Genesee Valley Research, Promotion Projects Receive State Money

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

More than $1 million for seven research, promotion and development projects to strengthen New York state's diverse agricultural industry and spur economic growth across the state was announced June 1 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The money, approved by the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority, supports the continuation of malting barley research, enhances the processing capacity at a regional food hub, and assists with renovations to the New York Wine and Culinary Center, among other initiatives.

 

“Agriculture remains a core pillar of New York’s economy, and the greater Genesee Valley region is one of our most vibrant agricultural areas, supporting thousands of farms and agribusinesses,” Cuomo said. 

“These strategic investments in research, facilities, and training are a key part of the Finger Lakes Forward and Southern Tier Soaring blueprints and are essential to the success of the agricultural industry and its future growth,” Cuomo said.
 
The Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority, in cooperation with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, solicits applications each year to assist in the development of agriculture and agriculture-related businesses in nine counties in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates. 

Agriculture supports thousands of jobs in the Genesee Valley, and is one of the key areas of investment in both the Southern Tier Soaring and Finger Lakes Forward regional economic development plans.  
 
The authority has awarded more than $7.5 million to 67 projects in the Genesee Valley through the Agriculture Development Grant Program since 2011.
The Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority Board of Directors has voted to fund the following projects in 2017:

• Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station - $260,000:  to support the continuation of a multi-year research plan focused on malting barley in New York State, which is critical to advancing the state’s craft beverage industry.

• New York Wine & Culinary Center - $250,000:  for the promotion of local food and beverages and facility renovations.

• New York Wine & Grape Foundation - $200,000: to support the NY Drinks NY program, a promotional effort showcasing New York’s wine and grape industries.

• Foodlink - $200,000: to purchase machinery and equipment and make renovations that will enhance value-added processing operations at the regional food hub.

• Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corporation (The Technology Farm) - $84,527:  to expand and renovate space at the facility to increase capacity and efficiency of the Technology Farm’s operations.

• Northeastern Juice Cooperative - $50,000:  to develop a business plan, including marketing analysis and food safety certifications, for an apple juice processing facility.

• Western NY Maple Producers - $37,323:  for training and to purchase equipment to test processes for new products.  

 

Certified Organic Meeting Focuses on Hemp, Forage

The last of the 2017 New York Certified Organic winter meetings is scheduled for Monday, March 13 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

The meeting will include an update on organic hemp production trials plus presentations on nutrient balancing, crop production, and alternative forage production for organic farming systems. 
Presenters include Cornell University and University of Vermont faculty and a New York organic dairy farmer.

The meeting will start promptly at 10 am in Jordan Hall. There is no cost or need to register to attend the New York Certified Organic meetings; participants are asked to bring a dish for potluck lunch.

Heather Darby, an agronomic and soils specialist with the University of Vermont, will review field trials conducted at the University research farm on organic hemp production in the Northeast and narrow row organic spring grain production.

Quirine Ketterings of the Cornel University Nutrient Management Spear Program and Cornell PRO-DAIRY Program Senior Extension Associate Karl Czymmek will show how doing annual whole farm mass balance assessments can help farmers understand the long-term capacity to support optimum yields, identify management strategies that will optimize farm nutrient imports and exports, quantify a farm’s footprint and track how it is changing over time, and summarize and evaluate the farm as a whole system.

Organic dairy farmer Tim Demeree from Little Falls, Herkimer County, will talk about his experience with growing annuals, including sudangrass, millet and sorghum for forage and how they fit in his crop rotation. 

Demeree will also share a comparison of the ensiling profiles of baleage using different preservatives. Nutritionist Adam McFarland of Agriking worked with Demeree to develop this comparison.

Round table discussions after lunch provide farmers the opportunity to ask questions and hear from the combined experience of the group that includes new and transitioning farmers and long-time organic producers.

The March 13 meeting also includes a brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers.

The New York Crop Insurance Education Team and Cornell Cooperative Extension provide support for the New York Certified Organic meetings. 

For more details, contact Fay Benson at (607) 391-2699 or at afb3@cornell.edu

Benson is an educator with the Cornell University SCNY Regional Team, project manager for the NY Organic Dairy Program, coordinator of the NY Soil Health Trailer, and a member of the New York Crop Insurance Team.

How Popular are Cover Crops??

A story about cover crops from agweb.

Check it out http://www.agweb.com/article/how-popular-are-cover-crops-naa-ben-potter/ at this link.

New York Certified Organic Sets Dates for Winter Meetings

New York Certified Organic has set the dates for its Winter 2017 meetings, bringing grain and dairy farmers together with guest speakers on the organic crops and dairy production. 

The 2017 dates are Jan. 10, Feb. 14 and March 13. Each program begins at 10 a.m. in Jordan Hall, 630 W. North St. at the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station, Geneva.

There is no cost or need to register to attend the meetings; participants are asked to bring a dish to pass at the potluck lunch. 

Roundtable discussions after lunch provide farmers the opportunity to ask questions and hear from the combined experience of the group. These sessions help advance organic production in New York and have been helpful to new and transitioning farmers as well as long-time organic producers.

A brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers will be included at each of the meetings.

The Jan. 10 meeting will feature presentations by Bob Quinn of the Quinn Organic Research Center, Big Sandy, Montana; Mark Sorrells of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University; organic producer Tim Christensen of Penn Yan; and Sandra Wayman with the Cornell Sustainable Cropping System Lab.

Quinn's organic research center includes a 2,800-acre farm in Big Sandy. The fourth generation farm transitioned to organic production in 1986. Work on organic grain varieties led to the redevelopment of Kamut, an ancient grain grown by the Egyptians. The farm also grows soft white wheat, durum wheat, buckwheat, lentils, peas, sweet clover, and flax.

Quinn, a sought-after speaker on marketing and development of organic grains, will present his vision of where organic markets are going and how New York’s producers can prepare for the future at the January 10 NYCO meeting.

As part of a research team there, Mark Sorrells worked on the ‘Accelerating Production of Organic Grains in Western NY’ project sponsored by the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority and Wegmans, the family-owned supermarket chain. Sorrells will review the results of this study conducted at the Cornell University Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora.

Tim Christensen farms with his father, Guy in Penn Yan and has been experimenting with different cover crops in his corn and small grain rotation. His decisions are based on the multi-layered objectives of protecting soil health, adding green manures, and qualifying for annual Conservation Stewardship Program payments. Christensen will share some of the success and failures he has had on his farm.

Cornell Sustainable Cropping System Lab Research Technician Sandra Wayman will review work with the newly-developed perennial grain Kernza.

The Feb. 14 NYCO meeting will focus on how to diversity farm business with organic poultry. The March 13 session will feature speakers on nutrient balancing, crop production and alternative forage production.

Producers, educators and agribusiness representatives are encouraged to mark calendars for these meetings. 

For more information, contact Fay Benson at (607) 391-2699 or email afb3@cornell.edu

Information on past meetings is online at http://blogs.cornell.edu/organicdairyinitiative/.

State's Seed Testing Lab Moving to Albany

From NYS AG and MARKETS
 

The state’s Seed Testing Laboratory will now be run by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and housed within its state-of-the-art New York State Food Laboratory in Albany.
 
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced Nov. 8 that, in partnership with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the lab would move to the Albany facility. 
 
Currently operated by and located at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station on the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Geneva campus, the Seed Lab provides assurances to the agricultural community that seed used in production is healthy and robust.
 
“Our Food Lab is a cutting-edge facility that houses some of the world’s best and brightest scientists,” said Ball. “Staff provide extensive and essential consumer protection services by testing foods and other products for purity, wholesomeness and accurate labeling.”
 

“By partnering with Cornell University to bring the Seed Lab to Albany and house it within our Food Lab, we’re able to offer additional efficiency in testing services to the agricultural industry,” he said.
 
“For more than 130 years, the Seed Lab in Geneva has provided the highest quality routine seed quality tests — such as those for germination, moisture, purity, and vigor — along with more specialized tests to the state’s farmers and producers,” said Susan Brown, the Goichman Family Director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.
 
“Many of our academic departments have worked closely with the lab and it is a legacy we look forward to continuing in Albany,” she said.
 
Established in 1882, the Seed Lab provides high quality seed results and reporting to residents, growers and seed companies. Since 1912, the lab has been operating as the regulatory laboratory for New York state, testing inspection samples to verify accuracy of product content and labeling for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. 
 
The lab performs critical functions for the agricultural industry, testing 800 samples annually to insure that seed purchased by New York state farmers and consumers is true to label claim, meets minimum germination standards and is free of noxious weed seeds.
 
The Department and Cornell University are working together to successfully transfer the Seed Lab. The Seed Lab will continue to process samples in Geneva until the transfer of equipment to the Food Lab is complete, which is expected by the end of the year. 
 
Growers and businesses will be notified by mail, prior to the opening of the new space, of the exact timeline and Albany mailing address to send samples. They can also find updates on the Seed Lab’s website at http://blogs.cornell.edu/nyseedlab/.
 
The lab, at its new Albany location, will continue to offer its services and expertise on a fee basis, which will remain unchanged, to a wide range of clientele.
 
In addition, the department has hired Kyle Arvin as its Seed Lab director, who will manage client services and regulatory testing. Enforcement will continue as a separate function within the department. 
 
Arvin has 25 years of experience in seed-related testing, working both in the private and public sector, including as the director of the New York State Seed Testing Laboratory, based at Cornell University. 
 
During his time at the NYS Seed Testing Lab in Geneva, he oversaw the facility’s seed testing services and coordinated with graduate students and faculty in their research on seeds. He also worked cooperatively with the states of New York, New Hampshire and Vermont to provide testing lab services for their state seed regulatory programs. 
 
Arvin worked frequently with the New York Seed Improvement Program, which operates within Cornell’s Plant Breeding extension program and consists of a certified seed division.
 
Most recently, Arvin was a Registered Seed Technologist with Dow AgroSciences, North American Seed Quality Control Laboratory, in West Lafayette, Ind., where he trained new analysts how to perform seed testing and worked on a global seed quality testing team. His work in Indiana helped the laboratory become an USDA Accredited Seed Laboratory.

Solar Farm Supplies Power To Ag Experiment Station

From Cornell University:

Cornell University’s Sutton Road Solar Farm is now operational and supplying power to the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

A 2-megawatt energy facility that will offset nearly 40 percent of the annual electricity demand at the experiment station, the solar farm in Seneca was built beginning last spring and is Cornell's second megawatt-scale solar project.

In September 2014, the university opened the Cornell Snyder Road Solar Farm with 6,778 photovoltaic panels on an 11-acre plot that adjoins the Tompkins County Regional Airport in Lansing, Tompkins County.  Adding the new Geneva array to the Lansing facility’s output, the university will produce about 5,700 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. 

“Our researchers are conducting basic and applied research to improve crops and make them more resilient to disease, drought and the worst effects of an uncertain climate as we chart a more sustainable agricultural future,” said Susan Brown, the Goichman Family Director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. 

"Within our fruit and vegetable programs we’re studying the best way to harvest the sun, so it is only fitting that the energy powering our labs and greenhouses will do the same,” she said.

In September 2014, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced NY-Sun awards for large solar electric projects that will increase the solar energy capacity in the state by more than 214 megawatts, a 68 percent increase over the amount of solar installed. The NY-Sun Initiative strove to expand the state’s renewable energy market to bring down the costs of the technology.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority administers the NY-Sun awards, and it contributed about one-third of the project’s capital cost, while private developer Distributed Sun and Building Energy Asset Management LLC will own and operate the Geneva array. 

Jeff Weiss ’79 is co-chairman and managing director at Distributed Sun. Cornell will purchase the solar farm’s electricity through an agreement with the company.

Got an Ag Problem? Call the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

Sarah Hulick, a grad student in horticulture at Cornell, studies pumpkin plants with Steve Reiners.

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
When there are problems in the world of agriculture, there is only one place to go for help.
 
The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station is filled with scientists, researchers and professors who work for years to solve some of the most daunting problems faced by farmers and food processors. 
 
How about a pesky fruit fly from Asia that devastates berry crops?
 
What do you do with a nasty bug that transmits a virus to snap beans?
 
Just how do you grow organic beets?
 
How do you get fruits and vegetables pollinated when the honeybee population is waning?
 
“Everyone who works here has a passion for this place,” said Susan Brown, a long-time apple breeding scientist at the station and now its director. “There are many sites that do agricultural research, but what’s unique about the station is we crave and excel at interdisciplinary research.”
 
Those at the station prove this time and time again.
 
When there’s a problem to be solved, it doesn’t go to just one scientist. Usually a whole team with varying expertise will work on the issue.
 
For example, in 2001, when Steve Reiners, a vegetable expert, began looking at the devastation brought to snap beans by the cucumber mosaic virus, a group of horticulturists, entomologists, plant pathologists and plant breeders jumped in to work on the problem.
 
“Working together, we found the soybean aphid (an insect pest) was transmitting the virus,” he said. “There were questions we didn’t have answers to,” he said, so everyone put their heads together to find out how to help New York’s snap bean farmers.
 

Thomas Bjorkman, center, with buckwheat grown as a cover crop.

He said one of the short-term solutions was to control the soybean aphid with sprays. But since many farmers like to stay away from chemicals as much as possible, the scientists also looked at varieties of snap beans that may be resistant to the virus.
 
“My colleague Brian Nault was looking at patterns with the soybean aphid and found that they were picking up the virus in alfalfa fields. So then we were able to look at the varieties with greatest resistance to the virus,” Reiners said.
 
From there, the scientists found a snap bean variety called Huntington that had great yields when planted in New York and also had good resistance to the virus.
 
But farmers needed a long-term solution to the problem too. So the scientists began working on coming up with new varieties of snap beans that would be even more resistant to the soybean aphid and the virus.
 
“We used everybody’s expertise to solve it for the short term and long term,” Reiners said.
 
There’s never enough time
 
Sometimes, time is of the essence, like in the snap bean problem.
 
Farmers are having a problem right now and can’t wait years for a solution. (Sometimes research and testing for new varieties can take from five to 10 years).
 
But other times, there’s a problem that needs to be worked out slowly and steadily. Such is that with weeds and soil quality in vegetables.
 
Ag station scientist Thomas Björkman focuses part of his research on cover crops for vegetables. Björkman, who has been at the experiment station for more than 20 years, said cover crops are important because they can help improve soil quality and eliminate weeds.
 
“When herbicide development went way down, we had to have multiple approaches for controlling weeds,” he said.
 
Björkman began by looking at crops that are harvested in July, such as spring greens, spinach, peas or early green beans. The farmers wanted something they could do to their fields to keep them free of weeds and healthy so they could use those same fields in the fall to plant something else.
 
“So we thought about using buckwheat as an alternative,” he said. “It’s one of these things we know in principle that it works, but we had to put in the effort to know exactly how to do it.”
 
He said he looked at ground preparation and what is needed to make the buckwheat grow and keep out the weeds. Farmers throughout the state (especially in Western New York and the Hudson Valley) began using it about 10 years ago and it is working well. 

A Cornell University website post by Björkman states “classic uses include: ground cover after early vegetables, cover before planting strawberry beds, and bringing idle land into production.”
 
“When it turns white, the farmers mow it and prepare for fall planting,” he said. The buckwheat can be harvested or it can be put back into the soil as a grain manure — its complex carbohydrates from the roots help hold together soil aggregates and build the condition of tilled soil.
 
Way too much waste
 
There are times when farmers have problems not with growing their vegetables or fruits, but figuring out what to do with leftover waste.
 
A butternut squash farmer in Western New York sold his squash cut and prepared in bags at area grocery stores. His problem was what to do with all the leftover guts — the seeds and insides of the squash not used after processing.
 
Ag Experiment Station scientists at the Food Venture Center put the farmer in touch with Gregory Woodworth, who ran a cookie company and was looking for a healthier oil for his cookies.
 
Station director Brown said the parties worked together and came up with butternut squash seed oil that Woodworth now sells through his Stony Brook WholeHearted Foods company based in Geneva. The oil debuted in 2008 and sells in individual bottles or by the case.
 
According to the company’s website, the oil is high in unsaturated fat, particularly unrefined omega 6 fatty acid (linoleic acid) and a moderate amount of monounsaturated fat (oleic acid). The oil also has high amount of vitamins A and E, which is quite different from other oils.
 

Good broccoli grown in NY

George H.W. Bush
wouldn’t be happy
 
Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that grows best in areas that have moderate temperatures that stay about the same all the time.
 
Björkman said a lot of the broccoli in the country is grown in the Salinas, Calif. area, which is near the Pacific Ocean and maintains highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s and 40s.
 
This is why broccoli does not grow well in New York state. Björkman said the plant — a member of the cabbage family — does not tolerate the high highs (can you say 90s) we can see in New York.
 
“It’s just too warm for the buds to develop,” Björkman said. “So we had to find out what it takes genetically to grow broccoli and now are breeding broccoli hybrids that are successful.”
 
The trials have been so promising that seed companies are investing “in the promise of Eastern broccoli.” 

This will be a boon for the area because of the Buy Local campaigns and people wanting to buy fresh food grown locally, instead of getting broccoli that has been shipped all the way from California.
 
“Our Eastern broccoli has a milder flavor, but it has the freshness and is locally grown,” Björkman said. To date, growers with Eden Valley Growers in Erie County and Upstate New York Growers and Packers Co-op in Oneida County are selling the broccoli as is Wegman stores.
 
But there is more work to be done on the broccoli.
 
“We are not done with the broccoli yet,” Björkman said. “While we have greatly imporved gybrids in the breeding programs, they still need to be commericialized. The companies are fully on board to do that, but it is a time consuming process. There’s probably five years of more work to be done.”
 
Björkman also said hybrids that work in the spring also need to be developed and more market development needs to be done. He hopes the “food hub trend is a solution to that problem, and we are using that model with broccoli as a high-volume part of what a food hub might offer.”
 
Fly, fly away, fly
 
Berry farmers were having a horrible time beginning in 2012 when the spotted wing drosophila (a type of fruit fly) made its way to New York state from Asia and California. This pest is unlike other fruit flies that normally lay eggs in rotting fruit — it lays its eggs in fresh fruit.
 
Reiners said farmers needed a way to keep the fly out of the berry fields — mostly blueberries and raspberries. First they urned to netting which covers susceptible fruit and keeps the fly out.
 
Gregory Loeb, a professor of entomology at the ag station, tried some of the netting at a blueberry farm in Stephentown, Rensselaer County, that was “pretty successful.” The problem was the farmer had an upfront cost for the netting and had to have supports for the netting.
 
While the netting is being used, Loeb said he and other scientists are looking for other ways to control the fly.
 
“Can we understand the chemical cues to find out where the (fly) accepts or rejects to lay its eggs,” Loeb said. “If we can do this, we can manipulate the behavior of the insect.”
 
He said scientists also are looking at developing “an attractive target” that would pull the fly away from the fruit and then kill it.
 
“It will take us a few years to get this to a management effect, but we’re making progress,” Loeb said.
 
Getting more pumpkins
 
Reiners said ag station scientists have been working with pumpkin growers to try to increase the yields of this popular fall veggie.
 
Some of the ideas they’ve been working on include spacing between pumpkin plants, starting the plants in a greenhouse and then transplanting them, using black plastic on top of the plants and working on a fertility program to increase the number of pumpkins. 
 
Love Beets
 
Scientists at the Ag Experiment Station today are looking at how beets could be grown in New York state organically.
 
Reiners said conventional beets have problems with diseases and weeds, but the scientists are trying to find out how to grow them organically to help a company called Love Beets, which is seeking nearly 2,000 acres of organically grown beets for its beet products and beet juices.
 
There are beet growers in the state, mostly near Batavia, but they grow conventionally. Reiners said if a method to grow beets organically can be found, New York growers could expand their markets and possibly grow more acres by teaming with Love Beets.
 
Food without bees
 
Honeybees have been having problems for more than a decade with various maladies, including Colony Collapse Disorder, in which whole colonies of bees would die off or just leave for no reason. Bee populations have been dying off and some beekeepers have lost large percentages of their colonies.
 
Without the bees, farmers are having difficulties getting their crops pollinated. So, in comes the scientists from the Ag Experiment station who are trying to create a type of zucchini that is seedless and needs no bees for pollination.
 
Also, the station scientists looked into bringing other types of bees to fields for pollination. they planted flowers around fields to attract other types of bees that would come to the flowers and then move among the flowering food crops, pollinating them so they would produce vegetables and fruits.
 
The apples of her eye
 

The two newest apple varieties in New York were developed after 10 years of research by Brown and the breeding program at the experiment station.
 
SnapDragon is characterized by its “monster crunch” and a spicy and sweet flavor. One of its parents is the Honeycrisp. RubyFrost is crisp and blends sweet and tart flavors.
 
Brown calls SnapDragon and the RubyFrost® her babies. The station has developed 66 varieties of apples, including the Empire, Macoun, Jonagold and its first — the Cortland, which turns 101 years old this year.
 
The study of food and drink
 
Christopher Gerling, extension associate in the food science department, says “anything you can think of happens here.”
 
“Here” is the Food Research Building at the Ag Experiment Station. In this building are laboratories that study taste, smell, texture and mouth feel of various foods and beverages.
 

Pam Raes, a technician in the Vinification & Brewing Laboratory, pours wine into the still for distillation into brandy.

Gerling said companies trying to come up with a new food or drink and people who want to see if they can take grandma’s sauce recipe and make it into a commercial success come to the labs to test their products. Station scientists in the viticulture area also will test how new varieties of grapes fare when made into wine or will see what two different types of grapes will make when put together for a wine.
 
They also look for different ways of making wine, beer and distilled spirits. One study took a bunch of all the same type of grape and then “we wanted to see what happens with different yeast or different fermentation,” he said.
 
“First they see if a certain type of grape grows well, but then, they have to see if it makes a good wine,” Gerling said. “We are always breeding to see if they make good wines.”
 
And it certainly isn’t party time when it comes down to testing these wines or beers or spirits.
“It’s not as fun as it sounds,” Gerling said.

 


 

New York Certified Organic Winter Meeting March 8 in Geneva

The New York Certified Organic Winter Meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 8 in Jordan Hall at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

A number of speakers will discuss new and changing global markets for organic grain and dairy producers, flax grain production and uses and "What Do You Want to Make Per Acre on Your Farm?"

One of the featured presenters is Bob Quinn of Big Sandy, Montana, talking about developing new markets for organic grain. Quinn considered several options before settling on the ancient grain of kamut as a good fit for his 2,400-acre organic farm, which is in an area that can receive 13 inches of rain in one season. 

He will talk about the importance of research, dedication to establishing a strong market and what farmers can do to develop their own niche.

Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain

Mary-Howell Martens, who operates Lakeview Organic Grain and co-owns an organic grain farm with her husband Klaas Martens in Penn Yan, Yates County, will cover changes in the world grain market. The Martenses are highly respected agricultural innovators who willingly share their knowledge to encourage other farmers to be successful. 

Luke Gianforte of Gianforte Farm, Cazenovia, Madison County, will help audience members answer the question of what each wants to make per acre with their farming enterprise. He will share how he tracks costs and returns for 500 acres of up to 10 different organic grains and row crops he and his dad grow in any given year. 

The Gianfortes also operate their own small mill and package whole and milled grains in bulk and for restaurant, retail and farmers’ market sale, largely serving the Central New York and Mohawk Valley regions.

Ed Schefler of Groton, Tompkins County will be among the growers on the after-lunch panel discussing alternative grains production. Schefler will show slides about growing flax and pressing the seed for oil and cake, which he feeds to his cows.

There also will be a brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers at the March 8 program.

There is no cost or need to register to attend the program. Participants are asked to bring a dish to pass at the potluck lunch.

For more information, contact Fay Benson at (607) 745-3807 or email  afb3@cornell.edu

Apples Created at New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

Susan Brown has helped create some of the most beloved apples in New York state.

 Read about her and her work here: http://www.syracuse.com/empire/index.ssf/2015/09/mother_of_apple_invention_meet_the_woman_research_center_behind_nys_newest_apple.html#incart_river_home

Apples created at the New York Ag Experiment Station: http://www.syracuse.com/empire/index.ssf/2015/09/meet_the_apples_7_varieties_developed_in_new_york.html#incart_river_home

New York State Ag Experiment Station in Geneva Obtaining Equpment for Food Safety

The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva is receiving $600,000 in state funding for new food processing equipment.

The Ithaca Journal reports the money was used to purchase a Hiperbaric 55 High Pressure Processing machine, which uses high pressure instead of high temperatures to eliminate food-borne pathogens.

Officials say the new machine, unveiled Monday, will bring a higher quality to foods in addition to enhanced safety through its more effective elimination of germs.
 
The technology will be beneficial for the grape industry in addition to producers of dairy products.
 
Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett says the machine will enable researchers to "open new frontiers for food safety."

Partnerships Will Boost NY Beverage Industry

From the state Department of Agriculture and Markets:

Two new partnerships to further support and grow the beverage industry in the Finger Lakes region have been announced.

A new partnership between Taste NY and the New York Wine & Culinary Center was unveiled following a successful listening session with beverage industry stakeholders during Gov. Cuomo’s Capital for a Day in Rochester.  

In addition, $200,000 will be provided to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva for research on hops and malting barley, the two major ingredients in the production of beer.  

Capital for a Day was created by Cuomo to bring state government directly to the people it serves. The day-long event partnered state officials with residents, local leaders and stakeholders to examine first-hand the needs of a community and how New York state government can build upon its strengths and make a positive impact on its residents.

The New York Wine & Culinary Center, a premier attraction in the Finger Lakes that showcases New York’s dynamic agriculture, food and beverage industries through its classes, events, and farm-to-table restaurant, is partnering with Taste NY to further expand its dedication to New York-sourced products and ingredients, as well as promote and educate visitors about the diversity of New York agricultural products.
 
As part of the partnership, the New York Wine & Culinary Center will incorporate the Taste NY experience into its culinary and beverage educational classes.Recipes used in classes will include New York state products and will list the local farmers and suppliers of ingredients to familiarize students with the wide variety of New York agricultural products. 
 
The New York Wine & Culinary Center also will modify the majority of its promotional material with the addition of the Taste NY logo, such as its newly launched wine and culinary center farm-to-table food truck which features the branding.  

The food truck offers a menu that represents an extension of the cuisine of the Upstairs Bistro, the culinary center's popular restaurant, and uses nearly 100 percent New York state products on the road. 

The food truck will be on the move this summer at various events, wineries, breweries and more. 

Taste NY branding will also be added to the menu at Upstairs Bistro to reflect its dedication to local sourcing. It continues to offer a 100 percent New York wine and beer list, as well as a large number of spirit and cider products from the state.

The state will provide $200,000 to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station for research into hops and malting barley, the two primary ingredients in beer.

The money, included in the 2015-16 state budget, builds on $133,242 previously provided by the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority.

The experiment station is in the second year of a multi-year research plan aimed at testing the growing stock for malting barley, evaluating disease resistance of various varieties and evaluating which varieties are best suited to New York's climate.

The research being conducted by Cornell University will help meet the growing demand of hops and barley for use in farm-based breweries. Cuomo’s Farm Brewery Legislation, which has spurred the rapid growth of craft brewing in New York state, requires farm brewers to increase the percentage of New York-grown hops and all other ingredients in farm-brewed beer from 20 percent today to 90 percent by 2024. 

The 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most recent official statistics available, shows that 7,679 acres of land in New York was used to produce barley, while 19 acres of land was in use for growing hops. 

A Cornell Cooperative Extension hops expert estimates that more than 300 acres of land is in use statewide now to grow hops, with the number growing by 75 to 100 acres a year and with larger farming organizations considering large-scale hops growing operations.

 

New York Veggie Growers Plant Cooperative Fund

From Cornell University:

A group of vegetable growers are helping pay for crucial research in breeding, growing and protecting vegetables across New York state.

Through the “Agriculture Research Fund” which was launched in 2014, the group of processing vegetable growers from Western New York put in about $100,000 to support the research. Their hopes are to improve vegetable growth and the production of vegetables in the state to produce more food for New Yorkers and increase their bottom lines.

“We’re hoping this fund will grow significantly, with additional support from the industry,” said Tom Facer, president of Oakfield-based Farm Fresh First and a former Birds Eye Foods executive.

Farm Fresh First includes growers and managers who work from Canada to the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. Facer said vegetable growers and processors throughout New York anticipate increasing demand as consumers choose healthy and locally grown food. 

He said the industry also faces an “ever-changing” set of challenges – from new weeds and diseases to steadily increasing insect pressures. Facer said the Agriculture Research Fund’s supporters believe ongoing basic and applied agricultural research must be continued and expanded for growers to stay ahead of these challenges, stay in operation and continue to deliver top-quality produce to consumers.

He said it is the kind of work that has been going on for years at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. Research from the experiment station is shared with producers throughout the state through Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“All of our efforts are for the improvement of the production of vegetables in New York,” Facer said. “This isn’t for marketing, this is for research and this is for growers; what benefits them.”

Meeting on Soils Set for Jan. 13 in Geneva

New York Certified Organic (NYCO) has scheduled a meeting Jan. 13 in Geneva to talk about soil fertility.

The meeting, at the state Agricultural Experiment Station, begins at 10 a.m. in the Jordan Hall auditorium and features three presentations. They are:


1) Jean Bonhotal, director of the Cornell Waste Management Institute, will talk about how to gain soil vitality with compost.

2) Noted New York organic producer Klaas Martens of Penn Yan, will present information on the Soil Rennaissance Initiative, a grassroots movement that is drawing attention nationwide, including from high-ranking U.S. Department of Agriculture officials. The Foundation, Oak Brook, IL, and Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK, started the initiative in 2013. 

Twenty-five soil health leaders working in production agriculture, industry, academia, research and government identified economics, measurement, research and education as key areas for advancing soil health as the decision-making cornerstone for land use management and sustainable natural resource systems and for meeting the challenge of feeding 9 billion people by the year 2050.

3) Carol MacNeil of the Cornell Vegetable Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension will discuss Cornell’s Soil Health Assessment practices.

The meeting includes a potluck lunch, and a discussion circle for questions and answers and brainstorming. 

New York Certified Organic received funding for the meeting from the New York Farm Viability Institute and the New York Agriculture and Markets Crop Insurance Team.

Organic grain and dairy farmers have met at NYCO meetings since 1994 to increase their practical knowledge and expertise. Registration is not required; participants bring a dish to pass for the potluck lunch. 

For more details, contact NYCO facilitator Fay Benson with Cornell Cooperative Extension at 607-753-5213, afb3@cornell.edu.

Cornell Researchers Figure Out Beer Foam Secrets

Who knew?

This is from Cornell University:

It’s an unlikely beer-drinking toast: “Here’s to L-T-P-One!” 

 

Yet, the secret to optimal foam in the head of a freshly poured brew, according to Cornell food science research, is just the right amount and kind of barley lipid transfer protein No. 1, aka LTP1.

 

Bitter compounds found in hops, like iso-alpha acids, are important to brewers, says Cornell’s Karl J. Siebert, principal investigator and author of “Recent Discoveries in Beer Foam,” set for publication in next issue of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

 

“Dissolved gases in the beer – carbon dioxide and, in some instances, nitrogen – play a role. So do acidity, some ions, ethanol levels, viscosity and numerous other factors that have been tried by brewers and scientifically tested,” says Siebert, professor of food science and technology at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y. “But LTP1 is the key to perfect beer foam.”

 

Fascinating as foam is to chemists, it’s of vital importance for the sensory experience of beer appreciation, insists Siebert, formerly a longtime research chemist in the industry, including at the former Stroh Brewery Co. in Detroit.

 

“To some beer aficionados, the sign of a good head – the proper consistency, color, height, duration – is to draw a face with your finger in the foam, before taking the first sip,” the food scientist notes. “If the face is still there, when the glass is drained and the liquid is gone – that’s seriously good foam.”

New York Welcomes Its Newest Apples: SnapDragon and RubyFrost

SnapDragon apples. Photo from Cornell

News from Cornell University:

SnapDragon and RubyFrost are the names of the two new apples developed in New York state.

After years of development and consumer testing as “NY1” and “NY2” Cornell University and New York Apple Growers have given the hottest new apples in the Empire State names worthy of their unique assets: SnapDragon and RubyFrost.

The names were revealed Thursday afternoon by Jeff Crist, vice chairman of the New York Apple Growers board of directors, at the annual Fruit Field Days at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, where Cornell breeder and Horticulture Professor Susan Brown developed the varieties.

“SnapDragon is a great name for this apple because consumers found its crispy texture and sweet flavor so appealing,” said Mark Russell, an apple grower and New York Apple Growers member.

SnapDragon, formerly NY1, gets its juicy crispness from its Honeycrisp parent, and it has a spicy-sweet flavor that was a big hit with taste testers. Russell anticipates it will be a popular apple for snacking, especially for children.

Brown said she recognized its promise and fast-tracked it for commercialization.

“I remember my very first bite of SnapDragon. The taste, the crispness and the juiciness impressed us,” Brown said. “Retailers will appreciate its other qualities as well, because although SnapDragon’s harvest window starts relatively early – in late September – its long storage and shelf life means retailers may be able to offer it with consistent quality for a longer time than Honeycrisp.”

RubyFrost apples. Photo from Cornell.

RubyFrost, formerly NY2, which ripens later in the fall and stores well, will provide a boost of vitamin C well into winter. Brown expects it will be popular with fans of Empire and Granny Smith.

“I think juicy and refreshing when I eat a RubyFrost,” Russell said. “It’s a fascinating apple, with a beautiful skin and a nice sugar-acid balance, but to me the crisp juiciness is rewarding every time.”

The two varieties have been a decade in the making, and how they’ve gone to market is a first for the Cornell apple-breeding program and the New York apple industry. Historically, public universities developed new apple breeds and released them to the industry freely.

But in 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act gave universities the ability to retain the intellectual property rights for their research, with limited plant-based royalties.

In addition to SnapDragon and RubyFrost, Cornell has released 66 apple varieties since the late 1890s, including the popular Cortland, Macoun, Empire and Jonagold. Brown herself has brought consumers the highly popular Fortune and Autumncrisp varieties, as well as 10 sweet and one tart cherry varieties.

New York Apple Creations to be Named Today

It's like that special moment when you finally decide what to name your child.

Today, two apple creations made at the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva will be named at 12:15 p.m. today (Aug. 1) during an event at the Ag Station. Formerly known as NY1 and NY2, the apples will receive their formal names and marketing logos for them will be unveiled.

Brown

Cornell University officials say one of the apples "is crispy, sweet and fun" while the other "will bring fresh, juicy comfort well into the winter." They were developed by Cornell University Horticulture Professor and apple breeder extraordinaire Susan Brown at the Ag Station, a facility she now helps direct.

According to a Cornell news release, Brown, who brought fruit-loving consumers the highly popular Fortune and Autumncrisp varieties (as well as 10 sweet and one tart cherry varieties), has been developing her newest apples for more than a decade. Conventionally bred, her newest creations promise to excite the palette and soothe the soul, and expand New York’s world-leading apple crop portfolio – a win for both growers and consumers in this region and beyond.

Joining Brown in the naming ceremony will be state Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine, apple grower and vice chair of the board of director of New York Apples Growers Jeff Crist and Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Kathryn Boor.

Cornell officials say the new apple names were developed following extensive consumer research by New York Apple Growers, Cornell’s partner in marketing the new varieties. Taste testing was done to help determine positioning and branding for each variety, and 1,000 consumers were surveyed online to assist in the name selection.

Marketing experts from New York Apple Growers will also be on hand to help explain how NY1 and NY2 (and that’s the last time we’ll use those names) will make their way to select New York Apple Growers farm stands this fall, ahead of their rollout in grocery stores in 2015.

The naming event takes place as part of the 2013 annual Fruit Field Day at the Ag Station. Each year, fruit growers, consultants and industry personnel tour field plots and learn about the latest research and extension efforts being carried out by Cornell.

This year’s event will focus on all commodities of key importance to New York's $350 million fruit industry: apples, grapes, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and other berry crops, plus hops.

Fruit Field Day Set for August in Geneva

The annual Fruit Field Day put on by Cornell University is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 1 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

The field day will consist of two day-long tours, one of tree fruit presentations and another of grapes, hops and small fruit trees.

Go to http://blogs.cornell.edu/stationnews/cicada-fest-at-the-hudson-valley-lab-grabbing-a-bite-on-the-fly/presentations-fruit-field-day-2013/ for a full list of presentations during the field day.

The event is geared for fruit growers, consultants and industry personnel who will tour field plots are invited to tour field plots and learn about the latest research and extension efforts being carried out by Cornell researchers in Geneva and Ithaca.

According to a Cornell news release, the event will focus on all commodities of key importance to New York’s $350 million fruit industry: apples, grapes, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and other berry crops, plus hops.

There also will be displays of products and technologies.

The event will be held on the Experiment Station’s Fruit and Vegetable Research Farm South, 1097 County Road No. 4, one mile west of Pre-emption Road in Geneva. Signs will be posted.

Registration cost is $30 per person ($40 for walk-ins) for all-day attendance. Lunch will be provided.
Pre-registration is required for the $30 rate. Go to http://is.gd/ffd2013 to register online.


For sponsorship and exhibitor information, call Debbie Breth at (585) 798-4265 or email her at  dib1@cornell.edu