Congressman Delgado Discusses Agriculture-Focused Education Programs at SUNY Cobleskill

COBLESKILL, NY -- Today, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) visited SUNY Cobleskill where he met with the university's leadership and learned more about their work to support local agriculture producers while providing educational opportunities for young people. Last month, the Congressman announced a federal grant to assist SUNY Cobleskill's research foundation in purchasing and installing bottling and dry packaging equipment for the Farm Product Development Center, which will allow local producers to package value-added dairy products on site.

"SUNY Cobleskill's agriculture programs are doing tremendous work to connect our young people with educational opportunities in conjunction with local producers and family farmers in our area," said Rep. Delgado, member of the House Agriculture Committee. "I was proud to announce funding this fall that will help modernize their Farm Product Development Center and support this collaborative work between the university and local food programs. Today's visit also focused on the vital importance of workforce development initiatives that give students in our region the skills they need to find good paying jobs here at home and contribute to our upstate economy. I will continue to champion the needs of our local ag producers and support these creative and targeted educational experiences for our students."

"It was a pleasure hosting Representative Delgado on our campus today. Agriculture and technology have been and will continue to be integral in our region's health and prosperity. Institutions of higher education must connect with congressional representation to ensure that resources and creative ideas meet to drive forward innovation and secure the sustainability of Eastern New York, these United States, and the World. Our 1921 college catalog stated that "education is the hope of the world.' I'm sure Representative Delgado had the opportunity to see just how true that is today on the campus of SUNY Cobleskill," said Dr. Marion Terenzio, President of SUNY Cobleskill

In September, Rep. Delgado announced a federal grant through the USDA Rural Development that will be used to assist the SUNY Cobleskill in completing the outfitting of its Farm Product Development Center by purchasing and installing bottling and dry packaging equipment. These resources and training provided on them will be available to small and emerging private businesses in the Mohawk Valley region of New York. SUNY Cobleskill and the Center for Agriculture Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE) have operated the Farm and Food Business Incubator (FFBI) since 2016. The FFBI serves the NY counties of Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, and Schoharie.

Click here to see additional photos from Rep. Delgado's visit to SUNY Cobleskill.

Source