Fruits, Vegetables, and other Products

Fruits

The 2007 Census of Agriculture reported that 34 farms with 883 acres of land devoted to fruit production are located in Onondaga County. Thirty farms grow apples on 785 acres. Onondaga County is one of the top counties for strawberry production in NYS. Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has devoted significant resources to development of varieties that thrive in local climates and to strategies to minimize costs of production. This has been done at both the University in Ithaca, NY and through the NYS Experiment Stations located in Geneva and in the Hudson Valley. CCE Onondaga has partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program to assist commercial tree fruit and berry producers in Onondaga County with a variety of subjects, including fruit quality management; integrated pest management; improving labor efficiency; production economics and business management. Visit the Lake Ontario Fruit Program’s website for more information.

Tree Fruit
For information on tree fruits such as apples and pears click here.

Berry Production
For information on berry production such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc. click here.

Grape Production
New varieties of grapes developed at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station allow grapes to be grown in micro-climates in Onondaga County. For information on grapes click here.

NYS Agricultural Experiment Station
To learn more about initiatives at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station click here.

Value-Added Fruit and Vegetable Processing
The NYS Agricultural Experiment Station includes facilities, laboratory and faculty support to develop value-added products. For more information click here.

Vinification and Brewing Technology Laboratory
The new facility allows us to expand our experimental winemaking program to test new grape varieties and winemaking practices. It allows us to scale up our experiments to industrial production volumes. It is a place for equipment manufacturers to showcase their new equipment. It is a place where industry members can train on new and current technology and equipment. The brewing pilot plant is planned to serve multiple roles. It will be used in hands-on instruction during formal Cornell courses and extension programs. It will be a neutral site for suppliers of equipment and ingredients to present demonstrations or to obtain evaluations of their products or comparisons with competitors. It will be a facility available to present and aspiring brewers for product and process development. The new facility will form a center in which wine and brewing industry members can test and learn about new ideas. Workshops and industry seminars can be conducted teaching the use of new equipment and techniques. The new Cornell V&B Lab has (most) all utilities in place to allow equipment manufacturers and distributors to demonstrate new equipment and instruct industry personnel on the proper use of the equipment. Industry member will be able to utilize space and equipment on a fee basis for their own tests or small production lots. To learn more about the V & B Laboratory click here.

Horticultural Business Management and Marketing Program
The Horticulture Business Management and Marketing program is designed to enhance the competitive position of the New York fruit, vegetable, and ornamental horticultural industry through targeted, curriculum-driven educational programs. To learn about the resources available and faculty support for this program click here.

Marketing Fruit
The goal of the National GAPs Program is to reduce microbial risks in fruits and vegetables by developing a comprehensive extension and education program for growers and packers, click here.

The National GAPs Program was established in 1999, funded by CSREES-USDA and US-FDA, and based at Cornell University. The GAPs Program has collaborators in 26 states throughout the nation and has created many educational materials to help implement good agricultural practices on the farm. To access the Network for Education and Training (GAPsNET ) portal click here.

Vegetables

CCE Onondaga has partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Vegetable Program to bring cutting-edge research and educational programs to Onondaga County producers. Commercial producers can obtain assistance in the following program areas: integrated pest management; cultural practices; soil health; variety development; good agricultural practices, and market development. For more information, please visit CCE’s Vegetable Program website.

Homer C. Thompson Vegetable Research Farm
CALS conducts vegetable production research at the Thompson Vegetable Research Farm. The 200 acre farm includes 30 acres of organic vegetable research as well. To learn more about the Thompson Research Farm click here.

Cornell Vegetables Program
The goal of the Cornell Vegetables website is to provide vegetable producers, processors, and the vegetable industry with high quality research-based information to support profitable production and marketing of safe, healthy vegetable crops in an environmentally sound manner. To access the website click here.

Organic Vegetable Production
Demand for organic vegetable production has increased steadily for over 10 years. CALS faculty collaborated with other Northeast land grant colleges to create the Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management. To order the Guide and to access other publications on commercial production of organic vegetables click here.

Marketing Vegetables
click here. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
The goal of the National GAPs Program is to reduce microbial risks in fruits and vegetables by developing a comprehensive extension and education program for growers and packers.

Organic

Organic food is one of the fastest growing consumer food sectors. Organic vegetable research is conducted at the Homer C. Thompson Vegetable Research Farm located in Freeville, NY. To learn more about the vegetable research farm click here.

Cornell Organic Working Group
The Cornell University Working Group is a group of farmers and Cornell faculty and Cooperative Extension staffers with interests in research and outreach of methods that improves production and profitability of organic farmers. To access the work of the Cornell Organic Working Group click here.

New York State Organic Farming Resource Center
The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets has created a list of resources for farmers and individuals interested in organic farming. To access the Center click here.

Avaculture and Beekeeping

Onondaga County is included as a primary area for honey production throughout NYS.  This is because of the large number of acres of fruits, vegetables, hay fields and abandoned farmland on which plants grow suitable for pollen collection which is then turned into honey.  For more general information about beekeeping click here.

Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee Studies
For more information on research conducted at Dyce Laboratory and to learn about the CALS Master Beekeeper Program click here.