Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association Volume 2, … · of Defense would slash most...

Jim Allen wonders about the fu-ture for well-established varieties like the Golden Delicious in the days of Pink Lady and Ambrosia...................................... Page 3Economic development in Idaho, but New York left out. Why?...................................... Page 5Michigan cider producer’s impris-onment highlights importance of safety measures....................................... Page 6Industry leaders Russell, Ferraro remembered....................................... Page 6

Hard cider operation debuts in Capital District....................................... Page 7New York Farm Bureau analyzes provisions of the Farm Bill....................................... Page 8Cornell researcher Lakso to retire..................................... 0

New USApple President explains why agricultural issues are not re-ally that different between com-modities..................................... Page 14

Your AMO assessments fund all of the activities of the New York Apple Association, helping to encourage profitable growing and marketing of

New York apples. Stories and photos with this logo

specifically highlight how your AMO dollars

are being put to work for you.

In this Issue

7645 Main StreetPO Box 350Fishers New York 14453-0350

Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association Volume 2, Issue 10 March 2014

Nutrition tips from Linda

Quinn. Page 12

• Cornell’sHudson Valley facility survives funding cutsBy Dave Rosenberger, Peter Jentschand Jeff Crist

At times during the past year, it seemed almost certain that the applied research and extension

programs at Cornell’s Hudson Valley Lab in Highland, New York, would be slashed due to budget shortfalls. In fact, there was a real possibility that the applied research programs might be eliminated completely.

Due to significant cutbacks in both federal and state funding over the past decade, Dean Kathryn Boor of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences indicated that Cornell would reduce funding for the Hudson Valley Lab by nearly 50 percent beginning in July of 2014. One of the scientist positions was to be eliminated following the retirement of Dave Rosenberger, and the remaining $270,000 in annual funding that CALS agreed to provide over the next five years would cover

only salaries for the remaining two scientists and two support positions.

The cutbacks in CALS funding meant that other sources of funding were needed to cover $125,000 in annual expenses for overhead (utilities, maintenance, insurance) and operating costs formerly paid by annual allocations from CALS via the Geneva Experiment Station. Scientists at the Hudson Valley Lab have supported their own research programs via grants for many years, but grant funds designated for specific projects could not be used to cover the overhead and general operating expenses at the Hudson Valley Lab. It

was clear that an entirely new funding model was needed.

Cornell University has supported research efforts in the Hudson Valley ever since 1923 when the state legislature provided line-item funding for research to address specific problems unique to that part of the state. Cornell scientists worked from various rented facilities in the Hudson Valley from 1923 to 1964.

In the early 1960s, Hudson Valley fruit and vegetable growers created a non-profit corporation, purchased

Farmers’ contributions keep lab viable

New Year, new resolutions,great apple visibilityBy Julia Stewart NYAA Public Relations Director

New York Apple Association’s public relations plan calls for your Association to keep New York apples and apple products top of mind with key audiences year-round.

For other food groups, a year-round schedule might be daunting. Thankfully, with apples we’ve got plenty to talk about. And the New Year is no different.

Our 2013-crop PR plan is intentionally aggressive, to get us back on customers’ radar screens after 2012. We started beating the drum early, talking up industry investments while there was

still snow on the ground. We then put the spotlight on the coming crop from blossom to harvest, to prime the markets for our triumphant return. Throughout the fall and holidays, we highlighted the crop’s high quality and variety.

With the New Year, we shift our messaging again to keep our story fresh.

For the first quarter of this year, we will focus on New York apples’ healthy profile. To tap into all those New Year’s weight loss resolutions, we are positioning New York state apples as an easy, delicious weight loss tool. The science is with us – more than one study involving real, live humans has documented apples’ value as a weight loss aid.

What’s more, Registered Dietitian Linda Quinn is the very credible face and voice of our nutrition and health activities. She is a tremendous asset to NYAA’s PR effort. In addition, Linda, NYAA Marketing Director Molly Golden and I all work closely together

NYAA’s Public Re-lations Director Ju-lia Stewart debuts her new column this month. More from Stewart on Page 12

See Stewart, Page 12

See Lab, Page 10

Core Report® March 2014

Retail ReviewNews from the retail marketing industry

For many consumers, stores like Walmart, above, are replacing traditional supermar-kets.

Big box stores supplanting supermarketsForbes

Thanks to a proliferation of press attention, it may often seem like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and farmers markets peddling organic kale are today’s favored grocery shopping destinations. Not so, according to a new study published by retail design fi rm King Retail Solutions in conjunction with the University of Arizona’s Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.

In fact, more than ever, consumers are looking to big box stores like Walmart and Target as well as convenience stores, dollar stores and pharmacy chains including Walgreen ’s and CVS to fulfi ll their grocery lists.

KRS surveyed more than 1,200 shoppers and found that 77 percent percent of respondents across all three demographics – Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers – bought groceries from a non-grocer in 2013.

What’s more, a full 96 percent of those surveyed said they’ll be buying groceries from places other than grocery stores in 2014.

Fresh Thymesets openingSupermarket News

Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets has

announced locations for its fi rst 23 stores, the fi rst of a planned 60 for the Phoenix-based start-up.

As reported previously in SN, Fresh Thyme will open its fi rst store in Mt. Prospect, Ill., this spring, followed by an additional eight stores this year.

The heart of Fresh Thyme’s 28,000-square-foot stores will be a large produce department, including locally sourced and organic fruits and vegetables with value pricing, the company said.

Commissary prices to increaseCNN Money

A military family could see grocery

bills go up by $3,000 a year under the latest Pentagon budget proposal.

Grocery stores for military families, also called commissaries, will be able to offer fewer savings over the next three years as the Department of Defense would slash most of the taxpayer subsidies that prop up these stores, according to the plan released in February.

Each year, $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars go to 178 commissaries nationwide and 67 located overseas. The Department of Defense plans to slash $1 billion of those subsidies, mostly affecting the U.S. stores.

The cuts are part of a broader budget plan that aims to make the armed forces leaner and more responsive to threats like cyber attacks from China than land wars in the Middle East.

Whole Foods to lend more to producersSupermarket News

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market will increase funding of its Local Producer Loan Program by $15 million for a total of $25 million.

Started in 2007, the program provides loans to local growers, producers and food artisans to help grow their businesses. Whole Foods has issued 184 loans totaling $10 million to 155 businesses since the program’s inception.

The loans have fi xed low-interest rates and typically range from $1,000 to $100,000.

The Produce NewsTop-performing retailers generate

up to three times more apple category dollars even after equalizing for store size, according to a new analysis released by CMI.

The report assesses the key differences between top- and bottom-performing retailers in U.S. markets, identifying strategies used by leading supermarket chains to drive sales and volume growth.variety-performance-report

“We looked at three years of apple category performance data for retailers all over the U.S.,” Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing for CMI, said in a news release. “There are some fairly basic approaches used by top retailers to drive apple sales that the guys at the back of the pack miss. It appears that the specifi c tools consistently used by top supermarkets can be implemented by just about any

retailer of any size, but are missed by low-performing supermarkets.”

Lutz said the study reveals how consumers follow retailer cues in making apple purchase decisions at the point of sale.

“The research shows that when consumers reach the retail shelf they actively shop the category but ultimately purchase a single variety,” he said. “Regular apple buyers are very cognizant of retail price promotions, which can actually create incentives to trade-down from a regular planned purchase at full price to a discounted item, reducing dollar performance.”

Lutz said the most successful retailers actually boost performance by strategically using variety selection, shelf position and merchandising to shift consumers away from low-priced varieties to higher-priced mainline and niche brands.

The study also shows that the most

successful retail chains offer much more variety to consumers. “The data shows that the top-performing supermarkets carry an average of 40 unique apple SKUs every week, said Lutz. “That makes for a very dynamic category and allows retailers to mix the promotion and merchandising to drive sales. The low-performing chains averaged only 22 SKUs per week.”

The study results indicate that another key factor in driving apple category performance is how well the chain utilizes niche and branded apples. According to Lutz, the study shows retailers with the strongest apple category performance “maintain a larger assortment of niche and branded apples such as Ambrosia or Kiku, actively working to entice consumers to switch their purchases from lower priced segments into these more expensive but very fl avorful apples.

CMI releases applevariety performance report

By Molly [email protected] the winter season continues to

drag on, and on….and on….it is not only us up north being affected by these

n u m b i n g l y c o l d temperatures.

It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to the produce section right now; the citrus growers have been hit hard both in Florida and California with cold temperatures,

which make us apple lovers happy. While we never want to wish bad times upon our fellow produce industry colleagues, less citrus that means high prices and consumers reaching for more apples.

The overall market has been strong for New York apples; and retailers were as supportive as ever this fall, and are as receptive as they were then at this time of year. Promotions are continuing with hot ads on popular packages, strengthening even further our hold over the other popular winter fruit.

Our markets have expanded this year and it is exciting to see the response and the expansive New York portfolio out-of-state.

We are continuing with exciting and innovative promotions such as online couponing and social media promotions; and retailers are recognizing the importance of keeping up with the ever savvy consumer who is looking for innovative ways to capture savings. With storage holdings strong, we will have apples to supply their needs well into late spring and early summer.

March 2014 Core Report®

Core Report® is published monthly by the New York

Apple Associationas a member service.

New York Apple Assn.Contact

7645 Main St., Fishers, NY 14453-0350Phone: (585) 924-2171, Fax: (585) 924-1629www.nyapplecountry.com

StaffJames Allen, President, [email protected] Golden, Director of Marketing, [email protected] Willis, Executive & Communications AssistantCathy Jadus, Administrative & Retail AssistantEllen A. Mykins, Accounting Dept.John McAleavey, Northeast Account ManagerLinda Quinn, Nutrition SpokeswomanJulia Stewart, Public Relations Director and NYAA spokesperson, [email protected]

Board of DirectorsWill Gunnison, Vice Chairman, District 1, Crown Point,

(518) 597-3363, [email protected]

Jay Toohill, District 1, Chazy, 518-846-7171,

[email protected]

Kenneth A. Migliorelli, District 2, Tivoli, (845) 757-3276,

[email protected]

David Jones, District 2, Germantown, 518-537-6500,

[email protected]

Kurt Borchert, District 3, Marlboro, 845-236-7239,

[email protected]

Michael Boylan, Chairman, District 3, Gardiner,


Joseph Porpiglia III, District 3, Marlboro,


Peter Fleckenstein, Secretary/Treasurer, District 4,

Lafayette, (315) 677-5105, peterfl [email protected]

Douglas DeBadts, Jr., District 5, Sodus


Chris Hance, District 5, Pultneyville, (315) 589-4212,

[email protected]

Brian Nicholson, District 5, Geneva,


Phil Wagner, District 5, Wolcott, (315) 521-7548,

[email protected]

Kevin Bittner, District 6, Barker, 716-778-7330,

[email protected]

Kaari Stannard, District 6, Medina, 518-477-7200,

[email protected] Woodworth, District 6, Waterport,

585-682-4749, [email protected]

President’s Message

By Jim [email protected]

As new boutique apples appear, what will happen to the “traditional” fl avors?

Steve Lutz, past president of the Washington Apple Commission and former partner with the Perishable Group, has made a career on gathering all types of scan data, Neilson numbers and molding the material into glitzy presentations that report apple movement, consumer trends and what’s hot and what’s not!

Now Steve works for CMI, one of the largest grower-shipper groups from Wenatchee Washington. Steve is still collecting numbers, and he recently reported good news in The Packer Newspaper that December apple volumes in U.S. retail stores were up by 3.2 percent from a year ago and up a whopping 9.5 percent from two years ago. Steve says “It is very encouraging to see double digit volume growth in December compared to the same time just two years ago. The numbers validate that consumers are buying more apples while embracing new varieties.”

His next statement, although I am sure is accurate because numbers don’t lie, (?) does surprise me. He mentions that the volumes are up for Pink Lady, Honeycrisp and Ambrosia (that I would label as new varieties) by over 18 percent and that Granny Smith and Rome (old varieties) also were up by over 17 percent. That’s good news, right? The next number is not so good to read. Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Cameo all declined “signifi cantly.” And if McIntosh, Empire, Macoun, and Cortland were of any interest whatsoever to Steve and his data collection or if, in fact, the numbers even show up in his data, I can unfortunately bet that they would also be in decline.

A b s e n t from the data, for whatever reason, is Gala; but perhaps because it is well known that Gala continues to gain market share. Enter the boutique varieties that seem to offer a few new ones

each year; Piñata, Envy™, Jazz™, Koru®, SweeTango®, Kiku®, Autumn Glory®, SnapDragon™, RubyFrost™ (not Ruby Fresh as the Packer reported), and the list gets bigger and bigger. Every time one of these new and perceived exciting, varieties enters the marketplace, some other variety takes a hit. Some of the ‘newbies’ are only offered for a limited time, in limited volumes and always at higher prices, while the traditional fl avors try to hold their ground. Unfortunately the holding power for some of them is the lower retail price that attracts the customer.

Recently, New York Apple Growerspromoted the RubyFrost™ in a number of stores throughout the state with attractive displays and demos to introduce the newest New York state apple. Prices ranged from $1.99 to $2.69 per lb. Reports were positive on the quality and the taste of the apple, and of course some resistance at $2.69 per pound was seen. Compare this to a recent feature by a major New England retailer … 3 lb bags of Macs or Cortlands for $2.49 per bag!

As we continue to discover, explore and introduce new varieties across

Jim Allen

Branching Out

Market going strong

Molly Golden

Is there a future for our past?

Molly

New York AppleAssociation staff: Front row, from left — Ellen Mykins, Molly Golden. Back row — Jim Allen, Cathy Jadus, Joan Willis.

See Allen, Page 14


By Paul [email protected]

It has been an active start to 2014 for the New York State Horticultural Society.

We began by being actively involved in the agenda for the Becker Forum in Syracuse on Jan. 20, 2014.

It is extremely diffi cult for even the creative minds of Hollywood to have successful sequels to any performance, but our group I believe was up to the task. We offered a broader program this year by including much more about the prospects of legislation in the state capital. The old threat of the Omnibus Bill, or as most of you see it the fi ght over overtime on farms, was front and center.

We included a presentation by Dale Stein, a dairy farmer from Western New York, who did an excellent job of outlining what passage of such a bill would mean to his operation. By doing so, he set a formula for all in the room

to test their own numbers.

This was followed by a panel of three growers from three different types of farms (dairy, vegetable and fruit) who d e s c r i b e d what they were

attempting to do to keep the highest quality of staff on their farms in this diffi cult work environment.

Then we included our traditional reports on the national agenda to round out the day. Included this year was a speaker from the western growers, who represent the southwest growers on mostly labor issues. His presentation helped give a perspective to the issues being faced on the West Coast. All in all, I feel we met our responsibility of informing the audience as to the current challenges we will face in

2014 from both the national and state agendas.

The next challenge for the Society was going to Albany where we met primarily with senate members to discuss three issues.

First, we expressed our gratitude for the fi nancial support given to our industry over the many years; specifi cally in 2013. Given the small harvest of 2012, the legislative lift to maintain our programs was very much welcomed.

Second, we asked for continued support and a new ask in the form of matching funds for applied apple research. We asked for $500,000, which would match the amount of grower funds that are collected. We gave specifi c uses where additional funding would help maintain a very profi table and progressive apple industry here in New York.

Third, we asked for their wisdom in reviewing a good solution for the Omnibus Bill, should this issue come up in the Senate. We were prepared with examples of how a 40-hour overtime bill would place our growers in a very deep disadvantage to remain competitive not only nationally, but internationally. We asked that if these issues were to become serious on the fl oor of the Senate that we be asked to weigh in prior to the fi nal drafting of a fi nal bill. We were very well received on this topic. Our very last visit was with Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten

Island, who will lead the discussions on this bill. We had an excellent exchange and I believe it is safe to say both sides came away feeling a compromise could be reached. I have since been back to follow up and continue to feel positive on this topic.

Kearneysville, WVa.On Jan. 31, I traveled to West Virginia

to chair the annual review of projects at the USDA Fruit Research station. The range and depth of programs being studied here is remarkable. The passage of the Farm Bill was critical to maintain funding for many of these programs. It is important to realize that much of the research being done here at Geneva is tied in with this station.

They are working on programs such as better usage of water in our orchards. SWD and stink bug are high on their radar. Improvements in robotics is front and center here.

On a non-apple topic, they are working on high density peach orchards with improvements to thinning a priority. In cherries they are looking for industry support to come up with a piles cherry. I need not tell you how this would revolutionize both the fresh and tart cherry business.

◆◆◆

Paul Baker is the executive director of the New York State Horticultural Society and Ag Affi liates.

Another successful Becker Forum

The Hort ReportNews from the New York State Horticultural Society

Baker

By Paul [email protected]

In early February I attended for three days the National Council of Agricultural Employers annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

While there, I spent an entire day on Capitol Hill with three industry people calling upon Congress to fi nd some direction on the stalled immigration movement.

We were met with the expected reaction from the Senate side. There we were told that they had done their work in passing a bill. The good news was they said they would be very interested to work with the House in passing a piece onto the Oval Offi ce. The bad news was that if the House did not respond in kind, that all the gloves were off in efforts to move this in the future.

My group saw this differently. I personally was discouraged because I need the Senate to remain strong on passage efforts. The current mood in the House is so divided as to be totally dysfunctional. I had hoped to hear a message of maturity from the Senate saying they knew what was needed and they would remain on task. I hope they

will remain the one example of guidance on the Hill we can count on in this issue.

On the House side, we were very direct. We let each member know that while they remained on the outside on this issue, our farms were in trouble back home. The mood back in the various districts was that we were looking for leadership, not excuses. I believe very strongly that our message was heard very clearly.

I will be on the Hill March 20 and again will deliver a very direct, yet fi rm message. We will be making the rounds with the U.S. Apple Association efforts.

State issuesI have been in Albany with the

LabormattersNews from Ag Affi liates

Message delivered in D.C.

See Baker, Page 15


Employee housing, the next frontier?Frank A. GasperiniNational Council of Ag Employers

Not to frighten anyone un-necessarily, but it seems there may be a new issue for agricultural employers

to consider as an increased-threat level item.

This new area of concern is your seasonal w o r k e r housing.

A l t h o u g h still a more diffi cult and management intensive issue

for H-2A employers, agricultural employers across the United States have reported renewed scrutiny and interest by both the “normal” regulatory bodies and some “new-comers” in the past few weeks of February 2014.

Employers in the H-2A program are having their housing certifi cation, or approval inspections by their State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) now. Reports from New England, the Middle Atlantic States, California, and other parts of the country are that many SWAs are signifi cantly more critical this year than we have seen in recent years.

Housing is being failed for very minor details, even including a perceived need for repainting. In the West, we have been told that the SWA inspectors may have been accompanied by U.S. DOL Wage & Hour inspectors with the belief on the part of the growers involved that there was a preconceived bias toward the inspections resulting in signifi cant defi ciencies.

We hope that is not the case, but the bottom line is that it appears housing

that has never been considered “problem housing” is being severely scrutinized in 2014.

On the West Coast, Oregon has suddenly decided that even H-2A employers, who are supposed to be exempted by rule, are required to offer family housing or their state applications are being rejected. We are working with DOL now to clarify that, but Oregon H-2A employers are suddenly faced with the prospect of huge percentages of their housing being lost in conversion if the Oregon interpretation stands.

This is of course an issue for non-H-2A employers every year, but because it appears that various watchdog groups may be “testing” this year it is important that every employer be aware of the family housing requirements that may or may not apply in order to avoid a situation where you may be subject to litigation after the fact.

Another area of challenge presents itself as local populations grow, housing ages, and water quality regulations such as the Great Lakes Initiative and others are more vigorously enforced. Recently, growers have seen local health departments and state environmental enforcement agencies begin to limit occupancy to levels below previous approvals.

These restrictions have been done to limit municipal water and sewage system loads or to reduce outfl ow from existing on-site sewage treatment systems as part of overall runoff or stream nutrient management efforts. These limitations can be diffi cult and costly to mitigate. For those grower’s whose housing includes on-site sewage treatment systems; proper maintenance and timely upgrades are important but will not assure that capacity limitations might not eventually apply to your site as well.

Since Core Report® readers are predominantly in New York, I have

listed three useful New York websites referring to farm worker housing below.

For New York general farm-worker housing requirements see: http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_15/

For a 2011 N.Y. State Agriculture summary: http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AP/agservices/g u i d a n c e d o c u m e n t s / 3 0 5 -

aFarmHousing.pdfNY DOL Farm labor standards

page: http://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/farm_labor.shtm

Until next month, FrankThe author is the executive vice

president/CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. For information about NCAE and NCAE Membership information visit our website at www.ncaeonline.org.

Opinion

Gasperini

Idaho, famous for potatoes, lands$85 million fruit plantBy Jim [email protected]

The Capital Press, a weekly newspaper in Oregon that covers mostly agriculture in the tri-state area of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, recently printed a story about a new apple processing plant to be built in Nampa, Idaho.

The $85 million facility will manufacture “Go-Go Squeeze Applesauce on the Go!” This is the second plant for Materne North America, a French company that fi rst opened in Michigan in 2008. Reports are that they have sold more than 2 billion applesauce pouches around the world and to U.S. customers such as Target, Costco, Kroger and Whole Foods.

The story goes on to say that the company will source apples from Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Idaho produces 1.7 million bushels of apples per year, compared to New York’s 32 million bushels per year. Washington and Oregon combined production is close to 160 million bushels yearly. Obviously

raw material supply in that region is not only high, but usually cheap.

But the question does come to mind; was New York ever considered? Without having any knowledge to think that New York was or was not thought about, my gut says of course we were. After all, if in 2008 since the French company located in Michigan then surely they would have either considered New York or at least were knowledgeable of our resources. I can understand the Michigan location, since Michigan is more of a processing producer than a fresh producer; but New York’s utilization of fresh to processing is almost 50-50, and Idaho is generally all fresh. Of course, Washington only processes their mistakes (28 million), which as we all know is greater than what we put in a can or bottle yearly.

The fact is, New York should have been in a position to attract such an investment. Not only do we have consistent supplies, abundant water, labor and transportation services, but we are much closer to the markets that

this company supplies, say nothing about population centers of the country.

I would hope that the decision to build in Idaho was based on raw product costs, and not on cost of doing business and/or the fact that perhaps no one is seriously trying to attract new business. We keep reading about creating new jobs and bringing manufacturing back to upstate, and tax breaks for stadiums, casinos, and shopping malls, in hopes that jobs can be created. Wouldn’t this be a great spot for long term tax breaks to encourage an $85 million investment?

Expanding our processing capabilities in New York would be a great boon to the economy. By creating new jobs and by expanding markets for an established industry such as apple farming in New York, would not only offer new employment opportunities, but would help stabilize the present apple market.

I suppose you could fi le this story under “Food for Thought” or “Why not NYS?”. I would suggest that we as an industry use this story as a reason to

look down the road and assess what is needed to enhance and to help strengthen the apple industry in New York. For years we have all agreed that the processing market can be the foundation for the apple market, and having a sound and profi table processing market will only improve all apple markets; last crop year (2012) being the ultimate example.

A few weeks ago, a Williamson-Sodus apple grower and businessman called to discuss just this issue; how to attract new apple related business in New York. In that discussion, the questions was asked, “Who the hell is going to buy all these apples that are in the ground?”

I know that I am preaching to the choir, and forgive me because I do not mean to preach; but as an industry let’s address this and let’s start singing to the appropriate listeners. Let’s get our heads together, and our heads are as good as anyone in the business, and see how to answer the question.

The folks in Nampa, Idaho, have an answer … we need one.

Core Report® March, 2014Page 6 Core Report® March, 2014Page 6 Core Report® March, 2014

Mich. cider producer imprisonedFood Safety News

A Michigan cider producer has been sent to state prison after a felony conviction related to an E. coli outbreak.

The sentence for the fi rst felony conviction under the 14-year-old Michigan Food Law is for 14 to 48 months plus fi nes and court costs.

It goes to James Ruster for producing contaminated cider associated with a 2012 Michigan outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. His cider was responsible for sending four people to the hospital and sickening several others. The Feb. 18 sentence ends two years of legal action targeting Ruster, who owns Mitchell Hill Farm in Ellsworth. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to willful misbranding and adulteration of food products.

Top Michigan agricultural offi cial said Ruster showed “blatant neglect” for food safety and the health of his customers. The Michigan Food Law is also known as Act 92 of 2000.

Jamie Clover Adams, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the conviction in no way refl ects the integrity and food safety record of the state’s licensed cider producers.

Adams, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder in July 2012, said Michigan’s cider producers used Good Manufacturing Practices to produce safe and wholesome cider.

“No foodborne illness outbreaks have been associated with cider producers following the GMPs or meeting the requirements of the law,” she said “Michigan’s apple industry as a whole works closely with regulators to make sure production practices use the best science available to keep products safe.

It is unfortunate that it takes a case like this to point out the potential for harm from producing food items in an unsafe manner.”

A state food inspector investigated a consumer tip that Ruster was selling apple cider at a local farmers market in October 2011. Mitchell Hill Farm had been previously licensed as a maple syrup producer, but it was

not approved to produce cider. After repeatedly being informed that he wasn’t meeting safe cider production standards, Ruster continued to make and sell his apple cider.

State agricultural offi cials received notifi cation of an outbreak associated with Ruster’s cider on Nov. 6, 2012.

The investigation by the regional Health Department of Northwest

Michigan and state agriculture and health offi cials determined that the improperly processed Ruster cider caused an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Local and state prosecutors and the Michigan State Police assisted them in the investigation.

Several victims continued to report symptoms more than a year after consuming Ruster’s cider.


I guess it’s just hard for me to hold my tongue sometimes, especially when it comes to news such as this that hits close to home.

As you must know, a number of years ago the New York Apple Associaton and MOST of the New York apple industry levied a hard fought battle to require mandatory cider treatment, which included pasteurization or ultraviolet treatment to kill harmful pathogens in raw cider.

When I say a hard fought battle, it was just that. We had a number of New York cider producers, New York Farm Bureau, some New York dairy farmers, and the Michigan Cider Guild along with some Michigan industry members fi ghting us. On the side of food safety, Cornell, generally the apple industry in whole and legislators supported the cause, based simply on the health and safety of cider consumers and the apple industry.

Our fear was that one outbreak

would spoil the entire industry. In attempts to block our efforts, a number of Michigan Cider Guild members wrote to New York growers encouraging them to stop the madness

and to vote out the AMO. Their efforts were in vain, as New York Legislation was passed to make it the fi rst such regulation in the country that banned sale of raw, untreated cider.

Without a doubt there still may be a New York cider producer in operation today that opposes the regulation and will continue to argue that their cider is safe based on the following statement:

“We continue making cider the ol’fashioned way. We do not use preservatives or additives, and do not pasteurize. We use only superior quality fruit and no drops.”

Unlike the Jenson Farms’ contaminated melon incident that caused more than 30 deaths across the country, fortunately no one died from the October 2011 cider outbreak; but several victims indicated possible lifelong after-effects of their E-Coli infections.

The New York apple cider industry is stronger and healthier today and consumers can be assured that the cider in New York is safe, as long as the producer they purchase from is abiding by the law.

In Memoriam

Charles A. Russell,Appleton grower

Charles A. Russell of Appleton, husband of the late Estelle (McCarthy)

R u s s e l l , entered into rest on Friday, Feb. 21, at Odd Fellow and Rebekah Rehab and Health Care Facility.

He was born on June 23, 1925 on the family farm in Appleton to

Charles and Deirdre (Harwood)Russell. Charles and Estelle married on Feb. 16, 1952.

Charles was the fourth generation to own and operate Russell Farms in Appleton where he also held the offi ce of Newfane Town Supervisor from 1969-73.

Throughout his farming career he was nominated for numerous agricultural and business awards to include the 1958 Chamber of Commerce Farmer of the Year award. He served on the board of directors for Niagara County Cooperative Extension, the Niagara County Farm Bureau and the New York State

Horticultural Society.He was past president of the

Western New York Apple Growers Association and the Niagara-Orleans Farm Credit Association. Charles coached little league baseball in the Newfane town league. He was a member of St. Charles Roman Catholic Church where he served on the board of trustees for many years, a life member of the Lions Club and an active member of the Newfane Sports Boosters Club.

Father of Ann (Robert) Schneider of Newfane, Catherine (John) Moran of Michigan, Patricia (Russell) Sutter of Florida, William (Julie) Russell, Paul Russell, Peter (Grace) Russell, all of Appleton, NY, and John (Cathy) Russell of Rochester. Brother of Duane (Lena) Russell, Raymond (Judy) Russell and Mary Lou Harwood; brother-in-law of Thea Russell. Also survived by 20 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Charles W. and a brother, Leo P. Russell; also two sisters, Deirdre Bullard and Eleanor Therrien.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the St. Brendan on the Lake St. Charles site, 5972 Main St., Olcott.

Memorial donations may be made to Niagara Hospice or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer awareness (www.komen.org).

Please visit www.rutland-corwin.com to send the family a condolence.

Thomas Ferraro, Foodlink founder

Thomas C. Ferraro, the founder and executive director of Foodlink, one of

the nation’s fi rst food banks, has passed away at the age of 67.

“ W e s t e r n New York has lost a great human-i t a r i a n , provider and leader, Tom Ferraro,” New York Apple

Association President Jim Allen said. “I had the pleasure of serving on a few different committees and task forces with Tom over the years. We worked together on Senator Hillary Clinton’s Ag Advisory Board. Tom was instrumental on fi nding new ways to move upstate produce to different areas, utilizing Food Link trucks. His passion was certainly to help people and to make their lives better, through giving. Tom was a good friend and he will be missed by all.”

Ferraro’s fi ght against hunger began in the early 1970s when he was a volunteer at a food cupboard in the 19th ward. In time, he founded Foodlink as

an independent organization in 1983, and distributed 620,000 pounds of food in the same year. Under his leadership, the organization helped distributed more than 18 million pounds of food and resources every year to area soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, group homes, senior centers, day cares, after-school programs, and other non-profi t organizations. Foodlink now runs more than 30 food-related programs that seek to end hunger and improve nutrition.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news of Tom’s death,” said Julia Tedesco, Chief Development & Communications Offi cer. “Tom had an unquenchable passion for addressing the societal injustices that kept individuals in poverty and struggling to feed their families. It was this passion, combined with his deep humility and extraordinary sense of humor that made him an inspirational leader not only to the employees of Foodlink, but to the thousands of people he worked with in our community. He was a remarkable mentor to us all.”

Ferraro will be remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit and energy, his humanitarianism, and above all, his passion for the community. His vision to end hunger will remain a part of Foodlink’s mission for years to come.

In lieu of fl owers, donations may be made to Foodlink Foundation, PO Box 60766, Rochester, NY 14606 in his memory.

Russell Ferraro

NYAA’s safety battle worth fi ghting

‘Generally the apple

industry supported [treatment] based simply on the health and safety of cider consumers and the apple industry.’

—Jim Allen,NYAA President

March, 2014 Core Report® March, 2014 Core Report® Page 7March, 2014 Core Report® Page 7

Farm cideries ‘a growth opportunity’By Deanna FoxAlbany Times-Union

If one was to write an aromatic history of America, the early chapters would take note of the smells of woodsmoke, grain pressed between millstones, dank nasal textures of taverns and city alleyways, iron being made malleable by searing coals and freshly sickled hay, slowly drying in piles across fi elds.

Walking into Nine Pin Cider Works on the corner of Broadway and Thatcher Street in Albany’s warehouse district awakens another sensory memory — that of crisp apples, which here become hard cider, with fl avor notes that tickle the nose and prick the palate..

Colonial Americans consumed far more hard cider than liquor, beer or any other spirit. Cider was the great equalizer among men, as nearly everyone drank it, and it was enjoyed in city centers and rural homesteads alike. According to the New York Apple Association, a town’s wealth was measured by how many barrels of hard cider were fermented for the winter.

As people began to move toward urban areas, fewer were available to keep the tradition of cider-making alive. Hard cider production had all but halted after Prohibition, but new legislation in New York is reviving the art of the cidery. The Farm Cideries bill, signed last fall by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, establishes a new license for farm cideries and exemption from state sales tax reporting requirements for cider makers that produce less than 150,000 gallons per year and exclusively use New York state-grown apples.

“We couldn’t operate a tasting room without the Farm Cideries bill. Having that piece could be a make-or-break game changer,” says Alejandro del Peral, the proprietor and cider maker for Nine Pin Cider Works. Unlike a producer who can make cider on an orchard with a farm winery license, before the Farm Cideries bill was announced, “we could only get a cider producers license, which is an archaic license that doesn’t refl ect what’s going on in the market,” he says.

What’s going on in the market is an expanded demand for artisanal products based on the increasingly sophisticated palates of drinkers. Raised surrounded by orchards in the Columbia County town of Ghent, del Peral has kept the allure of the apple in his subconscious, but never

became part of the industry until sampling a bottle of Citizens Cider while in graduate school in Vermont. Enchanted by the beverage, he soon began apprenticing for Citizens and was promoted to full-time cidermaker.

Del Peral was able to convince his mother, Sonya, and other investors to open a cidery in the heart of New York’s apple belt. Nine Pin Cider started in its current location last August and received its farm cidery license last week, making Nine Pin the fi rst such licensee in the state.

“Farm cideries represent a tremendous growth opportunity for New York’s apple industry and will make our ciders stand out on their own nationwide. This legislation will open the door for a new growing category and provide even more markets for New York state apples,” says Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association. “I congratulate Nine Pin Cider Works on being the fi rst of many licensed farm cideries to come.”

The apples from Nine Pin’s cider come from Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook, Lindsey’s Idyllwood Orchard in Rexford and Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont. After Del Peral selects the varieties best-suited for cider, the apples are pressed at the orchard to be fermented in his cidery.

“The fl agship product is an off-dry sparkling cider, which we wanted to use as an intro into the world of hard cider,” del Peral says. “It’s very user-

friendly and objectively delicious.”In a poll conducted by Angry

Orchard Hard Cider, a commercially widespread brand produced and distributed by MillerCoors, 48 percent of those polled said they were aware of hard cider but did not know what it actually was. Nine Pin’s initial offering is a good introduction to the world of hard cider, though del Peral says he made about 15 styles this fall, some of which will be released at a later date.

Hard cider bridges the gap between wine and beer, encompassing elements of each while remaining its own unique product. “(Cider) has those things that both wine and beer making have. It’s a wine making process, so you have all those cool things that go into making wine, like the terroir, the variety,” say del Peral. “Because we’re not stuck in the rut of the history of winemaking, we can use the creative side of what’s going on in the craft beer world.”

Legislation similar to the Farm Cideries bill has spurred development in the brewery sector. Albany’s long-isolated and decrepit warehouse district is becoming a hot-spot for small-batch brewing and distilling, with the latest edition coming from a Druthers outpost. “It’s all about that community, and if there are fi ve breweries, a cidery, and a distillery on this strip, (the neighborhood) becomes this destination where people will come for the tours,” says del Peral.

Spencer Noakes, the general manager

of Remarkable Liquids, a craft-only distributor, compares hard cider’s progress to that of other artisanal suds. “It looks to be following the trajectory of craft beer’s rise to prominence 10 to 15 years ago, and we are fortunate enough to have one of the rising stars right here in our backyard,” he states. Remarkable Liquids will be distributing Nine Pin’s cider throughout the region, making it widely available.

Hard cider has piqued the interest of other producers, and some were already making hard cider with farm winery licenses, including Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, Orange County, the oldest winery in America and Hicks Orchard, New York’s oldest “you-pick” orchard. Since 2011, the number of hard cider producers in New York has risen from fi ve to 23. The drink’s popularity spurred the creation of Cider Week, held last October throughout New York City and the Hudson Valley. The week started with Gov. Cuomo’s signing of the Farm Cideries bill.

A bottle of Nine Pin’s cider represents both the past and present of New York’s agricultural, culinary and political history, with each sip refreshing tastebuds, much as the Farm Cidery bill has revived a nearly forgotten industry. The Nine Pin label urges drinkers to “Be revolutionary. Consider the apple.” And with this new wave in legislation, it seems Albany lawmakers have heard that message loud and clear.

Letter to the Editor

Enough with the ‘pseudo science’ on GMOsHi Jim,This has been a long over-due e-mail. I don’t know

all the Core Report people who have changed the content and/or format over the past few years, but the improvements have been fantastic! Thanks to all of you.

The second comment is about the “hot topic” of a possible GMO apple variety: 1.) I think that 99 percent plus of U.S. apples growers (including myself) think there are only positive results with the safety, etc. of GMO crops; 2.) Why did General Mills spend two years and millions of dollars to change their “Original Cheerios” product to a non-GMO product, yet not change all their other Cheerios products to non-GMO? The answer is not to give a superior product (see their website; they are very clear on their position on GMOs as a major company), but

to offer an alternative to consumers who have been bombarded with pseudo-scientifi c articles in the public press about the “dangers” of GMOs in cereals, etc. Until last Fall, when articles started to appear on Facebook, T.V., etc., the GMO/apple situation was a non-issue.

In the Winter 2013 New York Fruit Quarterly, the in-depth article by Dr. Kenong Xu talked about the exciting future of solving some of our apple problems with “The Next Generation Biotechnology.” Of high importance is Dr. Xu’s comment: “If there are no other methods to be developed in the next few years, the CRISPR/Cas9 system will have enormous impact on the future of the apple industry.”…. “Since these CRISPR/Cas9 improved apples will be as clean as varieties developed by conventional breeding from

the point of view of genetics, they would be urged to be regarded as non-GMO.” Why create doubt about the safety of apples to all consumers with one GMO apple variety (without lots of dollars being spent trying to convince consumers that not all apples contain GMOs) when fast-advancing science may offer the same apple attributes without “GMO” having to even be put in the consumer’s mind?

Does anyone think that with the potential biggest apple crops yet to come in the next 2-4 years, that we need ANY consumer to have a suspicion that oranges might be a “safer” choice than apples because of what they have heard in the news about a “GMO apple”.

W. H. “Butch” PalmerSpringbrook Orchards, Inc.

and Reality Research

Area Development OnlineNine Pin Cider Works, a craft

cider company in Albany producing hard cider from Capital District and Hudson Valley apples, has become the fi rst licensed farm cidery in the Empire State.

Last October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation establishing a new license for farm cideries to increase opportunities for this growing agricultural industry. Under a new law, cideries like Nine Pin are able to operate a tasting room where they are able to sell their product by the pint, enabling them to more immediately reap fi nancial rewards. This fact was

a signifi cant draw for the del Peral family as they chose to apply for the new license.

“The cider-making process represents the incredible spirit of where the apples are grown. New York

state’s climate gives apple producers an outstanding environment to grow great apples for cider making. It’s an incredible honor to become the state’s fi rst licensed cidery here in Downtown Albany under the new Farm Cideries Law. We applaudGovernor Cuomo for his dedication to making New York open to business to hard cider producers such as Nine Pin,” said Alejandro del Peral, cidermaker, Nine Pin Cider Works.

Operated by the del Peral family, “the company’s products deliver a crisp, refreshing taste using farm fresh fruit including apples grown from seed on the del Peral family farm,” the governor’s offi ce said.

Nine Pin Cider Works opensNew York’s fi rst craft cider cidery

Nine Pin Cider Works’ website, ninepin-ciderworks.com


Enhance your environmental,economic sustainability By Lisa HightowerUnited Fresh Produce Association

If you’re interested in making your operation more environmentally sustainable, consider joining United’s Sustainability Pilot Project.

The year-long pilot project will take participants through United’s Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment, a tool to help growers

enhance sustainability practices while controlling costs. The project involves teaching growers how to use the guide to self-assess current sustainability practices, and sharing best practices with other growers.

United’s Center for Global Produce Sustainability developed the guide to help producers learn more about four key areas of sustainability – stewardship of resources, environmental impacts, sociality accountability, and economic viability.

“Many growers are committed to sustainable production but it can be diffi cult to track progress from year to year,” said Ray Gilmer, United’s vice president of issues management

& communication. “The guide helps growers assess their current sustainable practices and identify new strategies they could incorporate into their businesses.”

The pilot project will include 20 to 25 producers from across the country growing diverse crops. Participants do not have to be United Fresh members.

To learn more the pilot project, please call me at 202-303-3417 or email me at [email protected].

NYFB breaks down the Farm BillBy Kelly [email protected]

New York Farm Bureau has long advocated the passage of the Farm Bill.

Within these past few weeks, Congress and the President took action that passed and signed the Farm Bill into law. The Agricultural Act of 2014 has many improved provisions that will help New York farmers and consumers. While we continue to analyze the full extent of the bill, we wanted to provide growers an overview of what is in the bill.

Crop Insurance Protection—Providing expanded crop insurance options and addressing the needs of underserved crops was also a priority

in this Farm Bill and the conference report provides for broader protection and a stronger safety net for New York’s fruit and vegetable producers and diversifi ed operations. It allows for a buy-up option of the Non-insured Assistance Program (NAP) for crops that do not have available crop insurance programs. It will also provide fruit growers whose crops

were destroyed by the 2012 early frost a retroactive NAP program option to help recover from those losses.

Specialty Crop Research and Support—Just as important as protection is the research that allows our specialty crop farmers to address cultivation and marketing challenges. The Specialty Crop Block Grants, Specialty Crop Research Initiative, National Organic Certifi cation Cost-Share Program, Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives, and the Maple Promotion Program will all help farmers meet challenges today and in the future.

Disaster Assistance—Reauthorizes agricultural disaster assistance

programs for trees and livestock, including the Tree Assistance Program and Emergency Livestock Assistance Program. These programs expired in 2012 and provide valuable assistance to farmers in the case of natural disasters.

Conservation—The bill streamlines many conservation programs so they can more effectively be used by states and landowners to protect the environment. Essential programs to New York, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and farmland protection programs are extended in the bill and will continue to help farmers protect New York’s rural landscapes.

See NYFB, Page 14

land in Highland, and constructed buildings to house offi ces, labs, and research equipment, thus creating the Hudson Valley Lab. The newly formed non-profi t (Hudson Valley Research Laboratory, Inc., or HVRL) developed an agreement with CALS administrators wherein HVRL would maintain the new facility in return for modest rental payments from CALS. In return, CALS would furnish the lab, purchased additional land behind the lab for research orchards, and cover salaries and expenses for the researchers housed at the lab.

Over the past 50 years, scientists at the HVL developed quality research programs that provided signifi cant benefi ts not only to fruit and vegetable growers in the Hudson Valley, but also for farmers in other parts of the state and throughout New England. Because of its southerly location within New York, the growing season begins earlier in the Hudson Valley, and many pests that invade from the south are detected in the Hudson Valley before

they appear in the rest of the state.As a result, HVL scientists often

functioned as an early-warning system for growers in other regions. HVL scientists benefi tted from having an extension fruit specialist supported by Ulster County Cooperative Extension housed in the same building. Together, the horticulturist, entomologist, plant pathologist, and extension specialist at HVL formed an effective team that not only generated cutting edge research, but also conveyed the results of research and fi eld observations to growers on a daily basis during critical parts of the season.

Given the reductions in CALS funding stipulated to begin in July, an industry fund-raising effort was initiated in mid December 2013 with the objective of generating at least the fi rst $125,000 in annual funding required for continuation of research programs at HVL.

The response from farmers was rapid and effective, generating an energy that ultimately converted some of the dubious into donors. By the end of February, Hudson Valley farmers along with contributing farmers in the Albany region, Champlain Valley, Long Island, and New England, had contributed $160,000 toward

continued operations at the Hudson Valley Lab. (Those contributions were in addition to $29,780 that the same group of farmers contributed in January-February of 2013 to retire the 40-yr mortgage that HVRL had taken to enlarge the facility in 1974).

The vigorous and rapid industry response attracted the notice of other philanthropies, agricultural interest groups, and politicians in Albany. One foundation has committed to providing an additional $300,000 in funding over the next three years. Ultimately, the groups involved in fund-raising and operating the Hudson Valley Lab are hoping to generate funding above and beyond the $125K/yr. operating expenses so as to allow refi lling of the third scientist position at the lab.

The industry response to the HVL funding challenge is especially notable considering the staffi ng transitions that are occurring at the Hudson Valley Lab. Peter Jentsch, entomologist, was appointed superintendent of the lab in November when Dave Rosenberger stepped down, after 23 years at the helm, in anticipation of his February 2014 retirement. Steve Hoying, horticulturist, announced that he would retire at the end of June 2014. Then Mike Fargione, the lab’s highly regarded fruit extension specialist, resigned in November to accept his “dream job” in wildlife management at The Institute for Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook,.

Despite the fact that three of the four key positions at the lab were being vacated, the industry voted with their checkbooks to say that regional research programs are essential for the success of agriculture in eastern New York.

The transition to the new funding partnership between CALS and the industry was not painless: it required a lot of work behind the scenes. An Executive Committee composed of CALS administrators and representatives from a wide range of Hudson Valley agricultural interests began meeting in November of 2012 to assess industry needs and consider options for new funding models. That committee met numerous times in

2013 before arriving at consensus on how industry funding for the Hudson Valley Lab should be handled and the responsibilities of both parties in the partnership.

The process benefi ted tremendously from having a pre-existing non-profi t corporation (HVRL) that could assume responsibilities and liabilities involved in fund-raising and paying for operating expenses of the lab after June 30, 2014. The 6-member Board of Directors for HVRL met numerous times to defi ne and review operational procedures for HVRL in its new role. That board then appointed a fund-raising committee comprised of industry leaders and the Hudson Valley Young Growers to provide leadership and “boots on the ground” for the fundraising campaign.

Although current efforts have raised more than the $125K needed by HVRL for the fi rst year of expenses under the new partnership, the fund-raising effort continues because, as stated above, funding beyond $125K/yr. will be required if HVL is to be re-staffed with a full team. Current plans are to refi ll a position in plant pathology later this year, but that will leave a vacancy in horticulture that can be fi lled only via continued fund-raising. (Interviews will be scheduled soon to fi ll the extension position vacated by Mike Fargione.) Most of the fund-raising efforts to date focused on the lower Hudson Valley and the larger farms.

The HVL fund-raising committee encourages continued contributions from anyone who has benefi tted from programs at the Hudson Valley Lab and who has not yet contributed.

Contributions should be payable to “Hudson Valley Research Laboratory, Inc.” and should be mailed to: Donna Clark, Hudson Valley Lab, PO Box 727, Highland, NY 12528. Donors will receive receipts for the tax-deductible contribution. It is worth noting that, as part of the partnership arrangement with CALS, HVRL will be collecting the funds and paying bills directly, thereby avoiding any overhead or management charges that might apply if funding had been channeled through Cornell University.



Here we go again … yet another valuable educator, researcher and fruit expert, having more than earned the respect and admiration of our industry, deciding to retire after an illustrious and accredited career.

But like some of his fellow colleagues who have also recently retired, Dr. Alan Lakso says that he will remain active in applying his knowledge and tools to help growers improve fruit. After dedicating 40 years to his cause, just walking away from it all is not in his character. For this, the New York apple and grape industries are greatly indebted to his past service and to his desire to continue to contribute.

Alan Lakso completed his PhD in Plant Physiology in the Viticulture and Entomology Department of UC Davis in 1973, researching temperature effects on wine grapes. In 1973 he moved to Cornell’s Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. His responsibilities included apples and grapes, and his research has emphasized carbohydrate and water physiology and how it integrates with environmental factors

and cultural practices as they affect product iv i ty and quality.

R e c e n t l y m o r e emphasis has been placed on modeling crop carbohydrate and water p h y s i o l o g y , understanding climate change

effects and environmental footprints, and adapting new technologies for precision fruit growing. Much of the work has been in close collaboration with Dr. Terence Robinson at Geneva. He has also taught several courses in fruit physiology and management in the Horticulture Department at Cornell over the past 20 years. He is retiring in 2014 after 40 years at Cornell, although he will still remain active in applying physiological knowledge and tools to help growers improve fruit production.

As a regular presenter at the yearly Fruit Schools, Dr. Lakso has shared his fi ndings with growers for decades and

his valuable work certainly warrants to be highlighted here in the Core Report®, as a simple way to recognize a few of his many contributions over the years.

Alan Lakso’s research has focused on apple fruit development and many of the physiological, environmental and cultural factors that support it or inhibit it:

How apple orchards utilize sunlight. Research on the way apple trees absorb and utilize sunlight energy has shown that during early fruit development and set, the crop is supported by spur leaves, not extension shoot leaves. This led to improved understanding of pruning as well as the development of the Palmette Leader tree form.

Carbohydrate relations in apples. Studies were done on the relationships of carbohydrate production from sunlight, the competition for those carbohydrates within the tree, how the weather affected them and how cultural practices could control them. From these studies a focus on early season carbohydrate production and competition has led to improved understanding of fruit versus shoot competition, how to balance it, and eventually to the Cornell Apple Carbohydrate Model (MaluSim) that is

available to growers online. The model has been useful to growers to estimate likely tree response to chemical thinners.

Apple water relations.Physiological studies of how apples respond to water defi cits has shown that apples are unique in many ways. Consequently, common calculations of irrigation needs were found to be erroneous. This has led to the development of an apple-specifi c calculation program that is online to give growers real-time information on recent water use and water balance.

New Technologies. To better monitor water stress in apples, a new approach has been taken with the development of an electronic micro sensor to be embedded in the trunk of trees to let the tree report its water stress. The sensor, developed with nanotech engineers, has been successfully proven and is being further developed for eventual commercial availability.

While we may not be seeing Dr. Lakso each February at the fruit schools on a regular basis, knowing that he is still available and willing to assist is reassuring to our industry.

Thank you Alan for all you have done and happy offi cial retirement.

Lakso

Cornells’s Lakso to retire

LabContinued from Page 1


Retailers support marketing effortsBy John McAleavey

Traditionally, this time of year retailer presentations include the retailer supporting the New York Apple Association, Inc. cancer research program with two ads at no charge.

This has been an ongoing program for several years now. To complement the program, we have the Marzetti retail staff put up our “Help Beat Cancer” POS card in the retail display section.

There are some retailers who will also

use an ad slick in their ads/circulars during this time period. The marketing mix is then complete because in March, college basketball coaches further highlight the cause by wearing sneakers with

their suits on the sidelines during games. There could not be more awareness going on for such a worthy cause.

Currently business is a little quiet. These additional ads should help stimulate activity. Again, while the overall store business is quiet, the apple sales are very good.

According to different retailers, there are still some strong ads out there on McIntosh and Empire, with features of $1.29 being common. Another

objective for us is to keep our core items, McIntosh, Empire, Gala, and Red Delicious, in the buyer’s active rotation. They will continue to use new exotic varieties, whether U.S. or imported; but they are on an “in and out” basis only.

This means for two to three weeks and they are gone.

We want New York apple core items in their day in and day out order book year-round, provided product is available.

McAleavey

By Linda QuinnMarch in National Nutrition Month

and the message is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.”

The number one way to “Eat Right” is to eat more fruits and vegetables.

This is a good m e s s a g e for New York apples b e c a u s e f a m i l i e s already enjoy apples. In fact, in a 2010 survey by Produce for Better Health Foundation w i t h Generation X moms, they

found that among the top 10 favorite family fruits, apples were No. 1.

Although Americans claim to “like” fruits and vegetables, they are still not eating enough.

According to the 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the average America eats only 1.1 servings of fruit and 1.6 servings of vegetables a day. This is far below the nine servings of fruit and vegetables that are recommended.

What many people don’t realize is that increasing their intake of produce daily can change their life. People who eat more are less likely to have obesity, Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and

cancer. By eating more, they will look and feel better and the benefi ts will increase their lifespan and may even stave off Alzheimer’s disease.

Most people would pay any amount of money if there was a pill they could take to do all that.

How can we help to get people to eat more? Make it available, make it easy and most importantly, make it a habit. Sliced apples are the easiest way to get people crunching.

Below are the top 10 easy and delicious tips to get people eating more apples and improve their health in every bite:

1. Add chopped apples and raisins to breakfast cereal every morning.

2. Add an apple to every lunch bag, briefcase or back pack.

3. Cut apples up and place in lunch boxes with peanut butter for dipping.

4. Add thin sliced apples to salads with goat cheese and walnuts.

5. Add sliced apples to cabbage salad for the perfect sweet and crunchy side dish.

6. Add apple slices to stir fries and casseroles.

7. Roast apples with onions and olive oil for a special side dish.

8. Make homemade applesauce with cinnamon on the weekend.

9. Serve sliced apples with cheese and crackers at dinner parties.

10. Try Baked Apple for dessert for a simple and low sugar treat.

Go to our website at www.nyapplecountry.com for recipes and ideas.

N.Y. apples makegood nutrition easy

Quinn

What is PR, andhow can it help you? By Julia StewartNYAA Public Relations Director

Public relations, or PR, is a cheap and easy way to bring attention to your business. So how are you doing with it?

What, you aren’t quite sold yet? Consider this: PR can cement your value to your current customers, bring in new customers, increase consumer awareness and confi dence in your products, and establish you as an expert. All without draining your wallet. Way.

Now that you’re convinced, let’s defi ne our playing fi eld. Type “what is public relations?” into your favorite search engine. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Welcome back. Many and varied, right? You just learned that PR defi nitions vary, and everyone has an opinion.

So where do you start, then? Focus on the key words that appear consistently across defi nitions:

• “Strategic” or “planned”: We all have limited resources; being thoughtful up front maximizes your PR ROI.

• “Information fl ow”: You are now in the business of providing content to others. Don’t fret, I know you have a great story to tell – and apple people usually aren’t shy.

• “Media”: These are the channels through which you’re going to convey that content. Old media are newspapers, magazines, TV and radio; new media are websites, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

• “Publics”: The various groups with whom you want to communicate.

• “Positive” or “favorable” and “image”: PR’s ultimate goal is to boost your image and grow your business. (That said, be ready to play defense. We’ll cover that in a future article.)

There, you’ve got the general recipe for PR; you can adjust it to your own taste.

To draft your PR plan: First, prioritize whom you want to talk to (target audiences), why (objectives), and what you want to say (key messages). In all cases, keep the number small to bring focus to your work.

This “who, what and why” will then drive your “how” (your strategy, tactics and activity plan). For example, if you operate a pick-your-own and want to reach moms in our area, then Facebook is a must. Write a post calendar to make sure you’re talking to them regularly. If you want to tap into the foodservice market, pitch ideas and resources to operators’ trade magazines. Strive for a placement each quarter. Here again, focus on a small number of outreach activities that will get you the best ROI.

Then list out the steps needed to execute your planned activities, assign deadlines, and then get busy(ier).

Can it really be that easy, you ask? Indeed, it can.

The key is to keep it simple and stay focused.

Join me back here next month for the next installment in this new series of articles to help you grow your New York state apple business with PR.

In the meantime, if you’ve got a question or comment, contact me at [email protected].

StewartContinued from Page 1

to ensure that NYAA’s marketing and PR activities support each other. We know that you, our industry supporters, would expect that of us.

In the coming weeks, we will continue our health focus by getting the word out to media about our in-store promotions, and NYAA’s related donations to fi ght cancer. Our goal is to raise apples’ healthy profi le, generate visibility for NYAA and support our local community in the process.

Meanwhile, check out our recent work for yourself. Visit our website to view the press release that we distributed statewide, to link to our YouTube channel to see Linda’s New Year’s video, and to link to our Facebook page.

Rural Development—A variety of programs in the Farm Bill will help rural communities, from broadband deployment to water system development. Several programs

also provide grants and loans for rural business development, including value-added producer grants and rural microentrepreneur assistance. These opportunities will help the rural areas in the state and encourage residents to build and diversify their businesses, including farmers.

Farm to Consumer Programs—New York has been working on better ways to move food from the farm to the consumers who need it and many programs supported by NYFB have been reauthorized and expanded in the Farm Bill. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program will continue to provide

fresh produce to low-income students at school, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will still provide this at-risk population with access to farm products, and the Farmers Market Promotion Program has been expanded to include Local Food projects, which could now help develop new food hubs and the aggregation, distribution and transportation infrastructure we need.

Beginning Farmer Support—The Farm Bill supports Beginning Farm Development programs and will provide these new farmers a discount on crop insurance and credit opportunities to start their businesses.


Not as different as you might thinkJim BairPresident & CEO, USApple

Since joining USApple on Dec. 30, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many

apple growers and their partners such as the New York Apple Association.

I have been i m p r e s s e d . I have spent my entire 32-year career managing food and agriculture t r a d e associations. During that

time I’ve never encountered industry leaders more passionate about what they do. Folks are committed to apples.

They’ve also been curious, in a nice way, about my past where I represented the producers, handlers and processors of grains. It might seem the only thing grains have in common with apples is their joint contributions to some of my

favorite foods – wheat fl our in an apple pie crust or oats in an apple “crisp” (a crisp is what we Iowans call the dessert most folks refer to as cobbler). I struggle with pie crust but I’m famous in my family, or at least in my mind, for my apple/rhubarb crisp.

In fact, since coming to USApple I’ve discovered a surprising amount of overlap in the issues that are impacting apples, grains and all segments of food and ag. Food safety, for example, touches all the bases thanks to the Food Safety Modernization Act. Greater expectations about food safety are being imposed up and down the value chain.

But it goes beyond the policy makers in Washington – consumers are demanding information like never before on where their food comes from and how it was produced. Honestly, I view that as an opportunity for apples.

Our product is safe, healthy and a good value. Let’s make that work for us.

Trade is important to food and ag, of course. Apple producers might be surprised to learn that, in food grains, the United States is not self-suffi cient. Every year the U.S. must import from Canada signifi cant quantities of high protein wheat for French-type bread and durum wheat for pasta.

And virtually 100 percent of the oats you eat in any form – hot cereal, granola, breakfast bars – come from Canada. The apple industry will need to stay vigilant in order to anticipate and prepare for the economic forces that have damaged our country’s ability to produce other basic foodstuffs. The world is shrinking and borders don’t keep commodities in, or out, like they used to.

Maintaining a pipeline of research deliverables is critical to the future viability of all segments of agriculture. That’s true in both fruit and grains. In some cases even the research targets are similar, such as natural yet potentially unwholesome plant diseases and mycotoxins (fungi-produced) that must be controlled.

Apple and wheat research have both

resulted in the production in dozens of varieties with specifi c end-use qualities. I’ve lobbied Congress to get research funds for Cornell University and other schools important to apple research like Michigan State, Washington State, Cal-Davis, Virginia Tech, and others. It amuses me to think it’s possible I’ve passed apple industry leaders coming out of a Congressional offi ce while on my way in.

To balance the issues that are familiar, I’m quickly learning some new issues, principally the importance of immigrant labor to the production and harvesting of our healthy and nutritious product. In the grains sector, effi cient optimization is largely determined by economies of scale and that generally comes from iron and horsepower.

Honestly, until I got here I had no idea how critical the labor piece is to the economic viability of the apple industry. I got quickly coached up, as they say.

I was raised on a farm, and while we did not have orchards I believe I speak the language of food and agriculture. I have a deep love for the land, and respect for people who make their living from it. It’s a noble profession, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.

Bair

NYFBContinued from Page 8

the entire marketplace, we must be aware of the consequences that may take place in the market for other varieties. The onslaught of new varieties is not going to slow down and we (New York) need to be in the race. Retailers are screaming for something new! We hear it all the time. We also continue to see the decline, as Steve Lutz calls it, on varieties that we have built many an empire (no pun intended) on over decades.

The Northeast still has an appetite for those classic Northeast apples; but as in the rest of the country, the hunger is much less. It is very disappointing to see varieties that we believe are more than just good and offer exceptional eating qualities start to decline. Jonagold is the classic example.

For a number of years, the apple industry has shown growth and sees increased profi ts. The industry continues to invest in infrastructure, orchards, packaging and marketing of new varieties. One of the explanations for this growth has been the decline of old varieties in volume. Red Delicious being the poster child, declining to levels below 40 million from highs of over 70 million bushels. Simply stated, the industry is offering better choices to the consumers. Now that acreage is pumping out Gala, Honeycrisp, and a host of the new boutique fl avors.

Good luck,

AllenContinued from Page 3

Jim

level (MRL) for DPA at 0.1 parts per million (ppm). Previously, the EU’s MRL for DPA was set at 5 ppm, which was still lower than the threshold set by the Codex Alimentarius and used by the United States, which is 10 ppm.

The change comes after nine U.S. senators last October blasted EU regulations on pesticides and food additives as eroding U.S. exports of apples and pears to Europe. They did so in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman that urged him to address these perceived barriers in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations (Inside U.S. Trade, Nov. 8).

In parallel to the TTIP talks, the two sides have set up a process that aims to resolve what they consider to be unscientifi c trade barriers hampering trade in agricultural goods.

A USTR spokeswoman hinted that the new EU MRL may be part of that parallel process, when asked about it. “We are aware of the issue and are working with [the U.S. Department of Agriculture] and the industry to address it. USTR, in partnership with other agencies is actively working with Congress and our EU counterparts to address a number of specifi c [sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)] barriers,” she said.

“Stakeholders in both the United States and EU have fl agged differences in pesticides MRLs as a regulatory problem for trade, and are exploring greater regulatory compatibility between the U.S. and EU as a key component of TTIP,” she added.

The new EU MRL affecting U.S. apple exports was highlighted by New York Apple Association President Jim Allen in a Jan. 16 Senate Finance Committee hearing on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). At the hearing, Allen was asked by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), who signed the October letter to Froman, whether he thought apple exports to the EU would stop declining or begin to increase once TTIP was completed.

Allen replied that the European issue goes “much deeper” in that it involves levels of certain pesticides, and he specifi cally referred to the new MRL on DPA. “We’re faced with a material that we use extensively … we won’t be able to go into the country if that material has been used. It’s a proven safe material in the

United States. So unless the TPA addresses the MRL levels, it probably won’t help it,” Allen said. Toomey responded by saying that the TTIP negotiations should address this situation.

The new EU regulation is intended to set the MRL high enough so that apples that have been inadvertently exposed to the DPA would be allowed to enter the EU. But U.S. apple industry sources said it is set too low to ensure that is the case, given that apples not treated with DPA are often processed along with apples that have been treated with the pesticide.

Michael Willett, vice president for scientifi c affairs at the Northwest Horticultural Council, said in an interview that he does not believe the MRL is set high enough, though he declined to say what level would be preferable.

Apples and other fruits exposed to surfaces that have come into contact with DPA will also have traces of the pesticide on them, and the only way to safeguard against that kind of exposure is to remove the apples from that processing system in general, Willett said.

An offi cial with the U.S. Apple Association expressed similar sentiments. He said he did not know how U.S. exports would be affected, but he indicated that the MRL is not low enough to catch apples that have not been treated with DPA. “U.S. growers would not want to risk a shipment of apples held up at the port and possibly be rejected because of the low threshold, so it is quite possible that fewer apples would be sold and shipped there,” the offi cial said.

Willett said he did not know how much of the U.S. apple industry used DPA. But he pointed to the 2010 report from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service on pesticide residues in food commodities. That study found that, in a sampling of 744 apples, 82.7 percent had some residue of DPA on them, ranging from .005 ppm to 4.3 ppm.

Apple exports to the EU have declined in recent years, and some industry sources said they are likely to decline further as a result of the new MRL on DPA.

A spokeswoman for the New York Apple Association said that the state exports as much as 10 percent of its apple crop and that the United Kingdom has been its top market. “This effective ban also effectively closes our top market to us,” the spokeswoman said.

March 3-4, 2014NYFB Lobby DaysTaste of NY Legislative ReceptionAlbany, NY

March 11-12, 2014NYAA Board of Directors MeetingThe DesmondAlbany, NY

March 19, 2014USAEC MeetingsWashington, DC

March 20-21, 2014USApple Congressional VisitsUSApple Board MeetingsWashington, DC

March 25, 2014In-depth School for Fruit GrowersCornell Fruit Team PresentationRamada Inn, Geneva, NYevents.cals.cornell.edu

June 10-13, 2014United Fresh 2014(co-located with FMI Connect)Chicago, IL


Classifi ed AdFor Sale, Natural Gas whole house furnace, heated 2,000 SqFt home. Contact jimallen @nyapplecountry.com

Calendar

Board of Directors from the New York State Horticulture Society, where we were very successful in discussing the Omnibus Bill and the need for a review of the NYSDOL DIPA program.

Across the state I feel all farmers have never felt so disconnected with the NYSDOL. The new program has only been successful in removing the few State employees who actually understood our needs. We asked that this program be drawn in and reviewed, as we see it as a huge failure.

The Omnibus Bill is on the drawing board. We have an opportunity to offer input as to what should appear in this bill. I fear that sides will be drawn, and fear, replace reason. Given the recent history of state elections, many may feel if this Bill is to be discussed this may be a good time while the Republicans still have control in the Senate.

I am not optimistic as to how a three-way control of Albany by the Democrats would see this issue being resolved. For this reason we may wish to actually push this Bill forward to be heard and passed or fi nally defeated in 2014.

I was in Albany with the Council of Agriculture Organizations on Feb. 11. I made the case for sound legislation on this topic and feel we have made some progress. Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island’s, offi ce has given me every indication they are open to a realistic resolution to this end.

We need to continue to arm ourselves with good data. The horticultural survey that the growers are fi lling out on our fruit farms will help us to make good talking points when discussing this topic. I hope every grower will make every effort to fi ll this out. This data helps us on both the State and Federal efforts to bring clarity to our industry needs. I know the last survey was a huge positive tool for those in the H-2A arena.

BakerContinued from Page 4

EUContinued from Page 16

economy,” Owens said. “Exempting bulk shipments of apples from inspection is now saving farmers money and streamlining the fl ow of goods and people at the border.”

“After more than two years of hard work, we fi nally have succeeded, with the elimination of the inspection requirements of the Apple Export Act,” New York Apple Association President Jim Allen said.

“We are very grateful for the Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Owens for listening to our concerns and acting on our behalf. Because of their diligence, New York apple growers will not be burdened with unnecessary costs and requirements to sell apples into Canada. So far this year over 650 truckloads have already paid the price, but we anticipate another 800 this season will be exempt. This is a huge cost savings for our growers.”

The Apple and Pear Export Act of 1933 requires that all exported apples are inspected. But pears have been excluded from the law since 1999. The elimination of apples from this antiquated law would enable apple farmers to have more control over their work schedules and eliminate expensive after-hours inspection procedures.

With nearly 1.5 million bushels of apples exported to Canada annually, this amendment to the current law could save U.S. apple growers more than $550,000 annually by allowing apple growers to distribute apple products on their own schedule, saving valuable time and resources by avoiding onerous after-hours inspection procedures.

New York is the second highest producer of apples, behind only Washington State. On average, New York produces 30 million bushels of apples each year.

That equals 1.26 billion pounds of apples and generates more than $330 million a year for the state’s economy.

BillContinued from Page 16

Produce resoure educator soughtCornell Cooperative Extension

Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County seeks an Association Produce Research Educator. The successful candidate will work under the direct supervision of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County Agriculture Issue Leader to provide leadership in developing, planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs in vegetable and small fruit production and crop management.

This position will represent the association to the public, community leaders, government offi cials,

agricultural industry and Cornell University. This person will work as a team member in addressing local, regional and statewide programming priorities and operate as a multi-association team member in the above areas of specialization. Staff member will work with Cornell faculty on applied research in appropriate areas.

Online application only. Application deadline is March 7, 2014, or until a suitable pool of candidates has been identifi ed. For questions, contact Peggy Kral at [email protected] or 845-344-1234.


Export Report

Gillibrand-Owens efforthelps apple exportsNew York Apple Association

Washington, D.C. – After a push by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, apple exports from New York to Canada are now moving at a swifter, more cost-effective pace because of a measure included in the Farm Bill.

Last week, the fi rst shipment of apples that were not subject to inspection because of the Farm Bill crossed the border without incident.

Gillibrand and Bill Owens worked to

exempt bulk shipments of U.S. apples to Canada from i n s p e c t i o n required under the Apple Export Act, saving apple growers up to $300 per t r u c k l o a d , and allowing

growers to create their own d i s t r i b u t i o n s c h e d u l e s , e l i m i n a t i n g costly after-hours inspection procedures.

“New York state is home to some of

the world’s fi nest apples

and hardest working growers,” said Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “But this costly inspection was hurting our growers and holding our economy back. Now our apples can reach markets faster, help New York’s apple growers cut costs, and help our economy grow.”

“Trade with Canada and agriculture are essential parts of New York’s

Gillibrand Owens See Bill, Page 15

New EU regulationcould hit U.S. exportsInside U.S. Trade

The European Union is poised to implement a new regulation that could take a bite out of U.S. apple exports to Europe by setting a more stringent limit on diphenylamine, a pesticide that is used to keep apples fresh in storage.

The U.S. apple industry has charged that the new regulation, which goes into effect March 2, could result in an effective

ban on U.S. apple exports to the EU since the new allowable level of DPA is low enough to block the import of apples that were not treated with the pesticide but contaminated during processing.

The new regulation, published in the EU’s Offi cial Journal last August, temporarily sets the maximum residue

See EU, Page 15

Message carried to Europe

New York Apple Association President Jim Allen traveled to the annual Fruit Logistica show in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 5-7. Highlights included his conversations with the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, John Emerson, third from left, above, and English Apples and Pears chief executive Adrian Barlow, third from left, below.

Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association Volume 2, … · of Defense would slash most...

Documents

Transcript of Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association Volume 2, … · of Defense would slash most...