Cornell researchers given $375,000 from NYS for agricultural research

By Peter Seem

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will provide $1.2 million through its Specialty Crop funding to support the state's specialty crop industry. Of that, $375,000 will go to Cornell researchers, with an additional $75,000 to the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Program, which Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva jointly operates along with the Chautauqua County Department of Economic Development and the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Program Inc.

Robert Seem, left, associate director of Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, and Randall J. Brown, right, special projects consultant to the Chautauqua County Department of Economic Development, wait to hear Nathan Rudgers, center, commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, announce the winners of the Specialty Crop Grants in Fredonia, N.Y., Aug. 15. NYSAES/Cornell

"The Specialty Crops program provides new initiatives for unique and creative ideas that might have otherwise foundered for lack of funding," said Robert Seem, associate director of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. Specialty crop funding provides as much as $100,000 in matching funds for costs associated with advancing New York's specialty crops.

The announcement was made by state Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Nathan Rudgers at the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension facility in Fredonia, N.Y., in August. "The department is very pleased by the number of quality proposals received for this funding opportunity," said Rudgers. "The specialty crops grown in New York state are indeed special and important to New York's agricultural industry. The projects awarded funding will help ensure that agriculture in New York state will remain diverse and thrive into the future."

In the competitive grant process, 31 projects totaling $1,185,000 were funded from the one-time appropriation of $169 million that Congress allocated to the states for specialty crops. New York received $3.1 million of these funds, which also helped launch the Pride of New York Program and New York City market development.

Researchers at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva received $166,000 from the specialty crop fund. Phillip Griffiths, assistant professor in Geneva's horticultural sciences department, was awarded $35,344 for a project to develop virus resistant snap bean varieties. Terence Robinson, associate professor from the same department, received $32,710 to develop an integrated fruit production protocol to improve European market potential for New York apples. Two more projects from the horticultural sciences department received funding, both managed by professor emeritus Richard Robinson. His program to breed New York pumpkins for multiple disease resistance received $21,622, and his program to breed improved varieties of endive, escarole and chicory was awarded $17,488. John Roberts, assistant professor in food science and technology in Geneva, directs a program aimed to provide a market analysis of new sauerkraut blends to enhance the sales of New York cabbage, and received $14,000. Also from the Geneva campus, William Turechek, assistant professor in plant pathology, was awarded $45,000 for a program to develop enhanced integrated pest management approaches to managing the strawberry sap beetle.

The Lake Erie program in Fredonia received $75,000 for program development and site preparation for its 21st Century Vineyard Laboratory Project. When fully implemented, the project will provide 30 additional acres for field trials, a new access road, additional meeting space for extension-based education programs, and a modern juice and wine quality laboratory. The enhancements to infrastructure will aid the facility in attracting and retaining top graduate students, research faculty and extension personnel.

Funding for researchers on Cornell's Ithaca campus included $19,902 to Paul Curtis, assistant professor of natural resources and extension wildlife specialist, and $29,048 to Michael Hoffman in the Department of Natural Resources to assess the ShuRoo device for reducing deer damage to orchards and evaluate biodegradable nonwoven fibers to manage pests of specialty crops. Walter DeJong, assistant professor of plant breeding, received $75,000 for accelerated development of potato varieties resistant to a new race of the golden nematode. Professor Joseph Hotchkiss, chair of the Department of Food Science, received $10,000 to develop a process and packaging to extend the shelf life of apple slices. And Rui Hai Liu, assistant professor of food science, received $75,000 to quantify the health benefits of New York onions.