Raspberries are the most widely grown bramble crop in New York planted on over 450 acres in all regions of the state. Both floricane (summer bearing) and primocane (fall or ever-bearing) raspberries are grown and yellow, purple and black fruited cultivars in addition to the popular red raspberries make up the tasty crop. Ninety percent of the estimated 1.1 million pound annual raspberry crop is sold for fresh market and the remaining 10% is used to make value added items including preserves, juice additives and fruit wine.

Blackberries are closely related to raspberries and are grouped together with them in the 'Bramble' category of berry crops. Blackberries differ from raspberries in that the receptacle within the berry fruit is eaten along with the berry. For raspberries, the receptacle is left on the plant, leaving a hollow berry for consumption. Blackberries are also a more tender plant, successfully grown on 450 acres in more temperate regions of the state including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes region and fruiting districts near the Great Lakes.

All bramble crops need well drained soil as they are susceptible to soil borne diseases particularly Phytophthora. Potential growers should be aware of cane diseases and other pest problems, as well as the fact that raspberries and blackberries have an extremely short shelf life after harvest, making adequate post-harvest cooling essential. Brambles are often trellised adding to the production costs which can average about $4000/acre.

High tunnel production of raspberries and blackberries has been increasing throughout New York State thanks to research done by the Cornell University Department of Horticulture. This type of protected culture allows growers to extend the productive season of raspberries, extend the potential production sites of blackberries throughout the state and allows growers to produce a much higher quality fruit.

For more information about bramble culture, visit the Cornell Berry website.

More Raspberries / Blackberries Content

Labor Road Show II (Peru, NY)

January 28, 2019
8:30am - 4:00pm
Peru, NY

Sharing on behalf of the Ag Labor Development Council: If you have employees, then you need to be at the New York Labor Road Show II. Experts from farms, private industry and the university will focus on critical topics that affect all farm employers including: employee housing, onboarding, sexual harassment prevention, employee engagement , safety, wage and hour laws, and worker care.

Labor Road Show II (Ballston Spa, NY)

January 29, 2019
8:30am - 4:00pm
Ballston Spa, NY

Sharing on behalf of the Ag Labor Development Council: If you have employees, then you need to be at the New York Labor Road Show II. Experts from farms, private industry and the university will focus on critical topics that affect all farm employers including: employee housing, onboarding, sexual harassment prevention, employee engagement , safety, wage and hour laws, and worker care.

High Tunnel Farmer to Farmer Meeting

February 4, 2019
9:00am to 4:30pm
Poughkeepsie, NY

Join us for a facilitated farmer to farmer style workshop focused on high tunnel production and management. Though the final meeting agenda will be developed on the day of the meeting with input from attendees, it is expected that topics covered will include season long soil fertility management, high tunnel model selection and construction considerations, biological pest and disease management, and more. 

ENYCHP Fruit and Vegetable Conference Feb 19-22

Join us for the 2nd Annual Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference! This year we will be expanding our conference to include a third day and many exciting new sessions. Speakers, topic details, and registration information will be available soon. Mark your calendars, and don't miss this great line-up!

Resources from CCE ENYCHP!

We are developing new ways to connect with the CCE ENYCHP team this year! We have a Youtube page located at this link. Check out videos on Table Grape Production, Pest Updates and the 20 Minute Ag Manager - in 4 Minutes series. 
The text alerts will be reserved for important crop alerts that could impact management decisions immediately. For instance, if there were an outbreak of Late Blight in the area, this would be transmitted to vegetable growers.

Farmers can choose the crop for which they wish to receive updates. Additionally they can request that Ag Business Alerts be sent to them. These alerts might include due dates for crop insurance deadlines, market opportunities etc.