NYS Grown & Certified

Harvested with Heart

New York State’s agriculture industry is one of our great assets. Keeping it growing and thriving is one of the most important things we can do - and the New York State Grown & Certified program helps us do just that.

Launched in 2016, the New York State Grown & Certified program assures consumers that the food they are buying is local and produced to a higher standard by requiring participating producers to adopt food safety standards and enroll in an environmental management program. Since the program began, New York State Grown & Certified has grown and evolved to cover 20 agricultural commodities and processing industries. This voluntary program is a cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to meet consumer demand for high-quality food and agricultural products.

Information for Shoppers, Producers, and Buyers Get Involved

Producer Spotlight: Samascott Orchards

The Samascott family has been farming since the late 1800’s, when owner Jake Samascott’s great grandfather started farming to feed his family. In its early years, the 180-acre property was originally focused on dairy products, but over the course of the nineteenth century, the property expanded both in its size and its offerings, and by 1970, the farm grown to the 1,000-acre property it remains today and shifted its focus from dairy to apples. Today, the fourth generation of Samascott owners have expanded even further, growing dozens of different types of fruits and vegetables – including hardy kiwis, a sweeter, smaller, fuzz-free varietal – and even raise over 100 black and red Angus cows on our land, though they no longer do any milking. Still, at the heart of Samascott’s is apples, producing around 50,000 bushels annually and offer over 100 varieties.
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Image: Samascott Orchards
What People are Saying
Testimonials
Melissa Autilio Fleischut, President and CEO, New York State Restaurant Association

 

"The New York State Restaurant Association proudly supports New York State's new initiative—New York State Grown & Certified—so consumers can feel more confident about what they eat and where they are eating, and to provide a real benefit to New York State’s food industry."

Andrew Rigie, Executive Director, New York City Hospitality Alliance

 

"New York City restaurants demand incredible, locally grown ingredients. With the New York State Grown & Certified program they can be confident that the products they purchase and serve are locally grown and produced to a higher standard."

Michael McDonough, Owner, Tongore Brook Farms LLC

 

"As a farmer in New York State it's really, really wonderful to be part of the NYS Grown & Certified program. As a member of the NYS Grown & Certified family, one of the things we’re most concerned about is getting the best – the best soil, the best seeds, the best practices – to you and your family, delivering the most quality nutrition we can."

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