$1.2 million to assist specialty crop research and education

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets press release:

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced awards totaling $1.2 million for 10 projects to grow New York agriculture through research, protection and promotion of the state’s specialty crops, which rank highly in the nation in terms of both production and economic value.  Funding is provided through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and provides important assistance for research and grower education projects to boost competitiveness of New York farms and enhance long-term viability of agri-businesses.

Commissioner Ball said, “As a specialty crop farmer, I know how important these crops are.  These grants will help improve access to healthy food and help farmers solve difficult problems that will result in a safer and more efficient food supply.  Together, we’re tackling some of the most challenging issues in the state’s food supply and making remarkable progress.” …

The following six research and grower education projects based at Cornell University were awarded funding:

  • $105,568 to increase consumer demand for fresh, local vegetables year-round by supporting farmer entrepreneurs with the necessary business analysis tools to successfully enter the emerging field of controlled environment agriculture.
  • $51,916 to help growers reduce pesticides by 30 to 40 percent and improve growers’ profitability by offering a series of one-day, in-depth training courses on state-of-the-art spray application techniques.
  • $112,149 to evaluate management strategies of leafroll viruses and develop a comprehensive, integrated pest management (IPM) program to be disseminated to the local grape community to increase the overall quality of production and vineyard profitability.
  • $111,561 to find better ways to fight the damaging Cercospora leaf spot disease, which affects beets.  New York is the nation’s second largest producer of table beets for the fresh and processing markets, and demand is likely to continue to rise with the opening later this year of Love Beets USA, LLC’s new beet processing and packaging plant in Rochester.  Efforts will include research to find a more effective fungicide, as well as developing optimum methods for rotating crops and disease and weed management strategies;
  • $108,977 to reduce the impact of leaf mold in tomatoes produced in high tunnels (covered structures where tomatoes grow horizontally on tall trellises.)
  • $109, 829 to help New York apple growers adopt precision management techniques to reduce loss and ensure that a higher percentage of Honeycrisp apples meet the quality criteria necessary for the fresh market. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program will coordinate this project.

The following four promotion and marketing projects were awarded funding:

  • $280,000 to educate consumers about the many environmental, economic, and health benefits of specialty crop consumption.
  • $100,000 to increase the capacity of schools to procure and serve locally-produced specialty crops and help schools in carrying out their farm-to-school plans and initiatives.
  • $90,000 to assist specialty crop industry groups in providing information, raising awareness and promoting the state’s specialty crops to buyers and sales leads at the New York Produce Show in New York City.
  • $58,241 to assist consumers and commercial buyers to more easily search for and locate sources of specialty crop products by expanding the Pride of New York database and its functionality.

Read the full release.

 

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