To strengthen regional food distribution and expand institutional market access for local producers, New York State has distributed $13.7 million in competitive grant funding to 19 agricultural organizations across the state. Administered through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the initiative focuses directly on middle-of-the-supply-chain operations—including product aggregation, cold storage, transport, and commercial processing.
The capital infusion provides critical support for mid-scale growers and distributors seeking to modernize facilities, scale post-harvest capacity, and satisfy growing state purchasing demands. Among the state awardees, Mattituck-based West Robbins Oyster Company, LLC was selected to receive $632,450 to construct a new 2,000-square-foot shellfish and agricultural processing center on Long Island. The facility will support post-harvest grading, aggregation, and value-added production for multiple emerging local farmers, transforming harvested oysters, clams, scallops, and organic vegetables into frozen items and prepared chowders for wholesale and institutional buyers.
Following the rollout of these initial infrastructure grants, the state will open applications for a secondary, accelerated Equipment-Only Grant stream offering awards between $30,000 and $100,000. By investing directly in localized logistics, processing, and equipment updates, the program reinforces the long-term economic resilience of regional farming and aquaculture networks statewide.
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