Apple growers vote to continue research and development program

Farmers contribute $400K annually for research to boost profitability, battle pests

Press Release, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets

Photo by Tom Rivers – This photo from October 2015 shows apples at an Albion orchard. Orleans County is one of the leading apple-growing counties in the state, behind only Wayne and Ulster counties. New York State is the country’s second-leading apple producer, behind only Washington State.

ALBANY – The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced that the state’s apple industry has voted in support of continuing the Apple Research and Development program.

New York apple growers are asked to approve of the program through a referendum vote every six years. The program is administered by Ag & Markets.

“The Apple Research and Development program has been important to funding much-needed research in pest management, potential disease, and other areas that make an impact on our farmers’ crops,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. “We thank our growers for participating in the referendum vote and look forward to continuing to support the program moving forward.”

The Apple Research and Development program was first established in 1990 by New York’s apple industry to fund research activities. In recent years, the program has been collecting nearly $400,000 in grower assessments annually, which are used to fund research critical to increasing the profitability of New York’s apple growers.

Research is conducted in the areas of pest management, bacterial infection, proper storage, product research, and overall best practices for growing and harvesting apples. The ARDP Advisory Board makes recommendations on the projects and establishes priorities based on the regions they represent.

For additional information on all current Marketing Order programs, including the ARDP, click here.