Farm to Food Bank Tax Bill Approved by Cuomo for Final State Budget

Finally, the NY State Legislature and Governor Cuomo agreed to include the Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit in the “just-passed” 2017-2018 Final State Budget. The tax credit that farmers can claim is limited to $5,000 starting in 2018. “Farmers who donate NY-grown fruits and veggies to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other emergency food programs” will earn credit based on wholesale value of the donated food. Farmers often have a surplus of food grown and harvested, so when it can be consumed by people in need there is immense value to that…

This small but victorious decision is the result of all the pressure put on the NY Legislature and particularly on our Governor by the food justice advocates, farmers, and environmental organizations who spoke up, rallied, petitioned, and made clear that we will resist!

State budget includes tax credit for farmers who donate food

Google Partners with Local Sustainable Seafood Distributor to Improve Ingredient Sourcing For Consumers

“Seafood is notoriously difficult to trace, and in the U.S. alone, where around 90 percent of it is imported, the large majority of seafood will pass through dozens of hands and travel thousands of miles to reach supermarkets and restaurants. Evolving their concept for the digital age, local sustainable seafood distributor Dock to Dish is combating these murky supply chain waters by teaming up with Google’s Global Fish Watch program.” 

Bushwick Grows Mushrooms

The high-tech mushroom farm works more like a nursery than a farm. Smallhold Labs grows the produce, reported by Edible Manhattan to be a 100 pounds of mushrooms a week. It is said they want to eventually do leafy greens and herbs, too.

Once the mushrooms are three-quarters grown they distribute them in minifarms – %100 climate-controlled vertical farms which are the size of a bookcase, outfitted with WiFi and hook up to a water supply.

 “We developed the technology and the distribution to make urban agriculture more feasible in the city,” said Andrew Carter, CEO and Founder of Smallhold Labs

Note: this picture is just a delectable photo of some Chanterelle Mushrooms, it is not the actual produce grown by Smallhold.