Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 19 farm and food organizations are being awarded a total of $13.7 million through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program.
Suffolk County’s West Robins Oyster Company (WROC), LLC will receive a grant of $632,450.00 from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Farm and Food Growth Fund to construct a new 2,000 square-foot shellfish processing and storage facility on Long Island.
The funding is the first of two grant programs announced last year as part of a cooperative agreement between New York State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service to expand middle of the supply chain work to create a more resilient food system in New York State.
West Robins is guided by the philosophy that oyster farming is one of the most environmentally responsible (and most delicious) forms of protein production mankind has ever adapted, and we want a food future with fewer negative environmental impacts.
The company started in 2015 when Co-Founders Will Peckham and Walker Lourie say they “hatched the idea of starting a shellfish farm – of updating tradition, farming regeneratively, and doing good and well.”
The project will allow post-harvest grading, aggregating, and processing of farm-raised oysters, clams, scallops, and organic vegetables by five beginning farmers. WROC’s expanded processing and production capacity will increase the availability of new value-added, shelf-stable products such as frozen breaded shellfish and shellfish chowders for distribution to wholesale, retail, and institutional markets.
“Farmers are our lifeblood – they nourish our families and fuel our economy, and it is more important than ever that we invest in projects that bolster our local food supply chain here in New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program provides critical funding to make our food systems at the local and state level more resilient for years to come by investing in projects that modernize agricultural facilities, improve training, and facilitate the purchase of new equipment. I’m proud to support this great work and shore up a strong future for New York State.”
First announced in May 2024, the RFSI Grant Program offers a total of over $14.7 million through two grant opportunities — Infrastructure Grants and Equipment-Only Grants — to provide capital and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses operating at the middle of the supply chain, helping to enhance coordination throughout the food system and improve access to markets for farmers.