From New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets press releases [2015-07-13]:
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced July 13 two new partnerships to further support and grow the beverage industry in the Finger Lakes region. A new partnership between Taste NY and the New York Wine & Culinary Center was unveiled following yesterday’s successful listening session with beverage industry stakeholders during Governor 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 (CALS) and its New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva for research on hops and malting barley, the two major ingredients in the production of beer.
Dr. Susan Brown, The Goichman Family Director of NYSAES said, “On behalf of our faculty and extension staff, I know that my colleagues at CALS and NYSAES are committed to delivering the outstanding science and outreach essential to bolstering this resurgence of the brewing and farm-based beverage industry in New York State. This generous investment supports our partnership with growers, producers and entrepreneurs, continues to foster economic development and, importantly, expands the portfolio of New York beverages in an ever-increasing number of bottles, pints and glasses across our state.”
The research being conducted by Cornell University will help meet the growing demand of hops and barley for use in farm-based breweries. Governor 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.