Onondaga County's OnFarmFest Set for Sept. 9

By DEBRA J. GROOM
dgroom@wdt.net
 

Onondaga County is planning its second annual OnFarmFest Sept. 9.
 
Area residents will have the chance to travel around the county and visit seven farms to see what the farmers do and how their food and fiber are grown. 

Included are two dairy farms, a vegetable farm, a grain and vegetable farm, a brewery and hops farm, a beef farm, an orchard and an inner city farm.

Farms are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 9.

Farms participating are:
 
** Brady Farm
150 Ford Ave.
Syracuse

** Fawn Crossing Hops Farm and Local 315 Brewing Co.
3160 Warners Road
Warners
 
** Emmi & Sons, Inc.
1482 W. Genesee Road (Route 370)
Lysander
 
** Paladino and Carley Farms
3149 Sweet Road
Pompey
 
** Silver Spring Farm
4461 W. Seneca Turnpike
Onondaga
 
** Navarino Orchard
3655 Route 20
Navarino
 
** Lucky 13 All Natural Red Angus Beef
790 Markham Hollow
Tully
 
** River Ridge Dairy
7197 River Road
Memphis

** Greenwood Winery
6475 Collamer Road
East Syracuse

Schumer Seeks New Insurance Option for Malt Barley Producers in NY

From U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer:
 

Schumer during a visit to the 1886 Malt House in Volney

Craft breweries and distilleries are booming this summer, pouring local products onto shelves, increasing tourism and infusing new jobs across Upstate New York.
 
Because of this U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said last week that it’s imperative that the federal government provides even more support to Upstate New York’s craft beer industry to help new and existing establishments grow.
 
Specifically, Schumer is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin the process of giving New York the Malting Barley Endorsement (M.B.E.), a special federal insurance option, available to only a select group of states that grow malt barley.
 
Malt barley needs very specific conditions to grow and is susceptible to severe weather and disease, making the M.B.E. insurance option an essential ingredient to further nurturing the growth of this new industry. 

Schumer said this will become more important over the next decade, when New York state will require farm craft brewers and distillers to source 90 percent of their ingredients from local farms and malt houses, and the supply of malt barley will need to increase to meet this demand.
 
Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., both fought earlier this year to get 44 New York state counties included in the malt barley crop insurance program.

Last year, Schumer successfully pushed the USDA to bring malt barley insurance to four New York counties but argued that with crop insurance now secured, it is time for the USDA to grant Malt Barley endorsement.
 
“With summer now in full swing, many in Upstate New York and beyond are reaching for ‘Made in New York Craft Beers.’ These beers and spirits represent a new and flourishing industry for New York state, and Upstate New York is increasingly becoming the Napa Valley of craft brewing,” Schumer said. 
 
“Not only do distilleries and breweries throughout Upstate New York pour local products and jobs into our economy, they also open new tourism opportunities, which is why it is important we continue to support this industry and provide them with all of the available tools needed to succeed now and in the future. New York is on the cusp of a craft brewing renaissance which not only benefits our growers, but all those who call New York State home,” said Schumer.
 
“That’s why I am calling on the feds to endorse this enhanced insurance protection for malt barley. These breweries are a reflection of New York’s entrepreneurial spirit and must be properly supported by growers who can supply them with the locally sourced resources they need,” he said.
 
Alongside water, yeast and hops, barley is one of the major components of beer, and of many spirits produced by distilleries. Malt consists of barley that is germinated and then dried under highly controlled conditions. These conditions help to release the enzymes needed to convert the barley starches into sugars.
 
These sugars are then fed to yeast through the process of fermentation, which ultimately creates the final product -- alcohol. Schumer explained many New York farmers are beginning to grow this barley, which ends up being used to make beer and spirits. 

Malt houses, like the 1886 Malt House at the ethanol plant in Volney, take the barley seed grains and put them through the process of malting; this is so the barley seeds can begin to germinate and thus convert the starches into sugars. This malt barley is then given to brewers and distillers, who have the yeast and fermentation conditions needed to make beer and spirits.
 
Schumer said malt barley carries greater risks for loss and lower yields than barley grown for livestock feed, because in order to be viable for malting, the grain must meet rigorous quality standards. Many growers, who are covered by malt barley crop insurance, may run into obstacles collecting payments in certain situations. 
 
Especially, in New York state, which can endure both heavy rains and long dry spells, entire crops may be deemed unusable if malt barley becomes too moist and prematurely germinates in the field, or conversely dries out and is unable to germinate during the malting process. Due to the high risks for growers throughout 

New York state, Schumer said it is critical to allow growers to have the choice of obtaining all available federal crop insurance options as soon as possible.
 
New York state has 213 craft breweries:
** In the Capital Region there are 29 craft breweries
** In Central New York there are 27 craft breweries
** In Rochester – Finger Lakes region there are 42 craft breweries
** In Western New York there are 24 craft breweries
** In the Southern Tier there are 32 craft breweries
** In the Hudson Valley region there are 36 craft breweries
** In the North Country there are 23 craft breweries
 
Previously, the lack of crop insurance hindered the rapid expansion of the craft brewing industry and therefore halted job creation in Upstate New York as well. 

Vote Now for Your Favorite Craft Brewery in New York

New York state has recently kicked off the Taste NY Inaugural Craft Beer Challenge, in which New Yorkers are invited to vote for their favorite New York craft brewery in celebration of the diversity, range, and quality of New York’s craft beer industry. 

Voting is now open at https://taste.ny.gov/craft-beer-challenge this link. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will host a final tasting event for the five New York breweries with the most online votes on May 17 in New York City, coinciding with American Craft Beer Week, which runs from May 15-21 and celebrates craft beer across the country.
 
"By reducing regulation and removing unnecessary barriers to growth, New York’s craft beverage industry is thriving, driving tourism and creating jobs across the state," Cuomo said. "The inaugural Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge will celebrate the best of New York's craft beers and connect our world-class beverage producers to new consumers and markets. When New Yorkers buy New York products, everybody wins.”
 
New York is now home to 321 microbreweries, farm breweries and restaurant breweries, up from only 50 total breweries in 2011 and representing a 542 percent growth in the industry. 

This growth was achieved through a series of legislation and economic incentives, including the creation of the Farm Brewery License in 2012, providing tax credits for brewers, modernizing the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Law and providing promotional funding. No state has done more to assist and promote craft manufacturing than New York.

It's National Beer Day

Today is National Beer Day.

According to the National Calendar Day website: 

Hops at Climbing Bines Hops Farm and Brewery, Penn Yan

"National Beer Day is celebrated annually April 7.  Celebrate with a pint of pale ale, lager, stout, wheat beer or mild ale.

One of the world’s oldest prepared beverages, beer possibly dates back to 9500 BC when cereal was first farmed.  It is recorded in the written history of ancient Iraq and ancient Egypt.

Beer is the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Following water and tea, it is the third most popular drink overall."

The production of craft beers and hard ciders is growing by leaps and bounds in New York state, leading to new businesses and new jobs. A lot of the hops grown for making these beers also are grown right here in New York state.

Craft Breweries Numbers on the Rise With More Hops Being Grown and Demand for Different Beers

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
Craft brewing has been a phenomenon for years in New York state and its momentum isn’t waning at all.
 
More and more craft breweries are opening across the state.
 
Statistics from the New York State Brewers Association show that in 2013-14, the craft brewing industry brought in more than $4 billion. There are about 240 craft breweries in the state now with about 50 more in planning.
 
The craft brewing industry boasts $450 million in tourism and brought in 3.66 million visits to breweries in the state. There also are 11,368 full-time jobs related to the craft brewing industry.
 
Like hard cideries, craft breweries have expanded their reach due to relaxed regulation and new laws passed in New York state.
 
One of the most important was the Farm Brewery License bill, that created a “Farm Brewery” license to allow craft brewers that use products grown in New York state to operate in a similar fashion to the state’s farm wineries.
 
State officials said this would lead to increased demand for locally grown farm products as well as expanded economic development and tourism.
 
This law allowed the farm breweries to run much the same as the farm wineries, which offer tours and have tasting rooms where visitors can sample the products and then buy the products.
 
“Craft breweries are a significant sector in our agricultural and tourism industries, and when they do well, our economy does well. I encourage New Yorkers to sample all of what our craft brewers have to offer,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a 2012 speech.
 
One of the newest craft breweries is Woodland Hop Farm and Fermentation, which opened just this year in Marcy, north of Utica. It is the first farm brewery in Oneida County.
 
Co-owner A.J. Spado said he and his co-owners are making 40 barrels of beer a month that is sold at their farm business on Trenton Road, not far from the SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
 
They bought their hops from another New York farmer this year, but this spring, they will plant 1 to 2 acres of hops at their site and increase that every year until they have from 6 to 10 acres.
 
“We try to use as many New York state ingredients as possible,” Spado said. “As of now, the hop varieties grown in New York state don’t allow hop forward beers to be completely brewed with local hops. Also, New York state maltsters are just getting into some of the specialty malts, so beers like stouts, IPAs, etc. still aren’t 100 percent NYS for us, yet.”
 
While Spado and his partners Keith Redhead and Nick Natishak are selling their beer out of their taproom now, they plan to eventually distribute their beer in the Syracuse/Utica/Albany areas.
 
The Great South Bay Brewing Co., located in Bay Shore on the south shore of Long Island, makes 29 beers -- three available all year and 26 seasonal brews.
 
Co-owner Rick Sobotka says the brewery began in 2010 and uses the highest quality malts and hops from New York state. They also have spent hours tinkering with recipes to come up with some extremely different tastes.
 
“When it comes to Bay brews, it’s not about how much we can make; it’s about how much better we can make it,” according to a writeup on its website. “It’s not about how fast we can turn it out, but about how fast the smile appears on your face when you taste it.”
 
Sobotka, a trained and licensed anesthesiologist, had always dreamed of opening a brewery. He began Great South Bay in a one barrel brewhouse of 1,400 square feet but soon grew into a 40,000-square-foot site and now makes 500 to 600 barrels (there are 31 gallons in a barrel) a month.
 
Great South Bay’s beers are available in half barrels and 1/6 barrel kegs (some beers are available in six-packs. The company distributes and sells throughout New York state.
 
“Two of our beers won gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado,” Sobotka said. Those were: Specialty Beer category, 59 entries, winner was Hog Cabin; Pro-Am Competition, 91 entries, winner was Muscat Love.
 
To find out where to get Great South Bay’s beers, go to http://greatsouthbaybrewery.com/Bayfinder.php and put your zip code into the beer finder.
 
Anyone familiar with Central New York most likely knows Empire Brewing Co., with a brewpub and restaurant in the Armory Square section of downtown Syracuse.
 
This company has been brewing all types of craft beers since 1994 and prides itself on the buy local mantra -- meaning obtaining its ingredients from as close by as possible.
 
In fact, go to its website empirebrew.com and click on sustainability and there is a huge list of all the local companies Empire Brewing turns to for local ingredients for its beers and its food.
 
Probably the biggest endeavor for Empire in the coming months is the Empire Farmstead Brewery, which is supposed to open in the spring. According to its website, the “site will be developed for educational and beer production purposes. The property will also grow hops, lavender, vegetables, herbs and fruits for use in the brewing process and to support the needs of Empire’s brewpub located in Syracuse.”
 
“The 28,000-square-foot building will be situated on a 22-acre property on Route 13 in Cazenovia,” the website states. “The objective of the Empire Farmstead Brewery is to expand the existing brewing facility and agricultural component of Empire Brewing Company to a stand-alone manufacturing and agritourism facility.”

New York State Making a Comeback in Hops

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
New York state used to be the king of hops.
 
The small green plant that looks like a pine cone and gives beer its distinct flavor was the top crop in Central New York in the mid-1800s. 

Madison County, just east of the Syracuse area, was the first site in the state where hops were grown, when “county resident James Coolidge introduced commercial hop growing to the state by bringing a rootstock from New England,” according to the Madison County Hops Fest website.
 
By 1828, hops production spread to 11 counties and the state was raising 80 percent of all the hops in the country. But then Prohibition, which began in 1919, and a fungus put an end to the state’s hops kingdom.
 
However today, thanks to the surge in craft breweries, home brewers and products like hard cider, the growing of hops has made a comeback in New York state.
 
Today, hops are grown in most counties in New York, said Steve Miller, the state’s hops specialist, who works out of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Madison County.
 
In fact, the number of acres of hops in the state has expanded considerably in just the last three years.
 
The 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most recent official statistics available, shows only 19 acres of New York land was in use for growing hops that year. Today, more than 300 acres of land statewide is growing hops, with the number growing by 75 to 100 acres a year.
 
“We estimate there is a need for 400 to 500 acres of hops in New York to satisfy the domestic demand,” Miller wrote in his hops FAQs, an informational handout sheet he gives to farmers. It’s also available at wdt.me/Hops.
 
In addition, Miller said the New York Farm Brewery legislation, which went into effect in January 2013, created new opportunities for on-the-farm brewing and sales. He said he gets 10 to 15 calls a week from people who want to begin raising hops and the number of hops farmers with at least one acre has increased from about 3 in 2006 to about 75 in 2015.
 
“The farms are all over the state, except the Adirondacks and Catskills because of the cold, short season,” Miller said in an email.
 
Hops farmers in New York are a mixed bag — some grow hops to sell to brewers while some grow hops to make their own beer on the farm.
 
Chris Hansen, one of the three owners of Climbing Bines Hops Farm and Brewery near Penn Yan in Yates County, said he and friends Brian Karweck and Matt Klehamer started growing hops on the Finger Lakes farm six years ago and opened their own brewery 2½ years ago.
 
“That was the whole plan from the beginning,” Hansen said. “We knew that by growing our own hops, we could ensure the best ingredients and the quality of the beer.”
 
For the first couple of years, Climbing Bines did sell hops to others, Hansen said. But once the brewery was up and running, the seven varieties of hops grown on the farm’s 1.5 acres went into the more than 10 different types of beer brewed on site.
 
Today, Climbing Bines makes 500 to 600 barrels of beer a year — that works out to 15,500 gallons to 18,600 gallons of beer annually. And this year, the farm is expanding from its 1.5 acres of hops to about 3 acres.
 
The first craft brewery in Oneida County is Woodland Hops Farm and Fermentation in Marcy, just north of Utica. Co-owner A.J. Spado said the company, which just opened this year, is planting an acre of hops this spring and hopes to expand each year up to 6 to 10 acres.
 
They made and are selling beer this year, but used hops and malt grown by growers from New York and elsewhere.
 
Bluebell Hopyard in Farmington, Ontario County, grows 2 acres of five varieties of hops to sell to breweries and craft breweries throughout the state. Most of their customers are in the Rochester area, such as VB Brewery in Ontario County and Fairport Brew Co. in Monroe County, while some are in New York City and the Albany area.
 
They do not operate their own brewery and instead, sell all their hops to other companies.
 
Co-owner Kurt Charland said the company grows enough hops to “meet the demands of our current customers” and there are no plans for expansion right now. Both he and the other co-owner have full-time jobs (Charland is a civil engineer and his partner runs an animation studio) so the hop farm is a “full-time, part-time job,” Charland said.
 
Hops specialist Miller said any farmer thinking of putting in hops on his or her land should be sure to do some research first. He said it’s not as easy as just putting hops into the ground, harvesting and raking in the money.
 
Miller said farmers should study hops and find out if it really is a crop they want to invest in. Several seminars and conferences are held each year for people interested in the subject.
 
“This is not the same type of farming at all,” Miller said, comparing hops growing to other popular crops, such as sweet corn or vegetables. “We encourage people to get information first.”
 
Hops farmers are helped by programs held at various colleges, through the Northeast Hops Alliance and through Miller’s office.
 
At the recent Cornell Hops Conference and Northeast Hops Association annual meeting in December at Morrisville State College, attendees learned about pest control, genetic hop varieties and getting patents when developing a new hops variety.
 
Guest speaker Kevin Riel of Double ‘R’ Hop Ranches, Inc. in Washington state talked about how to produce hops, focusing on fertilizing, irrigating and training hops for yield and quality. Riel grows about 1,000 acres of hops.
 
Also, Ron Sirrine, a faculty member at Michigan State University, talked to attendees about what hops growers in Michigan are doing.
 
There was also a trade show with the conference so hops growers and those considering growing hops could talk to vendors about the equipment and supplies needed to grow hops (Miller said about 350 people attended the hops conference. 

Anyone who missed the conference but wants to order DVDs of the speakers can contact Miller at (315) 684-3001, ext. 127 or email sgm6@cornell.edu

Here are some of the differences farmers will see when growing hops:
 
** Harvesting. The harvesting is completely different from other crops. Hops cannot be hand-harvested — it takes an hour to hand-harvest one plant — so machines must be purchased. The average machine can cost about $30,000.
** Equipment: Once hops are harvested, they must be dried, processed, baled and kept in a walk-in cooler. So to get started, a farmer will need a small tractor, trailer, weed sprayer, crop sprayer similar to what is used in a vineyard or orchard, and then a truck, drying equipment, possible pelleter, a cooler and a building for storage and drying. Some growers look at sharing equipment.
** Planting: The cost of plants and trellises for the plants to grow on can cost $15,000 an acre to start.
** Land: About 10 to 15 acres are needed to get a money-making hops operation off the ground. Some New York farmers have as little as a couple of acres. New York varies from the Pacific Northwest, where farmers grow from 500 acres to several thousand acres of hops.
** Miller said land preparation is important. Land where hops will be grown should be well drained, be flat or have a gentle slope, have access to water for irrigation, and have good air circulation and full sun.
** Cost: “Expenses are variable, but most growers believe they need to have gross sales of more than $6,000 to $8,000 an acre to break even because of initial investment, equipment, harvesting and processing costs. If the hops are poor and your yield is low, you are losing money. The first year you may have some hops, a partial crop the second, and a full crop the third.”
Source: All information and quotes from Steve Miller, New York state hops specialist

 

Clayton Neighbors Sue Over Zoning Change for Proposed Distillery

Some Clayton residents are fighting a zone change for a proposed distillery in town.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/clayton-neighbors-sue-over-zoning-change-for-proposed-distillery--20160102?utm_source=Ytzz8t&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=wdt.me&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com to see the story.

Beers Brewed in New York Need Local Ingredients

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/for-beers-brewed-in-new-york-local-ingredients-are-keys-to-success-20151018 to check out the story.

Hops Becoming More and More Popular in New York State

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy

More and more farmers in New York state are turning to a crop from days gone by to bring in additional cash.
 
Hops — that small green plant that looks like a pine cone and gives beer its distinct flavor — was the top crop in Central New York in the mid-1800s, but prohibition and a killer fungus ended all of that.
The surge of craft breweries and home brewers means more hops are needed today, so more farmers in New York are putting in the plant to grow and sell to breweries.
 
Steve Miller, the state’s hops specialist, who works out of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Madison County, said he receives 10 to 15 calls a week from people interested in raising hops as a cash crop. 

He said hops growing in New York started small with a few farmers in the central portion of the state and the Finger Lakes region in the late 1990s.
 
Today, hops are grown in most counties in New York, Miller said. In fact, the number of acres of hops in the state has increased a lot in just the last three years. The 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most recent official statistics available, shows only 19 acres of New York land was in use for growing hops that year. Today, more than 300 acres of land statewide is growing hops, with the number growing by 75 to 100 acres a year.


Gone are the days when people drank beer made only by large companies such as Coors, Anheuser-Busch or Labatt.


“We estimate there is a need for 400 to 500 acres of hops in New York to satisfy the domestic demand,” Miller wrote in his hops FAQs, an informational handout sheet he gives to farmers. It’s also available at http://wdt.me/Hops.


In addition, he said the New York Farm Brewery legislation, which went into effect in January 2013, created new opportunities for on-the-farm brewing and sales.


Kate and Larry Fisher, who run Foothills Hops in the town of Stockbridge, Madison County, were among the first people to get into the resurrected hops industry. 

“We were interested in local history and read a book ... about the early trains that were moving hops and hops workers. Then we went to the Madison County Hops Fest in 1999. From there, we put in one plant, then we were up to 100 plants, which then turned into an industry.”

The Fishers now have six acres of hops that they sell to small farm brewers — Critz Farms in Cazenovia for its hard cider, and Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse, and Good Nature Brewing in Hamilton, Madison County.

But it’s not as easy as just putting hops into the ground, harvesting and raking in the money, Miller said.

He said farmers should study hops and find out if it really is a crop they want to invest in. Several seminars and conferences are held each year for people interested in the subject.


“This is not the same type of farming at all,” Miller said, comparing hops growing to other popular crops, such as sweet corn or vegetables. “We encourage people to get information first.”
Here are some of the differences farmers will see with hops, according to Miller:

n Harvesting. The harvesting is completely different from other crops. Hops cannot be hand-harvested — it takes an hour to hand-harvest one plant — so machines must be purchased. The average machine can cost about $30,000.

n Equipment: Once hops are harvested, they must be dried, processed, baled and kept in a walk-in cooler. So to get started, a farmer will need a small tractor, trailer, weed sprayer, crop sprayer similar to what is used in a vineyard or orchard, and then a truck, drying equipment, possible pelleter, a cooler and a building for storage and drying. Some growers look at sharing equipment.

n Planting: The cost of plants and trellises for the plants to grow on can cost $15,000 an acre to start.

n Land: About 10 to 15 acres are needed to get a money-making hops operation off the ground. Some New York farmers have as little as a couple of acres. New York varies from the Pacific Northwest, where farmers grow from 500 acres to several thousand acres of hops.

Miller said land preparation is important, and all land where hops will be grown should be well drained, be flat or have a gentle slope, have access to water for irrigation, and have good air circulation and full sun.

“The biggest holdup people have in growing hops is knowledge and equipment,” Miller said.
Fisher said she and her husband advise anyone considering growing hops to spend a year before planting to ready the soil for the plants and be sure to have all the infrastructure — including lines and trellises — ready in advance.

“We didn’t do that (ready the soil), and we’ve been battling weeds ever since,” Fisher said.

In the FAQs sheet Miller provides to hops hopefuls, he said “expenses are variable, but most growers believe they need to have gross sales of more than $6,000 to $8,000 an acre to break even because of initial investment, equipment, harvesting and processing costs.” 

Miller also said “if the hops are poor and your yield is low, you are losing money. The first year you may have some hops, a partial crop the second, and a full crop the third.”


If you like this story and want to read more great news about agriculture, subscribe to Empire Farm & Dairy magazine. A one-year subscription is $50 and a two-year subscription is $75. Send your information and payment to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601

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.

 

Morrisville State College Continues to Grow its Ag Offerings

Kara Budinock, of Wolcott, Wayne County, a recent graduate of Morrisville State College’s horticulture floral design program, prepares poinsettias for a sale at the college. Horticulture students grow the colorful flowers to sell for the holidays.

Morrisville State College was founded in 1908 to provide agriculture and technology education for men and women.
 
More than 100 years later, its focus hasn’t changed.
 
Today, though, there are many more subject areas Morrisville students can delve into and several more degree options than in the early 1900s. In fact, in the past 20 years, the college that started by offering only two-year associate degrees has expanded to include four-year courses of study and bachelor’s degrees.
 
“We began by offering ag degrees for men and home economics for women,” said Christopher Nyberg, dean of the School of Agriculture, Sustainability, Business and Entrepreneurship at 

Morrisville State. He said these days, men and women enroll in ag programs, from ag mechanics and engineering to equine science, aquaculture and renewable energy.
 

Morrisville State students receive direction from their professor during a solar panel installation in the community in the agriculture department’s renewable energy program.

Morrisville has a total enrollment of 2,800, with about 950 students studying in the School of Agriculture, Sustainability, Business and Entrepreneurship.
 
Morrisville prides itself on preparing students for the real world. Many degree programs allow students to graduate and then immediately start their own business or fit nicely into another business.
 
For example, men and women in the dairy science program not only learn how to care, milk and feed cows, they are taught how to run a dairy business. Nyberg said if they see milk production is down in the herd, they check all the statistics of what and how much the cows are eating and drinking and try to devise solutions to increase milk production.
 
“It’s a good ag-based school with a close-knit group of people,” said Kara Budinock, 20, of Wolcott, Wayne County, who received her associate degree in greenhouse production in May and will return to school in the fall to work on her bachelor’s in horticulture business.
 

Joelle Detrick, who graduated from Morrisville in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business development, gives a bath to one of the college’s Holsteins.

Budinock said Morrisville students get their hands dirty and have wide experiences in their chosen field.
 
“I loved the hands-on work,” she said.
 
One of the newest programs at Morrisville expands on the college’s ag programs to take in the local hops industry and craft brewing of beers.
 
Nyberg said a state grant and collaboration with Steve Miller, Cornell’s hops specialist for the state, resulted in:
 
** Morrisville housing a hops picker on campus (in a permanent enclosure designed and built by Morrisville students).
 
** The school’s ag students helping to rebuild the picker.
 
** Morrisville ag students designing and building their own hops picker, which will be used at the Geneva Experiment Station for its hops harvest this year.
 
** An agreement to build a brewery — in addition to the college’s restaurant, the Copper Turret — on campus so that local hops and barley can be used to create craft beers.

“Craft brewing and the craft beverage industry are growing,” Nyberg said. “There is an increasing demand for ag products for these, such as all the local barley and malt and hops.”
 
With this expansion, Morrisville students in the new Brewing Studies Program will be at the forefront of learning about brewing beer, growing hops and barley, and working in the brewing industry.
 
Bids for the brewing equipment and the design of the Copper Turret expansion are being sought. 

Nyberg said the Brewing Studies Program should be running for the 2016-17 academic year and will offer a certificate program with options in associate and bachelor’s degree programs.
 
Morrisville State also has been expanding its renewable energy curriculum, Nyberg said. Students are able to learn about solar, wind, hydroelectric, bioenergy and geothermal energy from installation of these systems to their design, operation and maintenance.
 
He said the college — which has had a methane digester for about 10 years to extract gas from cow manure to make electricity for the campus — will be getting a new digester that will use not only animal waste, but food waste also.
 
“We will take food waste from neighboring campuses (including Colgate University, Hamilton College and Cazenovia College) and other small agriculture industries and add it to our waste,” Nyberg said. “We can use that to generate heat and power for our campus, and it helps by keeping this waste out of the landfills.”

The agricultural degrees offered in Morrisville State College’s School of Agriculture, Sustainability, Business and Entrepreneurship:

ASSOCIATE DEGREES
Agriculture business
Agriculture engineering
Agriculture mechanics
Agriculture science
Animal science
Aquaculture and aquatic science
Equine racing management
Equine science and management
Horticulture
 
BACHELOR DEGREES
Agriculture business development
Dairy management
Equine science
Horticulture business management

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.

Federal Money Available for Specialty Crops

A total of $1.1 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture is being offered to further the research, safety and promotion of speciality crops in New York state.

The Speciality Crop Block Grant program, administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, includes fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, hops and nursery crops, and works to enhance the competitiveness of New York farms by forming new partnerships to create innovations in agriculture that benefit the state's economy.

"New York's agricultural sector offers a diverse array of specialty crops as part of an already robust and thriving industry that has grown continually over the past three years," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "This $1.1 million will help local farmers across the state expand and provide valuable information to benefit our ever evolving agro-food industry, and spread the word on New York products nationwide."

Funding is being provided through the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (amended under the federal 2014 Farm Bill), which authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide state assistance for specialty crop competitiveness programs. 

The state Department of Agriculture and Markets is soliciting proposals that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and benefit the greatest number of beneficiaries in one of three priority areas. These include research and grower education, food safety, marketing and promotion.

Acting State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Farmers are some of the greatest innovators in the entire world, but many of these innovations cannot be brought to light without strong research behind them. As a farmer of specialty crops, I know firsthand how invaluable the Specialty Crop Block Grant program is in helping farmers enhance their operations.”

New York Farmers Give Hops a Shot

Wall Street Journal gives http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324619504579026851948897742.html hops farmers their due in this story.

Report: NY Ranks 8th on 'Top Ten Best Craft Brew States in America'

This news release came from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Aug. 12 encouraged New Yorkers to “Taste NY” as a great way to experience the craft beers of over 100 breweries that make up the ever growing craft beer industry in New York.

The New York State Brewers Association provides a user-friendly brewers map of New York and a list of breweries as well as a calendar of craft beer events. USA Today recently ranked New York 8th on its “Top Ten Best Craft Brew States in America” list. 

Some of the unique craft breweries include Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse, Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown with its Belgian-style ales, F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, which is the 8th largest craft brewery in the US and the largest in New York, and Brooklyn Brewery, whose brewmasters and founders have penned a number of books about brewing and brews, are among the state’s well-known breweries with fans across the state, the country, and in some cases, around the world.

CENTRAL NEW YORK

In Central New York, Good Nature Brewing in Hamilton presents an annual Artist Series of specialty ales bottled with label designs by local artists, and Cave Mountain Brewing Company in Windham offers seasonal specialties such as Blueberry Stout, Peach Wheat, Chai Milk Stout and Guru Gluten-Free Pale Ale to its traditional brew list. And in the Catskills, Trout Town American Amber Ale will be the first brew from the new Roscoe Beer Company in Roscoe, a.k.a. Trout Town. 

Syracuse has three breweries just minutes apart. The Empire Brewing Company focuses on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients in both its restaurant and its craft beers and lagers such as Empire Cream Ale, Empire Amber Ale and Empire IPA.

A few blocks away, the Middle Ages Brewing Company brews handcrafted ales in small batches in the fashion of medieval England using imported English two-row malted barley. A life-size suit of armor in its stone-lined castle hallway and brews with names like Dragonslayer, Druid Fluid Grail Ale, ImPaled Ale and Tripel Crown adds to the medieval mood.

Nearby, the Syracuse Suds Factory continuously brews seven different beers on premises: Weizen, Sweet Stout, Irish Red, Black Cherry Lambic, Honey Light Ale, Pale Ale and Brown Ale and its pub features an extensive beer menu. 

The region also is rolling out new brews to include Outdoor Harvest Ale from Ithaca Beer in Ithaca that will be using hops fresh from the vine to create an intensely flavorful American Pale draft this August. 

Cooperstown Brewing Company, which brews premium ales, porters and stouts using two-row English barley malts, West Coast hops and English Ringwood Yeast; Butternuts Beer & Ale, whose ingredients include hops and wheat grown on its 120 acre farm; and Brewery Ommegang, known for its award-winning, Belgian-style ales, distributed in 45 states and Sweden, and getting special attention this year with its new Iron Throne ale, licensed in partnership with HBO’s Game of Thrones.


The Central New York Vacation Region also invites craft brew enthusiasts across the nation to find out “What’s on tap” in a collaborative tourism initiative launched today. The six-county Brew Central brings together the tastes, traditions and stories behind craft beer, hard cider and spirits in Central New York. Visitors can start their journey at http://www.brewcentralny.com. 

Just over a century ago, Greater Binghamton, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego and Schoharie counties represented the hop capital of the country. Brew Central puts the region back on the map with a growing constellation of more than 30 breweries, craft-centric pubs, cideries, distilleries and wineries. 

Visit http://www.brewcentralny.com, like http://www.facebook.com/BrewCentralNY and follow @BrewCentralNY on Twitter to find out “What’s on tap in Central New York." 

WESTERN NEW YORK
 
In addition to tasting rooms and tours, many New York microbreweries have their own brew pubs, often known for their quality farm-to-table cuisine.

Many of the venues are experiences in their own right. In the Greater Niagara region, the new Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company in Wilson invites diners to eat brick oven pizzas and a sample a flight of beers while sitting at a former freight elevator-turned-table in a converted cold storage apple warehouse. 

Chautauqua-Allegheny’s Ellicottville Brewing Company in Ellicottville and Fredonia has received more than three International World Beer Championship Awards for its hand-crafted brews. The brewery offers innovative and inspired menus and will soon have a brand new brewhouse.


FINGER LAKES

Long known for its quality wines, New York’s Finger Lakes region also has the largest concentrations of craft breweries in the state.

In fact, the Finger Lakes Beer Trail website lists nearly 50 existing craft breweries and brew pubs in the region with more in the planning stages. The site also suggests a choice of a long and a short one-day itinerary taking in some of the area’s top craft breweries. 

More suggested itineraries and breweries can be found here: http://fingerlakesbeertrail.com/content/itineraries. 

Plus, new brews are always being rolled out. Some of the interesting developments in the Finger Lakes include Lager-Rhythm, by Horseheads Brewing in Horseheads, brewed with yeast and hops imported from the Czech Republic and the Smokin' Hop IPA from Rooster Fish Brewing in Watkins Glen, made with hops smoked with cherry and maple woods. 

A scenic day trip, the Seneca-Keuka Lakes Loop visits seven different breweries, covering 120 miles roundtrip. Located on Three Brothers Winery and Estates on the shores of Seneca Lake in Geneva, War Horse Brewing Company offers unusual flavors such as a Riesling Ale that combines Riesling juice with an American Wheat Beer, as well as more traditional varieties like an East Coast Amber and American Black Lager.

Another winery-brewery combination, Wagner Valley Brewing Co. on Seneca Lake in Lodi uses an imported German brewing system to create six standard brews, and visitors can taste everything from its Dockside Amber Lager to Caywood Station Oatmeal Stout plus seasonal specialties.

Overlooking Seneca Lake, Two Goats Brewing Co. In Hector takes features a blond dopplebock (which translates as double goat) along with varieties like an IPA, Goat Master Ultra Pale Ale and an Oatmeal Stout. 

Continuing to Watkins Glen, the trail takes in the Rooster Fish Brewery, which serves its fine craft ales at the Crooked Rooster Brewpub and the Wildflower Café, known for its beer pairing menu suggestions.

In Hammondsport, the Finger Lakes Beer Company offers tours on non-brewing days, a tasting room with large windows into the brewery, and growler fills as well as bottles of its Aviator Wheat, Newton's Pale Ale, Copperline Ale and Hammonds-Porter Vanilla Porter.

The tasting room at the Keuka Brewing Co overlooks Keuka Lake, offering a wide array of premium ales including their White Cap Wazz-berry, White Cap Wheat and Briglin Road Red. 

ADIRONDACKS

While not an organized itinerary, the Adirondacks are also a fun and scenic place for brewery hopping.

Glens Falls has two breweries. Davidson Brothers Restaurant & Brewery uses an authentic brick kettle brew system from England to create its traditional IPA and other brews, and the pub at Cooper's Cave Ale Company offers a variety of ales on tap along with hand-crafted sodas and ice cream.

Nearby, in Lake George, the Adirondack Pub & Brewery offers twelve beers on tap, including its award-winning Bear Naked Ale, and a fascinating brewery tour. A bit farther north, the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery has earned national media attention and brews about 300,000 pints a year, placing it in the top 7% of breweries nationwide. 

LONG ISLAND

On the shores of eastern New York, award-winning Blue Point Brewing Company continues to make a name for itself and New York State in the sphere of brewing. It is consistently among the top breweries in the US, offering a variety of year-round beers, and several seasonal brews, as well as a 'tasting room' which is open to the public.

Long Island’s Craft Brewery Guild includes four brew pubs and 13 breweries from Nassau and Suffolk while its brewery trail also encompasses Brooklyn and Queens. 


Some things to be aware of: Most brew pubs offer tasting flights for purchase, but some serve only pints. Breweries with tasting rooms usually charge a small fee for tastings ($3 to $5) and require reservations for groups of six or more. Many do not offer tours daily, so check in advance.

And most important, wherever you go, use a designated driver, or better yet, go in style in a town car, limo, or even a stretch Hummer and leave the driving to somebody else.

For more information, visit http://www.thinknydrinkny.com and http://www.iloveny.com or follow the conversation on Twitter to follow the Hashtag #BrewNY.

Beer Ice Cream Combines Two Summer Favorites

When Mercer's in Boonville perfected wine ice cream a few years ago, you had to think that perhaps this would be coming soon.

Go to http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/dining/bottoms-up-ice-cream-made-with-beer.html?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=1& to read a New York Times story about beer ice creams that are popping up across the country.

Mercer's Wine Ice Cream comes in many flavors -- Cherry Merlot, Port, Chocolate Cabernet, Riesling, Red Raspberry Chardonney and Peach White Zinfandel. The ice cream is 5 percent alcohol. Check it out sometime. I've found the pints locally at Byrne Dairy and Green Hills market in Nedrow.

St. Lawrence Brewing Co. Opens

Go to http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130622/NEWS05/706229935 to check out the story.

Hops Growers Ready for Challenges

From Madison County Tourism

Check out http://poststar.com/news/local/hops-growers-ready-for-challenges/article_3ea91ee6-c0f5-11e2-bb27-001a4bcf887a.html this story.

A lot of farmers in Central New York are growing hops and will face these same challenges.