The 2012 USDA Census revealed that the 16 counties comprising the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture program had over 12,500 acres devoted to apple production. The lower Hudson Valley region and the Lake Champlain region are two of the largest and most important apple production areas in New York state which ranks second in the nation for apple production and first in the country for canned apple products, although much of that crop is produced in western NY.

Apples are thought to have originated between the Caspian and the Black Seas and proof of humans’ enjoyment of apples traces back at least 750,000 years. Early settlers brought apple seeds with them to the United States. Records indicate that apples were grown in New England as early as 1630. John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, along with many other traders, missionaries and Native Americans, were responsible for extensive apple tree plantings in the Midwest and beyond.

Apples are one of the most valuable fruit crops in the United States. The 9.0 billion pound U.S. 2012 apple crop was valued at nearly $3.1 billion. Apples are the second most consumed fruit (fresh and processed uses combined), following oranges. The average person consumes 44 pounds of apple products annually.

Over the last 20 years, Cornell research and extension projects have helped growers increase yields and fruit quality by increasing tree densities and improving labor efficiency. We estimate that profitability of new high density orchards is 100 to 300% greater than the traditional low-density orchards.

In 2013, Cornell University announced the introduction of two new apple varieties, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, developed through a managed release partnership with the New York Apple Growers (NYAG). The income generated through this partnership is used to market the new varieties and support Cornell’s apple-breeding program.

For more information about tree fruit production, please visit the Cornell Tree Fruit website at http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/tree_fruit/index.htm.


More Apples 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.