Institute at SUNY Cobleskill Awarded 26 Million by Empire State Development - For Agri-Business Workforce Training and Value-Added Product Development

COBLESKILL  – The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill will direct $2.6 million toward expanding workforce development initiatives already underway at the College. The funding was announced this week by Empire State Development (ESD), part of a $10 million investment in the Mohawk Valley Empowers Program, designed to address regional challenges and strengthen the regional workforce ecosystem.

The three-year initiative was launched by Governor Kathy Hochul in April 2024 to empower communities by funding increases in workforce development programs and expanding wrap-around services for participants.

Through this funding, the Institute for Rural Vitality (IRV) will launch its Empowers grant program, expanding support for agri-businesses in Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie counties by providing technical assistance for value-added product development and by delivering related workforce development training at no or subsidized cost for qualified participants.

Value-added product development is a proven model for agricultural sustainability and success; and support will be provided to 60 agri-businesses to develop 90 new products over the three-year duration of the grant.

Empowers will also enable the Institute for Rural Vitality to further amplify its farm, food business, and entrepreneur microcredential program in key industry areas, while prioritizing accessibility for participants. Funding through ESD will enable credentialling for nearly 6,000 participants at no or low cost and with compressed course schedules. Wrap-around services will be offered to participants, including subsidizing costs for transportation, childcare, translation services, and on-site housing for overnight training.

Specific microcredential offerings will include Value-added Product Development Assistance, Meat Processing, Artificial Insemination, Dairy Processing, HACCP Training, Basic/Advanced Heavy Equipment Repair, Basic/Advanced Beekeeping, Maple Syrup Production and Basic/Advanced Fiber Sorting.

"The Institute for Rural Vitality is a critical extension of the College's mission and vision to create opportunities that lead to value-added credentials, product development, advanced skill acquisition, and business operations,” said Dr. Marion Terenzio, President of SUNY Cobleskill. “The focus of the Institute is overall community well-being, achieved through intentional programs targeting economic vitality and fostering our talented members’ capacity to grow themselves and their businesses. I thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for investing in our region’s future, ensuring that the agricultural foundation of our communities continues to grow.”

“The Empowers grant program is a fantastic opportunity for agri-businesses and farm and food producers to further the development of their business,” said Dr. Scott Ferguson, Chief Economic Development Officer for SUNY Cobleskill. “Our award is a direct investment by New York State in Mohawk Valley’s agricultural ecosystem. We encourage entrepreneurs and farm and food businesses to reach out to the Institute through institute@cobleskill.edu to see how the IRV can help you with your workforce development and/or product development needs.”

Since its inception in 2018, the Institute for Rural Vitality has created a strong record of providing a wide range of support services at no cost to new, developing, and established entrepreneurs through its Farm & Food Business Incubator and Accelerator programs and its designation as an Entrepreneurship Assistance Center of the Mohawk Valley under a grant from Empire State Development.

These services include business, financial, and marketing planning, access to capital, product development, food safety training, process development, scale assistance, wholesale planning, quality control, packaging, land access, and legal support. Since its inception in 2018, the Institute has served more than 702 farms and food businesses and helped launch more than 102 new products to the local and regional food market.