Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $5.6 Million in Federal US Department of Agriculture Funding for Specialty Crops Across New York State

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $5,647,879.46 in federal funding to support New York State's specialty crop producers and specialty crop research initiatives. These funds were allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) as well as its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) program and were authorized through the 2014 Farm Bill. Specifically, AMS will be administering the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding, which will provide the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets with $1,417,712.46 in funds to help support specialty crop growers, including locally grown fruits and vegetables, through research and programs to increase demand. In addition, NIFA will be administering the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) funding, which will provide Cornell University $4,230,167 in funds aimed at supporting the specialty crop sector by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address the needs of specific crops.

"New York produces a wide range of specialty crops, from fruits and vegetables, to maple syrup and Christmas trees. All of these New York specialty crops rank highly nationwide in terms of both production and economic value, and I am proud to announce that this federal USDA funding will help bolster the specialty crop industry by supporting research and development as well as programs that aim to increase demand and distribute tools to better help farmers," said Senator Schumer. "Ensuring that agriculture is able to flourish and that the unique needs of New York agriculture are considered in federal programs has always been a top priority of mine. That is why I have always fought to secure funding for these kinds of valuable programs. It is also one of the major reasons why I proudly voted to pass this year's 2014 Farm Bill, which contained a number of provisions beneficial to Upstate farmers, particularly those farmers of specialty crops."

"New York's farmers, producers, and scientists are all going to benefit tremendously from these USDA grants," said Senator Gillibrand, the first New York Senator to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years. "We have cutting edge agricultural research happening at Cornell, our farmers across the state put in incredible work each year, and our diverse array of crops makes its way to homes and businesses across the country and around the world. This is exciting news for the state, and I am thrilled that the USDA recognized that New York agriculture will continue to play a key role in the nation's economy for many years to come."

"The success of New York State's agricultural industries relies on our ability to robustly grow and market safe, nutritious and wholesome specialty crops," saidKathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "These resources for specialty crops research will allow our scientists and our partners in the NYS Department of Agriculture to delight consumers while further enhancing economic returns for our producers across a range of products including onions, apples, wine grapes, potatoes, tomatoes and more."

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will utilize its $1,417,712.46 in SCBGP funds to support 15 specialty crop programs from around the state. New York State will be partnering with Cornell University, Cornell University's NYS Agriculture Experiment Station, the New York State Apple Association, Rensselaer County, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County and the New York State Pest Management Program to make all of these work on projects surrounding food safety, marketing and promotion, and research and grower education.

Cornell University, specifically, will utilize $2,627,860 separate SCRI funds to optimize viticulture practices, genomic characterization, cultivar evaluation, enological characterization, wine production, marketing strategies, agri-tourism, product familiarity and preference. Ultimately, this research seeks to eliminate the production and marketing constraints that currently hinder the profitability and sustainability of emerging cold climate grape and wine industries in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Cornell will also be using $1,602,307 of its SCRI funds to research ways to reduce the impact of tuber necrotic viruses in potatoes by working with all sectors of the potato industry to develop and implement new practices leading to a healthier potato crop and higher farm income.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Together, these investments were made possible by the passage of the The Fiscal Year 2014 Farm Bill and represent USDA's commitment to strengthening the specialty crop industry. The USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) aim to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and provide resources to strengthen American agriculture. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

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