Following National Farmers’ Market Week, celebrated during the first full week of August every year, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that over $1.12 million has been awarded to 25 farmers’ market organizations across the state through Round 3 of the Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant Program, an increase of more than $870,000 over last year’s awarded funding. Funding for the program was included in the 2024-25 New York State Budget and builds on Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment to ensuring a resilient food system in New York State. This announcement follows Governor Hochul’s warning to New Yorkers regarding the impact of federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program on New York’s agricultural industries and on the State’s vulnerable families. Over 400,000 transactions were made by New Yorkers using their SNAP benefits to purchase fresh food at farmers’ markets in 2024 through the State’s FreshConnect Program, resulting in over $10 million in revenue for participating farmers.
“Our farmers’ markets are some of our greatest assets in getting healthy, fresh, New York-grown food directly into the communities who need them most,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m proud to continue investing in these essential cornerstones of community that not only make a difference to our most vulnerable residents, but are also connecting our hardworking New York farmers to new markets. I congratulate the awardees of this program’s funding and look forward to seeing how much you continue to grow.”
Read the full announcement from Governor Hochul.