Funding Through the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Development Grant Program Will Help Farms and Food Processors and Distributors Grow Their Operations
Supports Purchase of Infrastructure and Equipment, And Adoption of State-of-the-Art Practices That Will Bring NYS Grown & Certified Products to Market
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced $8.5 million has been awarded to 69 farms, food processors, and distributors across the State through the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Development (NYS G&C ITRD) grant program. The program is helping agricultural operations—from apple growers and vegetable growers to dairy processors and craft beverage producers—to purchase equipment and enhance infrastructure, supporting the use of state-of-the-art practices to bring NYS Grown & Certified food and beverage products to market.
Commissioner Ball said, “Congratulations to all the recipients of this terrific program, which is providing funding for much-needed infrastructure enhancements and equipment that support the innovative practices taking place today on farms and food businesses across the State. These improvements will ultimately help our farms and agribusinesses meet the growing needs of the industry and consumer demand, including producing food that is grown and packed with food safety measures and environmental consideration top of mind, which is what the NYS Grown & Certified program is all about.”
The NYS G&C ITRD grant program was created to strengthen the businesses that produce, process, or distribute NYS Grown & Certified food or beverage products. This round of competition sought infrastructure and technology projects focused on distribution capacity enhancement; processing and packaging; production automation and labor efficiency. Proposals were evaluated in two tracks: Projects under $50,000 and projects between $50,000 and $250,000.
Funding was allocated and administered on a regional and competitive basis, following the State’s Regional Economic Development Council regions, as detailed below.
- Southern Tier and Western New York – $1,700,000
- Southern Tier: Five farms/food businesses were awarded
- Western New York: Eight farms/food businesses were awarded
- Finger Lakes and Central New York – $1,700,000
- Finger Lakes: 11 farms/food processors businesses were awarded
- Central New York: Four farms/food businesses were awarded
- Long Island, New York City, and Mid-Hudson – $2,550,000
- Long Island: Eight farms/food businesses were awarded
- New York City: Three farms/food businesses were awarded
- Mid-Hudson: 10 farms/food businesses were awarded
Source : ny.gov