North Country Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell’s bill to make it easier for school districts to purchase more locally grown food products was signed into law this week.

“This law promotes local agriculture and will help strengthen small, family-owned farms in the North Country while at the same time ensuring that our children are provided with fresh, nutritious meals in school,” according to Assemblywoman Russell, chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy. “It’s really a win for our students and our farmers.”

Under the law, school districts will now be allowed to purchase products from associations of growers, as long as they are for purchases of under $25,000, without needing the approval of the commissioner of education.

Assemblywoman Russell said the legislation stemmed from a request from St. Lawrence County farmers, who were finding it challenging to sell their products to local school districts due to the bureaucratic hurdles that needed to be crossed.

The law had previously required school districts to apply for permission from the commissioner of education to purchase food such as eggs, livestock, fish, or dairy products from separate growers and producers if there were more than 10 growers or producers in the association.

The bill was drafted as part of Assemblywoman Russell’s larger efforts to increase farm-to- school opportunities, including her “Drive for 25” pilot program, which is supported by the New York School Nutrition Association.

Assemblywoman Russell helped secure $300,000 in this year’s state budget for the Adirondack North Country Association to oversee the program, providing up to 25 cents more in reimbursements per lunch for schools that expand usage of local food products.

"Students should always have access to healthy meals so they can focus, learn and grow, and our local farmers should be given every opportunity to succeed," Assemblywoman Russell noted. "That was the goal of this legislation."