New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced today that more than $1.38 million in funding will support ten advanced research, education, and marketing projects to help specialty crop farms across New York State grow and remain competitive. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets secured the grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant program.
New York’s specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, maple syrup, and honey. Commissioner Ball said, “These projects will improve disease-resistance and nutrient management for our specialty crops and advance on-farm food safety practices, helping our growers to better compete in the marketplace. We thank our partners at New York Farm Viability Institute for supporting projects that directly benefit our producers and support New York agriculture.”
The Specialty Crop Block Grant program is administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, in coordination with the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI). NYFVI recommended $633,373 be provided to Cornell University for seven grower research and education projects that will focus on:
Detection and differentiation of fungi that causes fruit bitter rot on New York apple farms and in storages
Development of high-quality New York-adapted tomato hybrids that have enhanced early blight and fungal resistance to reduce both disease and chemical use
Study and enhancement of harvest timing and storage conditions for SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples in New York State to ensure maximum quality
Protection of New York State onions with insect-destroying nematodes
Development of microbial seed treatments for New York State sod growers to foster environmentally sound past management practices and to enhance the value of sod on schoolgrounds
Mitigation of bitter pit in the Honeycrisp apple variety
Improvement of soil nitrogen management in winter high-tunnels
Cornell University was also awarded $99,900 for research in the area of cleaning, sanitizing, and sanitary designs of packinghouses for small- and medium-scale specialty crop growers, which will assist with food safety practices.
In addition, $545,000 from the Specialty Crop Block Grant program will also support the marketing and promotion of New York’s specialty crops and help New York’s specialty crop farmers meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).