to different people. To some, local could be within a 30 mile radius, where other organizations have expanded that radius to 400 miles! Some organizations do not qualify something as local based on the distance traveled, but by whether the product was made in that state, or surrounding states. According to New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, "local" refers to any product grown or produced in the state of New York.
The 3 C's of Farm to School
- Cafeteria - Serving local produce in school meals.
- Classroom - Teaching students about the importance of agriculture.
- Community - Involving the collective wisdom of the community, helping the farmers and families that live in the community gain a stronger connection to the schools through field trips, lectures, and other events.
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AG LITERACY WEEK: MARCH 15-19, 2027
About This Year's Book
It's Corn Picking Time!
Written by Jill Esbaum and Illustrated by Melissa Crowton
It's Corn Picking Time! is a lively book that takes readers into the heart of a corn harvest. Through rhyming text and colorful illustrations, it follows farmers as they work together to bring in the crop, highlighting the machinery, hard work, and seasonal routines involved in farming. The book celebrates the excitement of harvest while providing a relatable introduction to agriculture and the important role farms play in communities.
Learn more: How Does Agricultural Literacy Week (ALW) Work?
To participate in Ag Literacy Week, please contact Alyssa Dean at ald243@cornell.edu.
Contact
Alyssa L. Dean
Farm to School Coordinator/Ag in the Classroom Educator
ald243@cornell.edu
585-268-7644 ext 25
Last updated October 27, 2026
Harvest of the Month
Harvest of the Month is a Farm to School initiative that promotes locally grown food in the cafeteria and beyond each month.
New York Thursdays is a school lunch initiative that brings local, farm-fresh foods to schools throughout the year. On one Thursday or more a month, participating school cafeterias celebrate New York State grown or produced foods on their menus by serving a meal entirely composed of locally sourced ingredients!
Big Apple Crunch
It’s apple harvest season, and the New York Apple Association, FarmOn! Foundation and the New York Department of Agriculture have teamed up to bring on the Big Apple Crunch Challenge!
Participants can upload a photo or video biting into a New York state apple on social media using hashtags #BigAppleCrunch and @ApplesfromNY for Instagram or @NYapples on Facebook for a chance to win a $1,000 school Victory Garden scholarship.
Host. Pose. Crunch. Post!
Once you have registered, we will send you resources to get everyone in your school excited about the Big Apple Crunch! Then you can choose your day in October, assemble your activities and lesson plans, find where to procure local apples…and PREPARE TO CRUNCH!
Learn more: FarmOn!