Cider Event Planned for Feb. 18 in Albany

From state Agriculture and Markets:

In support of New York state’s farm cideries and agricultural producers, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball and State Liquor Authority Chairman Vincent Bradley will join Nine Pin Ciderworks at its 3^rd annual Gathering of the New York Farm Cideries event Feb. 18 in Albany.

During the event, 15 farm cideries from seven regions across the state invite the public to taste and buy some of their most exclusive products made with New York-grown ingredients. 

The event also marks Nine Pin’s third anniversary as the first licensed farm cidery in New York state under the Farm Cidery Law, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013.   

The annual Gathering of Farm Cideries event is held at the Nine Pin Ciderworks tasting room and production facility in Albany. Attendees can enjoy up to three hours of free samples of unique ciders made from New York apples and provided by 15 different farm cideries from the Capital Region, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, Mid-Hudson region, North Country, Southern Tier and New York City.  

They also have the option to buy limited-batch ciders by the growler or bottles to go. The event will be split into two sessions: Noon to 3 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $20. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the New York State Cider Association.  

Tickets are available online by http://www.ninepincider.com/ going to this link. 

“I am thrilled to participate in this exciting event and to shine a light on the incredible synergy between the state’s farm cideries and our farms," Ball said. "New York’s craft beverage producers are some of the agricultural industry’s best customers. As their businesses succeed, the demand for agricultural products continues to grow and that’s truly a win for all New Yorkers."

“The Governor’s Farm Cidery Law has led to a renaissance in hard cider sales and production throughout New York," Bradley said. "In addition to creating 28 new manufacturers, farm cideries have driven demand for New York apples, created jobs, helped to protect the environment and increased tourism dollars in our local communities.” 

The craft beverage manufacturing industry in New York state is booming. Regulatory reforms, new legislation and robust marketing campaigns have paved the way for significant growth in the industry, which now has an annual economic impact of $3.5 billion.  

Since 2011, the number of farm-based craft beverage manufacturers in New York state has increased by 197 percent. 

Since the third anniversary of the New York Farm Cidery Law in October, the number of farm cideries has tripled from 8 in 2014 to 24 in 2016. Since then, four new farm cideries have opened, bringing the statewide total to 28.   

In addition, six farm cidery off-site branch stores have opened following changes to the Alcohol and Beverage Control Law last year, helping to boost sales, draw visitors and increase tourism in communities across the state.

New York is also home to 322 farm wineries, 149 farm breweries and 109 farm distilleries.  Twenty-three of those companies also manufacture hard cider.  

To further strengthen the industry, Cuomo’s 2017-18 Executive Budget proposes a new license allowing up to 10 Taste NY store operators to sell craft beverages along with food and souvenir items.  

Currently only vintners, brewers, and distillers that operate Taste NY stores can sell both alcohol and other products. 

Cuomo has also proposed expanding the sale of craft beverages at certain locations such as movie theaters, launching the first-ever New York Craft Beverage Week, and a new grant for craft beverage producers to engage in joint marketing campaigns and enter products in national and international competitions.

Here are the 28 cideries in New York state:

2 Way Brewing Co., Beacon
Bad Seed Cider, Highland
Blackduck Cidery, Ovid
Blue Toad Hard Cider, Rochester
Brooklyn Cider House, Brooklyn
Cider Creek Hard Cider, Canisteo
Clintondale Brewing Co., Clintondale
Cooperatown Beverage Exchange, Cooperstown
Dark Island Spirits, Alexandria Bay
Descendant Cider Co., Maspeth
Embark Craft Ciderworks, Williamson
Fishkill Farms, Hopewell Junction
Graft Cider, Newburgh
Grisamore Cider Works, Locke
Kaneb Orchards, Massena
Little Apple Cidery, Hillsdale
Metal House Cider, Ulster Park
Nine Pin Ciderworks, Albany
Riverhead Cider House, Calverton
Rogers' Cideryard, Johnstown
Saratoga Apple, Schuylerville
Sauvage Beverages, Oneonta
Sterling Cidery, Sterling
Stone Bridge Cider, Hudson
Sundog Cider, Chatham
Thompsons Cider Mill, Croton-on-Hudson
Wayside Ciders, Andes
Westwind Orchard, Accord


Those participating in the Albany event are:
Little Apple
Nine Pin
Saratoga Apple
Stone Bridge
Sundog
Black Creek 
Blackduck
Blue Toad
Embark
Bad Seed
Fishkill
Rogers' Cideryard
Brooklyn Cider House
Kaneb
Wayside

Hard Cider Sales in New York Gets Some Help from Federal Law

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By MARC HELLER
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
WASHINGTON — A small change in federal tax policy may help give some extra kick to New York’s apple cider industry — all the way to Europe.
 
Congress agreed in December to treat hard cider more like beer — instead of wine or champagne — for purposes of a federal excise tax, which may spur cider makers to make their brews a little stronger to compete with beer, said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, a trade group.
 
Under the law, called the Cider Act, cider with an alcohol content of up to 8.5 percent will be taxed at the lower rate of 23 cents per gallon that also applies to beer. Previously, hard cider with an alcohol content greater that 7 percent faced the same $1.07 per gallon rate as wine, or as much as $3.30 per gallon depending on the level of carbonation.
 
The law puts U.S. producers on a more even keel with competing countries, meaning export markets may open, apple industry representatives said.
 
Smaller producers will see an even bigger benefit, keeping a 17-cents-per-gallon rate that they pay, and which will apply to all of their hard-cider production, said Mark Seetin, director of regulatory and industry affairs for the U.S. Apple Association, a lobbying group for growers.
 
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was a chief sponsor in the Senate. In the House, Upstate New York lawmakers widely supported a similar version of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Collins (R-Clarence). The Senate Finance Committee reported that the cost to the federal Treasury, in foregone revenue, is negligible.
 
Schumer said the definition of hard cider used in the Internal Revenue Code was outdated, especially given how the industry has grown and how the process of making cider is just inexact enough to send the product beyond the old limits unintentionally.
 
“Under this legislation, apples that would otherwise be sold at a loss or thrown away, are now ripe for the cider press,” Schumer said in a news release after the bill’s passage. “By modernizing the definition of hard cider, our hard cider industry would pay less in taxes and be able to expand and compete.”
 
Congress passed the tax change as part of a year-end tax and spending measure. Advocates fell short on a related goal to also ease excise taxes on craft beer, wine and spirits, although Congress could revisit that issue later this year or in 2017.
 
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, New York ranks second to Washington state in apple production and has more apple cider producers than any other state, with more than 50.
 
Apples are big business in the state, with 55,000 acres in production and 694 commercial growers, the New York Apple Association said. That translates to about 10,000 direct agricultural jobs in growing, harvesting and packing, for instance, the association said.
 
New York cider makers such as Angry Orchard, in Walden, could expand into higher-alcohol varieties, Allen said. Angry Orchard makes cider with a 5.5 percent alcohol content, and the company touted the new law on its website. Among other gains, producers will be able to use fruit such as pears, in addition to apples, and U.S. law will be more in tune with competing countries, said Ryan Burk, the company’s head cider maker.
 
“Our cider friends in other parts of the world were already aligned with these standards, so these regulations will level the playing field for American cider makers to export cider abroad, and allow folks all over the world to get a taste of the great cider we are producing here in the U.S.,” he said.
 
“The cider industry in New York is growing, and new cider varieties are being budded and planted,” Allen said. “The craft cider business is certainly trailing the craft beer in volume, but it is reaching the same consumers and same age groups.”
 
Nationally, hard cider has expanded fast. Ratings by the Nielsen Company show that sales of cider in the United States grew from $78 million in 2011 to $470 million in the year ending in January 2015.
 
Drinking habits of younger Americans are largely at play, Nielsen said. In addition, cider tends to be a “gateway” drink, which people buy along with beer, for instance, the company said.
 
“The changes in hard-cider taxation will greatly benefit smaller hard-cider producers, and by making U.S. standards compatible with those of the EU, cider makers will potentially have access to European markets as well,” Seetin said.

Hard Cider Production Takes Off in New York State

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 

Beak & Skiff 1911 Hard Cider

When the owners of Beak & Skiff orchard in LaFayette south of Syracuse decided to build a site to make hard cider, they put up a 30,000-square-foot building.
 
What they didn’t realize at the time was the hard cider industry would take off at such a rate that they outgrew their 30,000-square-foot building in a little more than a year.
Now, they are expanding just to keep up with demand.
 
“We thought this was a five-year building,” said head cidermaker Yann Fay. “But we were wrong. After 1½ years, we outgrew it. Today, we can’t keep up with the demand.”
 
Just listen to this — at Beak & Skiff’s 1911 Cidery, production has increased from about 20,000 gallons of hard cider in 2014 to an estimated 300,000 gallons this year. A total of 200,000 gallons came off the bottling line in 2015.
 
To meet the demand, Fay said the company built a new 30,000-square-foot addition onto the cidery and moved all the storage of product and supplies into that space. That frees up space in the main part of the cidery building for four new fermenting tanks to handle 18,000 more gallons of bulk cider.
 
Beak & Skiff isn’t the only New York business reaching new heights in the hard cider world. More and more farms are getting into the hard cider business. According to statistics from the state Liquor Authority, the number of hard cider makers has gone from five in 2011 to 22 now.
 
But these aren’t the only sites making hard cider. Some wineries are expanding to add hard cider to their repertoire. Craft breweries are also getting into the hard cider game.
 
Even longtime brewer F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, the home of Saranac beer, is making hard sodas — hard root beer, hard orange cream and hard black cherry.
 
Rochester also boasts a first hard cider-only tavern. Mullers Cider House opened in December and is serving 50 ciders from the United States (outside New York), France, England, Spain, Scotland, Ireland and Germany and 19 ciders (plus two seasonals) made in New York state. It also has a pub-style food menu.
 
“I think it’s time,” Patrick Jaouen, a co-owner of Mullers with Sam Conjerti Jr., told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle in December. “And just from the response we’ve gotten so far, people are ready for something new.
 
“There’s a million craft beer places and wine bars. When they come into Mullers, it’s going to be a new experience. I think people are craving that. I think that with the passion we have for this, that we have for cider, we’re going to be able to expose people to a whole other world that they weren’t aware of,” he said.
 
Part of what made hard cider a big deal in New York is the cider law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in October 2013, which made a license available to farm cideries that use crops grown exclusively in New York state. That law led to the creation of eight farm cideries in the state and cider being made at craft breweries and wineries in the state.
 
The Farm Cidery Law created a license for cider manufacturers similar to licenses available to farm wineries, breweries and distilleries. In order to obtain a farm cidery license, the hard cider must be made exclusively from apples and other pome fruits grown in New York state, with production of up to 150,000 gallons annually.
 
Cuomo has had three New York Wine, Beer and Spirits Summits — in the fall of 2012, spring 2014 and fall of 2015. The summits brought the “farm-based beverage sector together with agricultural producers and government officials in an effort to accelerate and prolong the rapid growth exhibited by the state’s beverage industry,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
 
All of this makes perfect sense since New York state is the second largest apple producer in the United States. New York growers harvested an estimated 1.1 billion pounds last year. The state is home to 40,000 acres of apple orchards, where growers produced an average of 31,500 pounds of apples per acre.
 
Fay, the cidermaker at Beak & Skiff’s 1911 Cidery, said there is no worry that places like Beak & Skiff will run out of apples for picking and fresh eating with more cider being made. He said Beak & Skiff is always planting more trees to meet the demand.
 
“We have 300,000 trees on 300 to 400 acres,” he said. “We plant 8,000 to 10,000 new trees each year. There are four to six apples in each bottle of hard cider. So there will always be enough apples.”
 
The 1911 Cidery at Beak & Skiff has a beautiful state-of-the-art bottling line that automatically fills 750 milliliter bottles (about the size of a wine bottle) with hard cider. The cidery employs seven full-time production people and six full-time sales people and is planning to add new employees this year.
 
Making hard cider is much the same process as when regular apple cider turns hard. Remember finding a bottle of regular cider that had been pushed to the back of the refrigerator and forgotten? 

After a while, that cider turned hard because the sugar in the cider turned to alcohol.
 
It’s the same with hard cider made at cideries, except you don’t have to wait forever for the natural fermentation process. Fay said things are helped along by adding yeast, which works to break the sugars down into alcohol. The cider sits in fermentation tanks for anywhere from six weeks to six months and then is bottled.
 
It has an alcohol content of 5.5 percent to 6.9 percent, just a tad more than beer.
 

Apple Country Spirits in Williamson

Most spirits are noted by proof, say 100 proof or 80 proof. The alcohol content of these would be 50 percent for the 100 proof and 40 percent for the 80 proof (take the proof number and divide by 2 to get the alcohol content, according to the Serious Eats website).
 
Wine ranges from 10 percent to 18 percent alcohol.
 
The hard ciders can be made in varying flavors and, like wine, can run the gamut from dry to sweet. 

Fay said as a cidermaker, it is his job to experiment using different varieties of apples and mixing different apples and even hops to come up with creative tastes. 1911 Cidery has even come up with some seasonal blends, like its pumpkin hard cider in the fall. 
 
David DeFisher, a fourth-generation fruit farmer in Williamson, Wayne County, recently moved into the hard cider business at his farm. He also runs Apple Country Spirits, which he opened in 2012, which makes a variety of alcoholic spirits made from apples and other fruits.
 
DeFisher welcomes consumers to visit the farm, ask questions about the distilling process and hard cider fermentation process. Oh, and also, try some of the beverages.
 
“The farm cideries legislation opened the door to new opportunities for New York’s cider manufacturers, and the progress they have made since it became law is truly remarkable,” Cuomo said in a speech. “From offering tastings to selling their world-class product alongside other made-in-New York goods, our state’s cideries are driving economic activity across the state, and I am proud that we have been able to play a part in their success.”
 
Here are some other cider operations that have opened of late:
 
** November 2015 — Angry Orchard Cider Co. opened a new Innovation Cider House, home to a small-batch cidery, tasting room and hard cider research-and-development center at Angry Orchard’s 60-acre apple orchard in the village of Walden, Orange County.
 
Angry Orchard is investing $9.1 million in the Innovation Cider House and  employ at least seven full-time employees through 2018. The facility has also been awarded a $175,000 Empire State Development capital grant to cover the costs of the cidery’s machinery and equipment. The facility will be home to cider research and development for the cider maker, including small batch experimentation with different ingredients, apple varieties, recipes and processes.
 
At the orchard, visitors can learn about cider as well as try samples of exclusive, handcrafted Angry Orchard ciders. Ciders developed at the orchard may eventually become part of the Angry Orchard family of ciders available nationwide. First launched in 2012, Angry Orchard is the number-one selling hard cider in the United States, where cider consumption has nearly quintupled since 2010.
 
** December 2015 — Mullers Cider House, a hard cider-only bar and tavern, opens in Rochester.
 
** April 2014 — The Anheuser-Busch (owned now by InBev) plant in Baldwinsville in suburban Syracuse makes the company’s first hard cider, Johnny Appleseed.
 
** 2015 — The Empire Cider Center opens in Geneva near the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. It is an business incubator of sorts for cider makers, where lab testing, research and development, small-batch production, bottling and cold-storage goes on so producers can test their products. It is making its first hard ciders this month (February). 
 
For more information on New York cider, visit www.nycider.com, a website run by the New York Apple Association.

Will the Upstate Revitalization Initiative Really Help Agricultural Growth?

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine

By DEBRA J. GROOM

Late last year, the state announced three regions of the state would receive $500 million each during the next five years to help jumpstart their economies and create jobs.
 
Each of these regions — Central New York, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier — as well as those regions that did not win the competition (North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, Mid-Hudson) included agricultural components in their proposals.
 
So just what do the three winning regions want to do with their money in the field of agriculture? And which of these ideas does an agricultural economics professor at Cornell University think will provide the biggest bang for the buck?
 
Associate Professor Todd Schmit said he couldn’t talk about specifics in the plans, but looked at them overall and had some observations.
 
Schmit said what jumped out at him first was the regions’ proposals for food processing and beverages, areas that are adding jobs in New York state. He also liked proposals for “food hubs” and different ways to transport fresh products to other areas.
 
“What I took away from it is the key areas I see that will be fitting with the economic impacts in these regions and statewide economies,” Schmit said.
 
Schmit, who received his doctorate in 2003 at Cornell and teaches in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, focuses his research and teaching on agribusiness development, agribusiness management, agricultural marketing and cooperatives.
 
He said his research has shown that at the state level, the strongest growth is in food manufacturing. In that area, there has been a 53-percent increase in output sales and a 16- percent increase in employment.
 
An example in the dairy industry is the explosion of yogurt manufacturing in the state. Although there is a “question on supply issues” in yogurt right now (an oversupply of yogurt) along with depressed milk prices, this still should be an area of growth.
 
(One yogurt plant, run by Muller in Batavia, recently closed due to poor production expectations). New York has been the top U.S. yogurt producer for several years because of the booming Greek yogurt sector. Other plants in the state are run by Chobani, Fage and Byrne.
 
Schmit also said the specialty beverage industry is booming.
 
“A good chunk of that is in the wineries and the growth in hard cider and craft brewers,” he said.
 
In 2008, there were about 240 wineries in New York state. Today, there are more than 400.
 
Fruit growers are not just selling fruit today. Many have expanded into fruit spirits (alcoholic beverages), such as Beak & Skiff’s 1911 distillery in LaFayette in Onondaga County, which uses apples to make gin, vodka and a number of hard-cider products. 

Apple Country Spirits in Williamson, Wayne County, also uses its apples and other fruits to make spirits and hard cider.
 
“All the investments in manufacturing will provide opportunities,” Schmit said. “There are strong multiplier effects with this manufacturing. I see that as encouraging.”
 
Schmit also was excited about infrastructure improvements, mostly to improve ways to transport New York grown and manufactured foods to areas that need it.
 
“We have to get foods to urban areas,” he said. “These types of investments are worthwhile.”
 
For example, one proposals in the Southern Tier plan lists the desire to develop and use new technology to transition the Southern Tier from a highly seasonal, occasional provider of food products to a reliable source of supply for the East Coast. 

The Central New York plan includes indoor agriculture, so vegetables and fruits can be provided to customers year-round instead of just in the summer and fall.
 
Lastly, Schmit said he likes the proposed investment for workforce development. He said workers should be trained for these food manufacturing and beverage jobs so when companies hire them, they stay and become invested in their workplace and what it is making.
 
“Right now, there isn’t a commitment or work ethic,” Schmit said. “With the right incentives, (which he said is more than just wages) people will have a commitment for what they do and are engaged with the organization.”
 
Here are the winning regions and what agricultural proposals are in their plans. Most of the wording is taken right from the plans:
 
SOUTHERN TIER
 
Transform the Food and Agriculture Industry
 
The Southern Tier will be a world-recognized leader in agriculture technology and serve as a key food supplier for the East Coast of the United States.
 
Leveraging the global reach and strengths of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, together with the region’s natural assets and strong private sector investment, a strategic mix of projects will transform and grow agriculture and food production, processing and distribution across the region, while also strengthening links to growing tourism and manufacturing industries.
 
** Develop and deploy new technology to transition the Southern Tier from a highly seasonal, occasional provider of food products to a reliable source of supply for the East Coast.
 
** Promote and leverage existing and new support structures for growers and producers in the region to help expand farms and increase their profitability.
 
** Increase the diversity of and access to food processing facilities around the region, including slaughterhouses, meat packing and poultry processing facilities, dairy processing facilities and aseptic packaging facilities for vegetables.
 
**Leverage our location at the crossroads of Upstate New York via the creation of a “food hub” network that facilitates market connections and distribution of food products for production centers in regions across the state.
 
** Pioneer workforce development programs designed to bolster food and agriculture industries.
 
The plan also states job creation for agriculture would be about 2,800, the average annual food and agriculture wage would go from $50,491 to $55,541 by the year 2020, the regional output of crops would increase 15 percent and the output in animal products would increase 5 percent.
 
Game-changing investments
 
** Plant Science Innovation and Business Development Center at Cornell University
 
** Southern Tier Agriculture and Food Development Cooperative
 
** Southern Tier Agriculture Development Fund, which will provide support to pioneering workforce development programs, with a focus on regional residents, hard-to-place workers and veterans
 
** Southern Tier Agriculture Education Fund
 
** Beef and Cattle Research Program
 
** Groundswell Farmer Incubator Capacity Improvement and Regional Expansion
 
** Basic infrastructure projects necessary to support expansion of food processing facilities such as the Waverly WWTF update to support the expansion of Leprino Cheese and the Village of Walton Biogas Project to support Kraft Food
 
** New construction or expansion of processing facilities for dairy, value-added foods, slaughter and meat packing, aseptic packaging and ultra-premium wine and beverages
 
** Investments in crop production such as the Vineyard Reclamation and Replacement Program
 
n Network of distribution hubs
 
FINGER LAKES
 
Further investment in the Finger Lakes region’s food ecosystem will help spur growth and create jobs. Examples of potential upcoming projects include:
 
AquaTerRen, a controlled environment agriculture start-up, is planning to build a hydroponic/recirculating aquaculture facility at Eastman Business Park in Rochester. The facility will produce fish, organic vegetables and organic fertilizer using renewable energy from anaerobic biodigestion.
 
This sustainable system would use shared utilities at the park and leverage state funding with a $250 million private investment, creating 400 jobs.
 
The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva in Ontario County plans to add a high-pressure processing (HPP) safety testing machine at its facility. HPP is a rapidly expanding technology and the equipment would be the only Hiperbaric testing machine in the U.S. 
 
This collaboration between New York state, Cornell University, LiDestri Foods, Wegmans Food Markets and others will enhance the ability of the ag experiment station to serve as a hub for product safety testing in the U.S., and will attract food start-ups and entrepreneurs.
 
The Organic Grain Farming Conversion Initiative will help farmers convert to growing organic grain and position the Finger Lakes region as the organic food capital of the eastern U.S. and spur further investments by food manufacturers. Organic breads from heritage grains and organic meat using organic grain for feed will be produced from the grain grown in the Finger Lakes region.
 
A cross-region wine marketing strategy and campaign, expanding and coalescing existing efforts into a unified plan, will substantially increase tourism to the region.
 
North American Breweries has proposed an Eco-Brewery District that would create a destination for marketing and enhance the quality and perception of New York state beer. The project will expand the Genesee Brew House concept and create a brewery incubator, beer education center and a museum.
 
Working in collaboration with Monroe Community College, the district would also support workforce development for the beer industry. In addition, the district would be marketed as a tourist attraction that aligns with Greentopia’s EcoDistrict plans for the High Falls district. The project is situated in the low-income El Camino neighborhood and would contribute to its revitalization.
 
A Sustainable Food Production Initiative will strengthen and expand the food production industry through applied research around the development of new technology, tools, skill sets, innovations and information necessary to address the most critical industry-wide challenges, including energy, water usage, waste and overall resilience.
 
A focused effort on sustainable food production will require collaboration between food production companies, research institutions including the ag experiment station and the Technology Farm, community colleges and economic development organizations. 

The initiative will be led by Rochester Institute of Technology’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability and builds upon the existing Finger Lakes Food Production Cluster Initiative to further increase job and revenue growth in regional food cluster companies. 

Investments would focus on high-promise, applied research and development opportunities with the potential to drive innovation across large numbers of existing food production firms in the region.
 
CENTRAL NEW YORK
 
The ag initiatives in Central New York’s plan are titled New York-Grown, New York-Certified — Safe and Market-Ready. Region officials want to establish a strong consumer preference for Central New York agricultural products grown locally and certified as safe and nutritious to respond to growing domestic and international demands for nutrition and food safety.
 
They also want to build a powerful brand identity — within the region to around the globe — utilizing the region’s natural resources and innovative technology to strengthen the state’s dairy, fruit and vegetable industries and enhance the region’s overall rural economy. These efforts will result in increased food production and processing, rapid sales growth and job creation.
 
Central New York’s OpportunityAgriculture has been a cornerstone of the Central New York and Upstate economy for more than 200 years. It has maintained the vitality of the region’s rural communities, provided food for urban and metropolitan areas and offered tourism opportunities for visitors.
 
Within Central New York are more than 3,500 farms and over than 200 food processing companies employing nearly 4,000 people.
 
On a global scale, the food and beverage industry has witnessed significant growth over the past five years. This trend is expected to continue, reaching about $5.8 trillion in 2017 with a compounded annual growth rate of 5 percent in the next five years.
 
Many experts consider the challenge of feeding the world’s population as one of the most critical in the 21st century and estimate humans will need to produce more food in the next 40 years than has been produced in the previous 10,000 years put together.
 
With its natural resources, proximity to the world’s largest consumer markets, new investments in logistics and transportation assets, education and research base and supportive technology and industry sectors, agribusiness within Central New York is positioned to build off its historic strengths by investing in major agricultural growth opportunities through Controlled Environment Agriculture (indoor) and aseptic/extended shelf life products.
 
These opportunities are driven by compelling factors such as: 
 
** The rise of the global middle class and increasing demand for protein-rich, nutritious and safe U.S.-produced food. The lack of widespread refrigeration in emerging markets means that most of these food products have to be processed, packaged and delivered in a way that keeps them fresh and safe. This can be accomplished through aseptic packaging processes;
 
** New York state’s position as a national dairy center and a leading producer of fluid milk in the United States. Dairy is the largest category (54 percent) for aseptic beverages and is expected to increase by 7 to 9 percent compounded annual growth rate from 2010 to 2020;
 
** The persistent and ongoing drought in California is severely limiting outdoor production of leafy greens and creating new markets for indoor production in closer proximity to northeast U.S. CEA consumer markets; and
 
** The average greenhouse operation in New York has 26,000 square feet in a controlled environment, compared to the U.S. average of 48,000 square feet.
 
** The nexus between regional technology and industry strengths such as sensors, data analytics, unmanned systems and agriculture.


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Cuomo Wants Tax Credits for Wineries, Distilleries and Hard Cider Makers

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to extend a tax credit to small wineries, distilleries and alcoholic cider makers to encourage an industry that he says helps promote the entire state.

In his State of the State address last week the Democratic governor also announced a plan to overhaul the regulations governing online sales of craft alcohol to make it easier for producers to sell their products on the Internet.
 
The tax credit is now given to small craft breweries, and Cuomo says it makes sense to offer the same incentive to craft wineries, distilleries and cider makers.
 
He estimates that the credit would save these businesses $2 million a year, money that he says they can reinvest.
 
Cuomo also wants to eliminate existing alcoholic beverage taxes that are imposed on free tastings.

Congress Approves Hard Cider Bill

From the New York Apple Association:

New York state’s apple industry is applauding approval in Congress of an overhaul of how hard cider is taxed that will allow New York state hard ciders to be more competitive in the marketplace.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure as part of the so-called tax extenders bill approved Thursday, while the U.S. Senate approved it today (Friday, Dec. 18) as part of a combined tax and government funding bill.

The House and Senate bills included language from bills introduced in both chambers earlier this year to level the playing field regarding how hard cider is taxed relative to other alcoholic beverages such as champagne, wine and beer. 

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced the “Cider Investment and Development through Excise Tax Reduction (CIDER) Act of 2015” with five bipartisan cosponsors in May.

New York’s U.S. Rep. Chris Collins (R-27) introduced similar bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives in January with Oregon’s Rep. Earl Blumenauer. 

Several U.S. representatives from New York subsequently co-sponsored that House bill: Richard Hanna (R-22), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-18), Charles Rangel (D-13), Elise Stefanik (R-21) and Paul Tonko (D-20).

“As the second-largest apple producing state in the country, New York should be the core of hard cider boom we are seeing now. With this sensible change, our hard cider makers can sell more cider and grow their businesses – and that means our apple growers can sell more apples to those cider makers,” said New York Apple Association President Jim Allen.

Under current federal law, depending upon its alcoholic content hard cider can be taxed at same rate as wine, $1.07 per gallon – and depending upon its carbonation, it can be taxed at the even higher champagne rate of $3.30 per gallon. 

The CIDER Act provision included in the tax extender bill changes the definition of hard cider to tax it at $.23 per gallon, equivalent to beer.

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.

Cider, Hard Cider and Apple Spirits Abound in the Fall

Cider is a refreshing bit of fall — tangy and sweet apples in a drink.
 
New York is filled with places to buy cider, whether it’s a grocery store, farm market, farmstand or straight from the orchard.
 
James Allen, president and chief executive officer of the New York Apple Association, said apple cider is big business in the state, as people pick up gallons or half-gallons when they visit the scores of orchards across New York.
 
It’s also a fun fall family activity to pick fresh apples and buy cider.
 
But New York orchards are much more than cider.
 
For adults, many apple growers are expanding into hard cider and apple spirits — a variety of alcoholic beverages made from apples.
 
“Distilled apple beverages and apple wine have really taken off,” Allen said.
 
David DeFisher, a fourth-generation fruit farmer in Williamson, Wayne County, began Apple Country Spirits at his farm in 2012. He makes vodka and other spirits from apples and other fruits grown at his farm.
 
“We sold (our fruits) to processors for years,” DeFisher said. “Then in 2010-2011, I started thinking about what sort of value-added product could we begin producing that would bring in a better return.”
 
He and his wife took a course about distilling at Cornell University and then bought a still and built a 7,000-square-foot facility at the farm. Today they make a variety of distilled spirits — vodka, a cherry cordial, and bourbon- and whiskey-like products — from apples and other fruits.
 
DeFisher is quick to point out that he does not make apple vodka, which he said is regular, grain-distilled vodka flavored with apple.
 
“Our product, our vodka, is made from apples,” he said.
 
Anyone interested in testing these spirits can visit his farm’s tasting room from noon to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. And throughout October, there is a cocktail party at the farm each Friday and Saturday night. (Visit applecountryspirits.com/events for more information.)
 
DeFisher said his farm also recently has moved into the hard-cider business. He welcomes consumers to visit the farm, ask questions about the distilling process, and try some of the beverages.
 
“Sales are beginning to pick up,” he said.
 
For more information on New York cider, visit www.nycider.com, a webiste run by the New York Apple Association.
 
Here is a list of several farms and orchards that sell their cider or spirits during the season:

SOUTHERN TIER
Hemlock Grove Farm, 180 Walding Lane, West Danby, Tompkins County, (607) 564-3346
Littletree Orchards, 345 Shaffer Road, Newfield, Tompkins County, (607) 592-8177
South Hill Cider, 560 W. King Road, Ithaca, Tompkins County, (607) 279-7563; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Redbyrd Orchard Cider, 4115 Newtown Road, Burdett, Schuyler County, (607) 546-4340; also has hard cider and apple spirits

CENTRAL NEW YORK
Second Chance Orchard, 7319 Kirkville Road, East Syracuse, Onondaga County, (315) 656-0005
C&M Farms, 7645 Myers Road, Kirkville, Onondaga County, (315) 656-7173
Abbott Farms Inc., 3275 Cold Springs Road, Lysander, Onondaga County, (315) 638-7783
Rocking Horse Farm, 3736 Apulia Road, Jamesville, Onondaga County, (315) 492-1100
Beak & Skiff Apple Hill Campus, 2708 Lords Hill Road, LaFayette, Onondaga County, (315) 696-6085
1911 Spirits by Beak & Skiff, 2708 Lords Hill Road, LaFayette, Onondaga County; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Navarino Orchard, 3655 Cherry Valley Turnpike, Syracuse, Onondaga County, (315) 673-9181
Critz Farms, 3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, Madison County, (315) 662-3355
Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms, 3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, Madison County, (315) 662-3355
Owen Orchards Inc., 8174 Grant Ave. Road, Weedsport, Cayuga County, (315) 252-4097
Elderbery Pond, 3728 Center Street Road, Auburn, Cayuga County, (315) 252-3977
Twin Orchards Farm Inc., 4695 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, Oneida County, (315) 736-5883
Clinton Cider Mill, 17 Fair Meadow Lane, Clinton, Oneida County, (315) 853-5756
Parker’s Cider Mill, 437 Otsego St., Ilion, Herkimer County, (315) 894-4660
North Star Orchards LLC, 4741 State Route 233, Westmoreland, Oneida County, (315) 853-1024
Windy Hill Orchard & Farm Market, 577 East St., Cassville, Oneida County, (315) 822-0046
Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill, 1265 Route 392, Cortland, Cortland County, (607) 835-6455

NORTH COUNTRY
Burrville Cider Mill, Inc., 18176 County Route 156, Watertown, Jefferson County, (315) 788-7292
Kaneb Orchards, 182 Highland Road, Massena, St. Lawrence County, (315) 769-2880; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Everett Orchards Farm Market & Cidery, 1945 Military Turnpike, Plattsburgh, Clinton County, (518) 643-6824; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Rulfs Orchard, 531 Bear Swamp Road, Peru, Clinton County, (518) 643-8636

HUDSON VALLEY
Hardeman Orchards, 194 West Market St., Red Hook, Dutchess County, (845) 758-5154
Migliorelli Farms, 46 Freeborn Lane, Tivoli, Dutchess County, (845) 757-3276
Stone Ridge Orchard, 3012 Stone Ridge Road, Stone Ridge, Ulster County, (845) 687-2587
Mead Orchards LLC, 15 Scism Road, Tivoli, Dutchess County, (845) 756-5641
Stone Ridge Orchard, 828 Centre Road, Staatsburg, Dutchess County, (845) 687-2587; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Breezy Hill Orchards, 828 Centre Road, Staatsburg, Dutchess County, (845) 266-3979
Clermont Cider House, 21 Gronwoldt Lane, Germantown, Columbia County, (518) 537-4437
Wilklow Orchards, 341 Pancake Hollow Road, Highland, Ulster County, (845) 691-8325
Hudson Valley Fruit Juice, 33 White St., Highland, Ulster County
Jenkins & Lueken Orchard, 69 Yankee Folly Road, New Paltz, Ulster County, (845) 255-0999
Yankee Folly Cider, 69 Yankee Folly Road, New Paltz, Ulster County, (845) 255-1155; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Saunderskill Farm, 100 Route 209 Accord, Ulster County, (845) 626-7103
Dressel Farms, LLC, 271 Route 208, New Paltz, Ulster County, (845) 255-0693; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Kettleborough Cider House, 277 State Route 208, New Paltz, Ulster County, (845) 419-3774
Minard Farms Beverage Co., 59 Hurds Road, Clintondale, Ulster County, (845) 883-7102
W.H. Walker & Son, 1153 Route 44, Clintondale, Ulster County, (845) 883-7457
Bad Seed Cider Co. LLC, 43 Baileys Gap Road, Highland, Ulster County, (845) 389-3087; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Mark Eger & Bros. Inc., 33 Eger Road, Hudson, Columbia County, (518) 828-3510
Thompson-Finch Farm, 750 Wiltsie Bridge Road, Ancram, Columbia County, (518) 329-7578

LONG ISLAND
Hicks Nurseries Inc., 100 Jericho Turnpike, Box 648, Westbury, Nassau County, (516) 334-0066
Martin Viette Nurseries Inc., 6050 Northern Blvd., East Norwich, Nassau County, (516) 922-5530
Jericho Cider Mill Inc., 213 Route 106, Jericho, Nassau County, (516) 433-3360

CAPITAL DISTRICT
Nine Pin Cider Works LLC, 929 Broadway, Albany, Albany County, (518) 449-9999; also has hard cider and apple spirits
The Farm at Kristy’s Barn, 2385 Brookview Road, Schodack, Rensselaer County, (518) 477-6250
Cronk Farm Products, 553 Old Best Road, West Sand Lake, Rensselaer County, (518) 326-2238
Goold Orchards Inc., 1297 Brookview Station Road,  Castleton-on-Hudson, Rensselaer County, (518) 732-7317
Goold Orchards — Brookview Station Winery, 1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton-on-Hudson, Rensselaer County, (518) 732-7317; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Indian Ladder Farms Inc., 342 Altamont-Voorheesville Road, Altamont, Albany County, (518) 765-2956; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Bowman Orchards LLC, 141 Sugar Hill Road, Rexford, Saratoga County, (518) 371-2042
Lindsey’s Idyllwood Orchard, 267 Sugarhill Road, Rexford, Saratoga County, (518) 371-5785
Altamont Orchards, Inc., 6654 Dunnsville Road, Altamont, Albany County, (518) 861-6515
Golden Harvest Farms, Inc., 3074 Route 9, Valatie, Columbia County, (518) 758-7683
Harvest Spirits Distillery, 3074 US Route 9, Valatie, Columbia County, (518) 758-7683; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Samascott Orchards, 5 Sunset Ave., Kinderhook, Columbia County, (518) 758-7224
Lakeside Cider Mill Farms, 336 Schauber Road, Ballston Lake, Saratoga County, (518) 399-8359
Knight Orchard of Saratoga Inc., 325 Goode St., Burnt Hills, Saratoga County, (518) 399-5174
Borden’s Orchard, 2841 Valley Falls Road, Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County, (518) 692-2370
Sundog Cider, 343 State Route 395, Chatham, Columbia County, (518) 392-4000; also has hard cider and apple spirits

WESTERN NEW YORK
Chateau Buffalo Ciderhouse & Winery, 175 Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, 1500 Clinton St., Buffalo, Erie County, (716) 704-4671; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Mayer Bros. Apple Products, 3300 Transit Road, West Seneca, Erie County, (716) 668-1787
Saville Farms Inc., 4020 N Buffalo Road, Orchard Park, Erie County, (716) 662-4485
McKenzie’s Beverages, Inc., 4475 Transit Road, Orchard Park, Erie County, (716) 912-5020; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Smith’s Orchard Cider Mill, 4960 Mapleton Road, Pendleton, Niagara County, (716) 625-4316
Cherry Bank Farm, 5140 Townline Road, Sanborn, Niagara County, (716) 731-5749
Red Barrel Cider Mill Inc., 8978 Boston State Road, Boston, Erie County, (716) 941-5959
Hall Apple Farm, 6100 Ruhlmann Road, Lockport, Niagara County, (716) 434-0838
Blackman Homestead Farm, 4472 Thrall Road, Lockport, Niagara County, (716) 434-7116
Cummins Cider Mill, 159 Portville Ceres Road, Portville, Cattaraugus County, (716) 933-8890
Pumpkinville LLC, 4844 Sugartown Road, Great Valley, Cattaraugus County, (716) 699-2994

FINGER LAKES
DeFisher Fruit Farms, 3274 Eddy Road, Williamson, Wayne County, (315) 589-8416; also has hard cider and spirits through its Apple Country Spirits at the same site
Finger Lakes Cider House, 4017 Hickok Road, Interlaken, Seneca County, (315) 351-3313
Blackduck Cidery, 3046 County Road 138, Ovid, Seneca County, (607) 532-4956; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Dadson’s Farm Market, 361 Route 318, Phelps, Ontario County, (315) 539-3643
Red Jacket Orchards, 957 Routes 5 & 20 West, Geneva, Ontario County, (315) 781-2749
Daring Drake Farm, 7726 Rock River Road, Interlaken, Seneca County, (607) 532-4956; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Bellwether Hard Cider, 9070 Route 89, Trumansburg, Tompkins County, (607) 387-9464; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Grisamore Farms, 4069 Goose St., Locke, Cayuga County, (315) 497-1347
Wager’s Cider Mill, 256 E. Main St., Penn Yan, Yates County, (315) 536-6640
Gansz Farms Cider Mill, 1697 Gansz Road, Lyons, Wayne County, (315) 946-4425
Kingtown Orchard, 9469 Kingtown Road, Trumansburg, Tompkins County, (607) 387-5958
Black Diamond Farm, 4675 Seneca Road, Trumansburg, Tompkins County, (607) 227-7960; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, State Route 414, Hector, Seneca County, (607) 546-9463; also has hard cider and apple spirits
West Haven Farm, 114 Rachel Carson Way, Ithaca, Tompkins County, (607) 279-9483
South Hill Cider, 560 W. King Road, Ithaca, Tompkins County, (607) 279-7563; also has hard cider and apple spirits

MOHAWK VALLEY
Middlefield Orchard, 2274 State Route 166 Cooperstown, Otsego County, (607) 547-8212
Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard, Inc., 288 Goose St., Fly Creek, Otsego County, (607) 547-9692; also has hard cider and apple spirits
Dyn’s Cider Mill, 7915 State Route 28, Richfield Springs, Otsego County, (315) 858-2078
Sharon Orchards, 573 Chestnut St., Sharon Springs, Schoharie County, (518) 284-2510
Annutto’s Farm Stand, 5396 State Route 7, Oneonta, Otsego County, (607) 432-7905
Cornell Orchards, 709 Dryden Road, Ithaca, Tompkins County, (607) 255-4542

Workshop on Hops, Wines Set for March 24 in Mexico

A workshop titled "Producing Farm Beverages" is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday March 24 at the Oswego County Federal Credit Union on Scenic Avenuie (Route 3) in Mexico.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County is hosting the workshop called  at which  featured presenters Steve Miller, Cornell Cooperative Extension Hops Specialist, and Chris Gerling, manager of the Vinification and Brewing Laboratory at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, willlearn how to grow hops, as well as the rules, regulations and techniques for making beer, wine and hard cider.

Recent New York State laws have made it easier to produce and sell these items for New York farmers.

The price of the workshop is $15. Refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is required by March 20. To register, call 963-7286, e-mail LKW39@cornell.edu or send payment to CCE of Oswego County, 3288 Main St., Mexico, NY 13114.