Farm to Food Bank

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (June 22nd, 2017) – Beginning January 1st, 2018, farm businesses located in New York State will have the opportunity to receive up to a $5,000 tax credit annually for qualifying food donations.

Sponsors of the bill, Senator Rich Funke and Assemblymember Francisco Moya worked with Assemblymembers Marcos Crespo and Philip Palmesano and Senators Pat Ritchie and Tom O’Mara to include the tax credit in the 2017-2018 State Budget. This was a result of several organizations’ efforts including New York Farm Bureau along with the Hunger Action Network of NYS, Food Banks of New York State and others.

As a result of the budget inclusion, farms in New York that donate food, meeting all quality and labeling standards can receive up to a $5,000 tax credit annually for reimbursement of 25% of their donation valued at fair market value. The donation must be made to a qualifying 501c3 nonprofit such as a regional food bank, food pantry, or soup kitchen. Farms will be responsible for obtaining a receipt from the recipient that they can use during the application process.

According to an Instructional Guide recently released by New York State Ag and Markets titled “Donating Your Harvest to Support Hungry New Yorkers”, “13.2 million pounds of local food was donated to New York’s 10 Regional Food Banks who then donated their bounty to over 5,000 emergency food providers across the state”. The goal of this program is to further encourage access to healthy and wholesome foods for at risk populations while also compensating farmers for their efforts. The instructional guide is available at http://chautauqua.cce.cornell.edu/resources/donating-your-harvest-to-support-hungry-new-yorkers.

For more information on donating produce to emergency food assistance organizations in our region, please contact Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Farm Business Management Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County at 716-664-9502 ext. 202 or kaw249@cornell.edu.

The promotion of local foods is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua) in line with the County’s 20/20 Comprehensive Plan. CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated June 22, 2017