New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

PRESS RELEASE: August 25, 2006
Contact: R. David Smith, NYFVI, 315-453-3823

State Agriculture Committee Chairs Tour New York Farm Viability Institute Projects at State Fair: Learn About Efforts to Increase Profitability of NY’s Farms

Syracuse, NY; 08/25/06 -- On Thursday, August 24 at the New York State Fair, New York State’s Agricultural Committee Chairs Senator Catharine M. Young and New York State Assemblyman William “Bill” Magee met with representatives of maple, apple, onion and online farmers’ markets projects funded by New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. The Institute is a farmer-driven, independent, nonprofit corporation that grants funds for research, extension and development of innovative technologies for New York agricultural and horticultural producers. Projects must directly benefit producers at the farm business level.

New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. (NYFVI) President John Lincoln welcomed the legislators, saying, “The projects showcased here today are representative of the diversity of projects that the New York Farm Viability Institute has funded statewide in response to producer-identified needs and opportunities with the ultimate objective of increasing producer profitability. These projects are made possible through the support of Senator Catharine Young and Assemblyman Bill Magee and funding to the Institute from the New York State Legislature.”

Lincoln said, “These New York Farm Viability Institute-funded projects represent exciting opportunities to grow the economic impact of agriculture in New York. The maple confections project equips producers to turn a $740 barrel of bulk syrup into more than $3,000 worth of value-added confections. The Online Farmers’ Market project is aiming for a four-year cumulative profit of more than $4 million for 500 participating farmers from across the state.”

Lincoln said, “With expertise made by possible with New York Farm Viability Institute funding, Empire Fresh-Cuts completed a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Plan and immediately saw its product orders and large commercial buyer base grow by three times. And, based on Cornell’s success record for breeding apples with strong market appeal, the Institute’s funding for fast tracking of the development of new New York varieties represents an economic potential of $20 million.”

Those sharing information about their projects included Cornell Maple Specialist Steve Childs and maple producer Lyle Merle of Attica, NY; Morrisville State College Computer and Information Technologies Professor Kim Mills and small-scale food processor Anna Dawson of Hometown Foods, LLC, Kinderhook, NY; and John Zappala and Duane Norton of Empire Fresh-Cuts, Oswego, NY.

Senator Young offered her congratulations to all of the presenters and producers, saying, “It is nice to see when things work right and you have obviously put the expertise from the NYS Food Venture Center made possible by the New York Farm Viability funding to good use.”

Assemblyman Magee said, “These projects demonstrate how the New York Farm Viability Institute is providing New York’s agricultural producers with the tools they need to develop and sell their products. They provide a strong foundation for others to build upon their successes.”

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Deputy Commissioner Rick Zimmerman said, “Empire Fresh-Cuts is just one fine example of how the New York Farm Viability Institute is helping our industry develop required elements to meet consumer expectations and government food safety requirements. That relationship has helped establish Empire Fresh-Cuts as a leader in the onion industry.”

New York Farm Viability Institute Vice President Jim Bittner summed by the NYFVI projects State Fair tour by saying, “The agricultural producers of New York State already know how to grow their products. The New York Farm Viability Institute is helping them develop new products and to get those high quality products into new markets to the benefit of the entire agricultural industry and New York’s economy.”

The New York State Legislature has appropriated $5 million for the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. for 2006-2007. For more information, contact New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc., 159 Dwight Park Circle, Suite 104, Syracuse, NY 13209, 315-453-3823, www.nyfarmviability.org. # # #

Summaries of NYFVI projects showcased at the NY State Fair:

NYFVI-Funded Maple Project Providing Value-Added Training, Quality Standards
As part of their New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. projects tour at the NY State Fair, Senator Catharine M. Young and Assemblyman William Magee met with Cornell University Maple Specialist Steve Childs and maple producer Lyle Merle at the New York State Maple Producers booth. The New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. has provided funding for value-added maple confections workshops this fall. Childs noted that converting maple syrup into confections can increase producer income four- to five-fold.

Merle will host the first of six statewide value-added confections workshops in September at his Attica, NY, sugarbush. Merle told the legislators, “Our sales of value-added maple products has tripled over the past seven years and maple now totally supports my family on the farm. I look forward to working with the advancements in value-added maple that will stem from the Farm Viability Institute’s grant to the Cornell University Maple Program,” Merle said.

More info: Steve Childs, Cornell/NYS Maple Specialist, 607-255-1658

Photo: Steve Childs (left) and maple producer Lyle Merle of Merle Maple, Attica, NY, shared information about the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc.-funded Value-Added Maple Confections Project. The presentation was part of a tour for New York State Agriculture Committee Chairs Senator Catharine M. Young and Assemblyman William “Bill” Magee at the State Fair.

NYFVI Funds Development of Online Farmers Market for NY Farm Products
Morrisville State College Computing and Information Technologies Professor Kim Mills provided Senator Catharine M. Young and Assemblyman William Magee with a sneak preview of an Online Farmers Market project funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. A computer terminal at the Morrisville State College State Fair booth displayed everything from maple products and fruit jams to herbs, alpaca yarn, evergreen wreaths, sausage, wine and honey provided by the project’s initial 20 producers for the new website.

Anna Dawson of Hometown Foods, LLC, Kinderhook produces frozen, vacuum-packed fruit sauces and foods made with produce and meats from Hudson Valley farms. Dawson told the legislators, “Research shows that easy access to food is one of four top priorities for consumers. This online State farmers market will provide consumers with that easy access for purchasing regionally-significant New York products.” The new website is expected to be selling to consumers by the end of the year.

More Info: Kim Mills, Morrisville State College, 315-684-6746

Photo: (L to r) New York State Assemblyman William “Bill” Magee, Empire Fresh-Cuts co-founder John Zappala, New York State Senator Catharine M. Young, and New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. Vice-President Jim Bittner listen as Morrisville State College Computing and Information Technologies Professor Kim Mills shows them a sneak preview of the new online farmers’ market for New York farm products. Development of the market is a NYFVI-funded project that will initially showcase the products of 20 producers from across the state.

NYFVI-Funded Expertise Helps Onion Processing Plant Attract Large Buyers
Onion growers Sam and Jim Zappala built a $3.2 million dollar processing plant to add value to the sweet onions they grow in Oswego County. Speaking with Senator Catharine M. Young and
Assemblyman William Magee, Empire Fresh-Cuts co-founder John Zappala and Procurement and Buying Manager Duane Norton explained how food processing and safety expertise made available through the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. helped grow the processing facility that employs 30 people for peeling, slicing, dicing and packing onions into bulk and food service-size packaging. NYFVI funding made the expertise of Dr. Olga Padilla-Zakour, microbiologist Dr. Randy Worobo and a team from Cornell University’s New York State Food Venture Center available to Empire Fresh-Cuts to quickly develop a site-specific HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan. Within months of having the plan in place, Empire Fresh-Cuts tripled its product orders and the calls from large, year-round national buyers keep coming.

“This success would not be possible without the support of our state legislature and the New York Farm Viability Institute,” Norton said. Norton added that the NYFVI-funded expertise has also helped Empire Fresh-Cuts developed an additional processing plant safety program that will put the company ahead of its competitors and ahead of the curve for federal requirements that will be necessary in mid-2007.

More Info: Duane Norton, Sam Zappala, Robin Maurillo, Empire Fresh-Cuts, 315-343-1581

Photo: Empire Fresh-Cuts Procurement and Buying Manager Duane Norton and co-founder John Zappala were pleased to share the history of the Zappala family onion farm and the new $3.2 million processing facility with NYS Senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Bill Magee during a New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. tour at the NY State Fair. Institute funding helped Empire Fresh-Cuts complete a food safety plan and within months their product orders tripled.

NYFVI Provides Funding to Fast Track Development of New Apple Varieties
At the New York Apple Association booth, New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. Vice President Jim Bittner spoke with Senator Catharine M. Young and Assemblyman William Magee about the New York Farm Viability Institute-funded project that is fast-tracking grower evaluation of new apple selections bred at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. Project leader Dr. Susan Brown is working with growers in every major apple-producing region of New York State. Those growers represent the farm stand, u-pick, wholesale, processing, juice, organic and export sectors of the apple industry. Bittner told the legislators that accelerated development of new “New York” varieties with new tastes and textures is needed to meet ever-changing market demands

Quoting Brown, Bittner said, “If the expected new varieties are even half as successful as their predecessors, including the Empire and the Jonagold, developed at Cornell over the past 100 years, New York’s apple producers will harvest great fruit with a tremendous economic impact.” From 1996 to 2004, the annual production of Empire apples (developed at Cornell) in the U.S. averaged a fresh market value of $41.1 million and New York produced half of the nation’s total Empire crop. Growers will evaluate 10 potential selections this fall. NY Apple Association Director James Allen (far left in photo) spoke with the legislators and Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Susan Henry about the development of New York “club” apples - varieties that would be owned and licensed for exclusive sales that would put dollars into the New York economy from both New York and out-of-state buyers.

More Info: Apple breeder/Cornell Horticulture Professor Susan Brown, 315-787-2224

Photo: New York State Agriculture Committee Chairs Assemblyman William “Bill” Magee (center) learned about New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. (NYFVI) funding to fast track the development of new New York apple varieties from NYFVI Vice President Jim Bittner (right) and New York Apple Association President Jim Allen (left). Joining the conversation were New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Deputy Commissioner Rick Zimmerman and Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Susan Henry.
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