Core Report January 2015

Your AMO assessments fund all of
the activities of the New York Apple
Association, helping to encourage
profitable growing and marketing of
New York apples.
Stories and photos
with this logo
specifically highlight
how your AMO dollars
are being put to work for you.
Inside:
USApple
responds
to new FDA
proposal
Page 10
Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association
In this Issue
Jim Allen discusses labor woes in
West Coast ports.
...................................... Page 3
Frank Gasperini on how President’s Executive Action on immigration impacts agriculture
...................................... Page 5
Cider page, revamped website
key association’s marketing
...................................... Page 7
USDA study looks at economic
impact bird damage on agriculture
................................. Pages 8-9
Cornell Cooperative Extension offers pruning, mechanization tour
in Lake Ontario region.
.................................... Page 10
Association reminds consumers
how apples are part of a healthy
New Year.
.................................... Page 11
Normalization of relations with
Cuba would open up new market
to U.S. farmers.
.................................... Page 16
7645 Main Street
PO Box 350
Fishers New York 14453-0350
Volume 3, Issue 8
January 2015
Expo, Becker Forum
return to Syracuse
T
he Empire State Producers Expo
runs Jan. 19-22, 2015 at the On
Center in Syracuse.
The Expo includes the one-day
Becker Issues Forum at the Holiday
Inn Liverpool, the three-day Trade
Show and three days of concurrent
educational sessions. Contributing
organizations include: the NYSVGA,
Cornell Cooperative Extension, Empire
State Potato Growers Inc., NYS Berry
Growers Association, NYS Flower
Industries, Inc., NYS Horticultural
Society, Farmers’ Direct Marketing
Committee, and Cornell University.
Jan. 19: The 2015 Becker Forum
theme is From NY Farms to NY Plates:
Institutional purchasing across New
York.
The Becker Forum will be hosted at
the Holiday Inn, Liverpool, NY. Just
off the thruway. (Pre-registration is
required.)
January 20- 22, 2015: The 2015 Expo
is three full days of fruit, vegetable,
flower, marketing and labor sessions.
Breakouts include labor, tree fruit,
berries, flowers, vine crops, potatoes,
and barley. Margaret Smith will be this
year’s Keynote Speaker. She will be
discussing GMOs: Distinguishing Fact
from Fiction.
And don’t miss the featured session:
Brewing Success – NYS Malt Barley:
From the furrow to what ales you. The
Expo offers both DEC and Certified
Crop Adviser credits.
Jan. 20-22: The Expo Trade Show
just keeps getting bigger and better.
Check out the newest products,
services, and specialized equipment
for the fruit, vegetable, and direct
marketing industries.
The Expo Trade Show includes more
than 150 companies representing a
variety of products and services from
equipment and inputs to software,
packaging, bakery supplies and much,
much more.
The trade show will be open all three
days in the exhibit hall.
Stop by the trade show Tuesday
afternoon for a little “Taste of
Syracuse.” Area restaurants will offer
tasting.
On Wednesday, be sure not to miss
the afternoon complimentary Ice
Cream Social. The trade show will be
open 9-5 Jan. 20, 8-5 Jan. 21 and 8-1
on Jan, 22.
Courtesy Empire State Producers Expo
The Empire State Producers Expo in Syracuse provides opportunities for growers to learn
and socialize each January.
Tree fruit workshops
at Producers Expo
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Tree Fruit — Getting the Most
of Honeycrisp Orchards in New
York, Ballroom East
9 a.m. Welcome
– Mario Miranda
Sazo, CCE Lake
Ontario
Fruit
Program
9:05 What works
and what doesn’t
for
successful
production
of
Honeycrisp?
–
Terence Robinson,
Horticulture,
Cornell University
9:50 What’s new
from industry?
10 DA meter:
Science
and
practical use – Stefano Musacchi,
Horticulture,
Washington
State
University, Wenatchee, Wash.
10:20 Toward optimizing harvest
timing, prestorage conditioning, and
post-harvest handling of Honeycrisp
– Chris Watkins, Horticulture, Cornell
University
11 Lunch
Tree Fruit - Apple Rootstocks
&
Varieties:
Just Made for
Each
Other,
Ballroom East
1 p.m. Welcome
– Dan Donahue,
CCE
Eastern
NY Commercial
Horticulture
Program
1:05
Apple
varieties
and
new uses: Cider,
slices and more
– Susan Brown,
Horticulture,
Cornell University
1:30 The strengths and weaknesses
of Geneva rootstocks –
Terence
Robinson,
Horticulture,
Cornell
See Expo, Page 15
Page 2
Core Report® January 2015
Retail Review
News from the retail marketing industry
Market Basket
opens new store
Providence (R.I.) Journal
ATTLEBORO, Mass. — People living
in the border communities off Route
1A got a taste of loyalty Jan. 7 when the
Market Basket grocery chain opened a
store in the South Attleboro section of
the city.
The chain, based in the Merrimack
Valley community of Tewksbury, in
northern Massachusetts, has long had
a devoted following.
That loyalty was tested in 2014 when
a bitter, years-long dispute within the
Demoulas family nearly destroyed the
business the family worked so hard to
build. Workers and customers banded
together this summer in an epic final
battle to help Arthur T. Demoulas win
control of the business from a rival
cousin. The battle stretched over the
summer, making national headlines,
emptying stores and stalling company
construction projects.
“It’s an unprecedented feeling
because of the support” of customers
during the dispute, said David McLean,
operations officer for Market Basket.
“They were the wind at our back.”
The South Attleboro location — in
the Bristol Place shopping center,
adjacent to the Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority station off
Newport Avenue — was among the
store openings delayed by the family
feud.
Intended to replace a Shaw’s
Supermarkets store that closed in
2009, the new Market Basket sat
unfinished for months, leaving area
residents eager for its opening,
causing concern for city politicians and
angering the Bristol Place owner, who
sued the company in an attempt to get
the project restarted.
It was the fourth opening since the
family dispute ended with a $1.6-billion
agreement giving Arthur T. Demoulas
control of the company. A fifth opening
is planned for Athol, Mass., in midJanuary.
Construction workers returned to
the South Attleboro site in late fall to
complete the project in advance of an
opening rescheduled for next week.
“The reality is most people in that
area have not stepped in to a [Market
Basket],” McLean said. “We’ll put our
best foot forward.
Effort launched
to kill Calif. ban
on plastic bags
Reuters
SACRAMENTO, California — An
effort to kill California’s first-inthe-nation state ban on single-use
plastic grocery bags advanced this
week after bag makers spent several
million dollars on a campaign to
gather signatures for a proposed ballot
initiative to overturn it.
The ban, which was passed by
the state Legislature and signed by
Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in
the autumn, is widely supported by
environmentalists, who say the bags
contribute to litter and pollution.
But the measure has triggered a
harsh reaction from plastic bag
manufacturers, who say their product
can be easily recycled.
“You just take it back to the grocery
store and stuff it into a container and
it gets recycled,” said Jon Berrier,
a spokesman for the American
Progressive Bag Alliance, which is
funding the effort to repeal the ban.
The industry group contributed
most of the $3 million spent to gather
signatures for a ballot initiative to
overturn the state’s ban, currently set
to take effect in July. The organization
said on Monday it had submitted more
than 800,000 signatures to county
governments, more than the 505,000
needed to place the measure on the
ballot.
January 2015
Core Report® Core Report® is published
monthly by the New York
Apple Association
as a member service.
New York Apple
Association staff: Front
row, from left — Ellen
Mykins, Molly Golden.
Back row — Jim Allen,
Cathy Jadus, Joan Willis.
New York Apple Assn.
Contact
7645 Main St., Fishers, NY 14453-0350
Phone: (585) 924-2171, Fax: (585) 924-1629
www.nyapplecountry.com
Staff
James Allen, President, [email protected]
Molly Golden, Director of Marketing, [email protected]
Joan Willis, Executive & Communications Assistant
Cathy Jadus, Administrative & Retail Assistant
Ellen A. Mykins, Accounting Dept.
John McAleavey, Northeast Account Manager
Linda Quinn, Nutrition Spokeswoman
Julia Stewart, Public Relations Director
and NYAA spokesperson, [email protected]
Page 3
President’s Message
Unions again upset
the apple cart
(and hay wagon)
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
No one can forget the near disaster
that was averted on Sept. 13, 2010,
when Motts workers returned to work
after going on
strike back in
May.
The disaster
of
course
was the fear
that the near
7
million
bushels of New
York apples,
grown
for
Motts, would
be at risk due
Jim Allen
to the work
stoppage,
as
well as the future of the Motts plant
and Motts workers. By the time the two
sides settled, harvest was well under
way and it was evident that business
was not as usual in Williamson.
Thankfully, a settlement was
reached, apples were delivered, apple
sauce was produced and the season
returned to normal.
This is still not the case on the
West Coast, where presently a work
slowdown at the ports continues to
wreak havoc with many different
industries.
The International Longshoremen
and Warehouse Union has reduced
shipments by as much as 70 percent
because it does not have a new
contract. Recently it was reported that
the West Coast hay producers have
lost 50 percent of their business since
November.
While here in the East, we may
not think about hay as an export
commodity but for Washington and
Oregon growers it is big business.
See Allen, Page 16
Branching Out
Board of Directors
Will Gunnison, Chairman, District 1, Crown Point,
(518) 597-3363, [email protected]
Jay Toohill, District 1, Chazy, 518-846-7171,
[email protected]
Kenneth A. Migliorelli, District 2, Tivoli, (845) 757-3276,
[email protected]
David Jones, District 2, Germantown, 518-537-6500,
[email protected]
Kurt Borchert, District 3, Marlboro, 845-236-7239,
[email protected]
Sarah Dressel, District 3, New Paltz,
(845) 255-0693, [email protected]
Joseph Porpiglia III, Vice Chairman, District 3, Marlboro,
(845) 236-4400, [email protected]
Jack Torrice, District 4, Oswego
(315) 342-3793, [email protected]
Richard Endres, District 5, Sodus
(315) 483-6815, [email protected]
Todd Furber, District 5, Sodus
(315) 483-8529, [email protected]
Chris Hance, Treasurer, District 5, Pultneyville,
(315) 589-4212, [email protected]
Abram Peters, District 5, Pultneyville,
(585) 455-3600, [email protected]
Kevin Bittner, District 6, Barker, 716-795-3030,
[email protected]
Kaari Stannard, District 6, Medina, 518-477-7200,
[email protected]
Jason Woodworth, District 6, Waterport,
585-682-4749, [email protected]
Blanketing the market
By Molly Golden
[email protected]
As I look out at the blustery cold
weather we are experiencing I see apple
trees
taking
the brunt of
the wind and
snow
that
is
whipping
around them.
I
think
about how the
apple growing
season
is
over, the trees
gearing up for
another
not
Molly Golden
so far off in
the future. While it is cold here in the
Northeast and the growing is finished,
there are still rooms full of fruit left to
hit the retail shelves and we are busy
continuing our promotions of New
York apples.
This fall saw many new, successful
promos and we are proud to say the
retailers were thrilled with the results.
The New Year is starting out with New
York apples continuing to be featured
in ads and our coupon and demo
schedule is filling up again.
Take a look at our demo map from
this fall-we are blanketing
the country with New
York apples!
y
l
l
o
M
Page 4
Core Report® Labor
matters
News from Agricultural Affiliates
January 2015
2015? What kind of year will it be?
By Paul Baker
[email protected]
I think perhaps to best answer this
question we should begin by asking
ourselves where we were at the close of
2014.
Let me give you a hint. It has now
been 28 years since any meaningful
federal legislation has been passed
and signed into law. The Immigration
Reform and Control Act was signed by
President Reagan which attempted to
legalize foreign workers who had been
in this country since 1962. We have not
seen any legislation since this coming
from the Beltway now in 28 years. I only
raise this to illustrate the total lack of
direction coming from Washington in
almost three decades. So the question
I am asking is, “will 2015 be anything
different?
It is my opinion that despite the fact
that we now have both the House and
the Senate under one majority we are
still in a state of flux. The Republican
base, while the clear majority, is
internally divided leaving action
difficult. The President is clearly so
frustrated he has taken to “declaring”
action without Congressional direction.
His declaration of executive action only
13 days following a sweeping defeat of
his party only will act to muddy any
hopes of constructive legislation on
immigration reform.
The Presidential Executive Action on
immigration has not even been written
as of this date. The broad guidelines
were addressed in his speech but the
real details are months from public
scrutiny.
Most feel we
will not know
the
details
until late this
spring
or
early summer.
So even if
his plan is
implemented it
has less than 18
months before
the close of his
administration
Baker
when it will be
scraped under
a new President. One has to wonder if
his plan offers “exposure” more than a
meaningful solution for both subject
employees and employers. Great
caution needs to be taken by all sides
before moving on this.
I believe we need to accept where we
are in 2015 and begin a quest for a path
to “compliance” under this government.
Today we are facing more questions
than answers as to how to handle our
human resources. The Affordable Care
Act (Obama Care) was slated to begin
January 1, 2015 for everyone. As we all
know by now the administration has
failed to clear up so many issues on
this Act that a one year waiver exists
for businesses that employ less than
100 full time employees. While this is a
365 day relief it does nothing to clarify
how we are to manage our health care
responsibilities in our business. We
are once again left in a state of nervous
uncertainty as to what lies ahead.
Here in New York we have seen a
record number of Job Orders placed
at the NYS DOL. At the drafting of this
report I counted 199 job orders being
placed for agriculture production. Only
30 of these were seeking “domestic
workers.” The remaining 169 were
seeking permission to hire under the
H2A program. These orders were from
a wide range of types of agriculture.
Most were from fruit, vegetable or some
form of landscape. One dairy worker
request was submitted this past year.
Many feel that these orders are for only
large operations but 56 of these were
for requests for less than 10 employees.
The range was from 1 to 125 workers
needed. Equally diverse was the length
of job experience requested. The
range here was from 0 to six months.
The point here is that employers
were reaching out to this very much
criticized program in 2014 because it
was the only legal and safe way to meet
their human resource needs.
In 2014 we began to see new
pressures placed upon employers who
hired foreign workers. In years past it
was accepted practice to issue a 1099 to
each worker. This past year we began
to hear reports that these workers were
now being required to pay both State
and Federal income taxes. Employers
were now left questioning should they
be deducting these taxes from their
H2A employees? No clear directive was
stated. Rumors began to circulate that
if a returning H2A employee in future
years wishes to return to employment
here in the USA he must first meet his
past income tax responsibility. As an
employer we are not responsible to
pay the employee’s income taxes. In
most all of our domestic dealings we
deduct these taxes as a service to our
employees and at the end of the year
issue them a W2 which shows what they
have contributed to their responsibility
in the previous year. Realistically it will
be very difficult for a returning foreign
worker to have these funds before
returning to his job.
See Baker, Page 16
January 2015
Core Report® Page 5
Obama’s ‘Immigrant Accountability
Executive Action’ and apple growers
By Frank Gasperini
National Council of Ag Employers
The President announced Executive
Action on immigration on Nov. 20,
2014. Since then both sides of the
political spectrum, and many in
between, have ranted on about why
this is too much, too little, too soon, too
late, or just right. Meantime growers
and other employers want to know
what it means to their own businesses
and to their relationships with their
own workers.
Except for those who may be in
removal procedures already, or who
get caught-up in the near future, it will
be some time before any real activity
will begin. The program is slotted to
officially start Jan. 1, 2015 with the
Department of Homeland Security
ordered to have a formal processes in
place no more than 180 days after that.
Although we know that DHS started
work on defining the processes and
procedures immediately it will take all
or most of the 180 days to complete
the task, before the first person could
formally apply for protected status.
This means it could be the end of June
before there is a clear process in place.
Links to the transcript of what the
President said and the official White
House fact sheet are listed along with
this article. An additional link to an
article in the National Law Review
posted on Dec. 4, 2014 offers an
excellent summary of the President’s
action.
While these links may be useful in
understanding the President’s action,
please remember that you are not in
a position to offer advice or council to
employees or others. Not only are the
implementation processes do not yet
in place, immigration law is extremely
complex and must be left not only
to lawyers, but to that small group of
attorneys who are truly experts in the
field.
Although numerous changes to
DHS policy are required in the action,
the most significant portions for
employers are the provisions to defer
deportation for “certain immigrants”
who have entered and remained in the
United States without authorization.
This means deferred deportation
procedures for some, but not all,
of those currently in the country
illegally. How this all plays out may be
important to agricultural employers
because our experience with DHS I-9
audits has taught us that too many
of those for whom we have properly
documented I-9 forms turn out to be
falsely documented when examined by
DHS.
Every employer should always work
under the premise that because we
always do our I-9 forms as required,
we have no cause to expect that any of
our current employees are not legally
work eligible, or that the Executive
Action will have any impact on us. In
addition, until DHS has announced the
process for employees to sign-up for
deferred action nothing changes for
you as an employer. Until a process is
announced, if you become aware, or
obtain information that leads you to
believe that a current employee is not
work eligible, then you must follow
current employer practices.
NCAE and other groups are meeting
with
USDA
and
DHS
currently
to
stress
the
importance
of
including
clear employer
processes and
“safe-harbor”
for employers
who
follow
the rules in
Gasperini
dealing with
employees
whom
we
may learn have been working under
false documentation. Following the
general outline of an excellent paper
written for the Agricultural Coalition
for Immigration Reform (ACIR), until
clear guidance is forthcoming:
Don’t ask, don’t tell. Don’t reach-out
to current employees to inquire about
their eligibility or attempt to offer
advice. You completed your I-9 forms
in good-faith; there should be no cause
to second-guess.
If an employee asks for copies of
their employment records, don’t jump
to conclusions. Employment records
may be requested for many reasons
including loans, school residency
requirements, leases, etc.
In the future, if an employee comes
to you with new identity and/or work
authorization that does not match what
they provided at the time or original
hire--- do not destroy the original
I-9, but complete a new one with the
information provided and attach it to
the old one. Assure that the information
and identifications provided meet the
I-9 requirements and document that
the reason(s) for completion of a new
I-9 is because the employee informed
you that they have obtained new work
authorization under the new Executive
Action. There may, or may not, be a
specific form and/or process provided
by DHS by that time.
We are asking DHS to provide
specific guidance on how to proceed
if or when you learn that an employee
was not work eligible, but is nor or will
be eligible under deferred action and
temporary work authorization. We
anticipate there will be a clear process
that allows time to properly pursue
all the steps. Additionally we expect
there to be clear guidance on when and
employer may or may not terminate an
employee on learning of a change of
status.
The only potential relevance to H-2A
employers is the slight potential that
the pool of domestic referrals could
grow as those who gain deferred status
will almost certainly be considered
work-eligible domestic workers.
We understand how difficult it is to
sit and wait for further government
guidance, but there is little or no useful
effort you can take at this time except
to educate yourself on the developing
process; and much harm could be done
to your business and to employees if
the wrong actions are taken.
In the end, the only real long-term
help for our agricultural labor situation
will come through positive legislation
followed by rule-making that truly
sets-out to protect the rights and
fill the needs of both employers and
Learn more here
Useful links for further online research and study:
President’s speech transcript: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/politics/
obama-immigration-speech-transcript/index.html
White House fact sheet on President’s action: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
the-press-office/2014/11/20/fact-sheet-immigration-accountability-executive-action
National Law Review summary of President’s action. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/president-obama-s-executive-action-and-agriculturalsector
employees. NCAE, New York Apple
Association and other groups
continue to work for agricultural
immigration reform legislation along
with our coalition the Agricultural
Workforce Coalition (AWC.) We
encourage all readers to continue to
participate with our associations, to
attend and participate in NCAE and
your own association’s meetings and
legislative days, and to help us keep the
pressure on our US House and Senate
members to keep domestic agriculture
viable. This is and will remain a
long-term effort and we all need to
participate together.
uuu
The author is Executive Vice
President of the National Council
of Agricultural Employers. NCAE
is the national trade association
representing Agricultural Employers
in Washington, DC. NCAE advocates
and addresses employer issues for all
employers of both domestic and H-2
agriculture workers. NCAE is proud
to count many individual growers
and grower associations among our
Membership. The invitation to become
an individual Member of NCAE and
receive our communication and
information direct is extended to all
agricultural employers. Visit NCAE’s
website at www.NCAEonline.org for
more information and continuing
updates.
Page 6
Core Report® January 2015
New USApple social media numbers
are as sweet as honey
By Wendy Brannen
USApple
There’s a really annoying (or, depending on your
opinion I suppose, entertaining) song out on the
radio right now called “All About That Bass.” You
know the one? “No treble!” Well, here at the U.S.
Apple Association, we’re all about the bees (and no
trouble). Did you know (and you’re fruit growers so
you probably did):
u It takes one colony of honeybees to pollinate an
acre of fruit trees.
u A colony can have more than 50-thousand bees
during summertime.
u Those 50 thousand bees each squeeze into one
hive.
u A hive of bees may have to fly 50 thousand miles
to produce a pound of honey.
Yes, pretty basic bee facts—but the big news is really
not the facts but the common factor of 50 thousand.
In November, the USApple Facebook page surpassed
50 thousand followers, a goal we’ve been steadily
working towards since I started last year.
Our consumer education team has been a swarm of
busy worker bees this past year expanding USApple’s
engagement with consumers on social channels (well,
we busy worker bees plus a busy worker Eric, since
worker bees can’t actually be male). In fact, we’ve
grown the Association’s Facebook following by 30
percent just this past year alone. And, nearly 45,000
Facebook users (both followers and non-official
followers alike) have shared a USApple Facebook
post with their own followers. In other words, that
group of 50 thousand fans has helped us in turn
reach 4 million people!
How many people is 4 million people? Well, bees
have to tap 2 million flowers to produce a pound of
honey—so twice that many! Yeah, I’m not sure what
that connection actually means either, but trust
me—4 million people in the world of PR is pretty
sweet.
The importance of online strategy is twofold. It
serves as a means to provide education on apples’
health benefits. And, it allows us to help people
explore new apple varieties, meal ideas, and kitchen
tips.
Our recent campaigns have included:
u “28 Days of Apples,” an award-winning campaign
in which USApple members and supporting brands
got involved to encourage individuals to learn and
share heart-healthy apple facts on social channels
during February, American Heart Month.
u “Apple Summer Selfies,” an online contest
rewarding individuals for sharing selfies with an
apple or apple product in hand during summer
travels and vacation.
u “AppletizeMe,” an online apple variety and
pairing education program – timed to National Apple
Month in October, featuring a humorous personality
quiz matching individuals with their ideal apple
varieties and perfect food pairings.
We have worked hard this past year to establish
meaningful relationships with consumers online. Be
it our brand new YouTube video series featuring top
apple varieties, Pinterest recipe boards with beautiful
food photos, Twitter parties offering health tips and
cooking ideas, digital contests, or other outreach,
our objective has been to hone the perfect mix of the
moment to reach consumers with the resources we
have. And, Facebook has proven an effective channel
to pull all of those pieces together and showcase our
timely apple campaigns.
I learned another bee fact recently. Bees
communicate by dancing. Probably not to that goofy
song I mentioned, but apparently they do a little
dance to alert other bees where nectar and pollen are
located. And, somehow the dance explains direction
and distance. Funny—it almost sounds like the bees
have their own brand of social media.
You can follow USApple on social media at https://
www.facebook.com/USApples. To learn more about
apples and apple varieties, visit USApple.org and
USAppleBlog.org. For a regular slice of new apple
recipes and fresh information, sign up for USApple’s
e-newsletter on the blog.
Opinion
Good Point: That unwashed grape
By Chris Schlect
Good Fruit Grower
Tennessee Williams, in his play
A Streetcar Named Desire, has the
character Blanche DuBois remark, “…
And when I die, I’m going to die on the
sea. You know what I shall die of? I shall
die of eating an unwashed grape….
‘Poor lady,’ they’ll say, ‘The quinine did
her no good. That unwashed grape has
transported her soul to heaven.’”
The United States Congress decided
that souls should not be transported to
heaven due to the eating of unwashed
grapes, or apples, or leafy greens
and, in 2010, passed the Food Safety
Modernization Act, now known as
FSMA.
While the main trigger for action
was a string of deadly incidents over
the prior decade, mostly tied to fresh
vegetable crops that shook the public’s
confidence in the government’s
regulatory
oversight
of
food
production, there were other related
influences at work.
Many large food companies favored
it due to increasing legal liability
fears stemming from the part of their
supply chain that they had the least
control over—independently owned
farms. Produce industry associations
wanted Congress to do something—
almost anything—to restore the
public’s confidence in the products
they represented. Consumer advocacy
groups were eager to fortify the
government with more power to ensure
safe food at every table. Food safety
experts called for a comprehensive
“farm to fork” approach, one based
on advanced safety methods used
for decades within food packaging
facilities. In addition, the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) desired
broader authority and additional
resources to deal with our country’s
increasingly complex food production
and delivery system, one ever more
reliant on foreign imports.
So now we have FSMA.
Since FSMA became law in January
of 2011, the FDA has worked to develop
regulations to implement this landmark
bill. As a result, there are seven proposed
FSMA rules now floating about. They
await being made final, and thus
enforceable. These proposals cover such
food safety related things as imported
food, packing houses, orchards and
other farms, transportation of food, and
animal feed.
These all have varying degrees of on
tree fruit growers and shippers. For
example, animal feed rules would come
into play when cull apples are sent to a
cattle feedlot. And, the transportation
rule may impact the use of straddle
carriers to move fruit from warehouse
to another company’s packing facility.
However, the greatest impact for
the tree fruit industry will be seen in
the proposed rule entitled “Standards
for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing,
and Holding of Produce for Human
Consumption,” which is better known
as the “Produce Rule.”
FDA has clearly rejected our call
to focus regulatory enforcement on
produce crops having a known history
of food safety problems. The FDA
has embraced an umbrella approach
that throws its regulatory shade over
all produce crops. Compliance with
production rules, such as related to
irrigation water; required food safety
education of field and packing house
workers; paperwork mandates; and so
forth are all part of the master plan.
My
fears
concerning
FSMA
implementation are many. For
example, I fear that:
u The FSMA regulatory effort will
place unnecessary pressure on our
orchardists, in terms of the cost and
headache of compliance, without
true enhanced food safety benefits to
consumers;
u FDA does not have the resources
to properly implement any final rules
and is unlikely to get such money from
Congress;
u Without enforcement money from
Congress, FDA will seek fees from
the affected regulated community
(read: new taxes on orchardists and
packinghouses);
u Fresh produce imported from
overseas, although fully subject to the
FSMA rules, will skate into our country
by way of forged paperwork;
u Our tree-fruit industry will likely
face retaliatory actions in export
markets, whenever FDA officials
should enforce our country’s food
safety standards in foreign fields;
u In the future, federal enforcement
officers on the ground will prove to be
much less flexible or reasonable than
the capable and comforting food safety
officials who are now developing FSMA
rules at FDA’s Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition; and
u Orchardists will find it difficult
to put future advances in food safety
technology or science into commercial
practice given a fairly rigid set of FSMA
rules.
I think FSMA is another example of
how a good idea (here, improved food
safety for consumers) is forged into a
federal law with little understanding
by legislators of the complexities of
the actual situation. Impossible goals
are sought, such as no one should ever
die from eating an unwashed grape.
A regulatory agency (here, FDA) then
is ordered to flesh out the law passed
by Congress. The agency, while it truly
believes in its public mission, has its own
internal institutional impulses for more
staff, money, and oversight. What might
be done simply is rarely kept simple.
While many of the proposed FSMA
regulations are still under review,
FDA has opened a new comment
period, which closes December 15, for
a few of these, including the important
Produce Rule. Here FDA is making a
sincere attempt, albeit in complicated
and opaque language, to give more
flexibility to, among other things, its
requirement for pathogen testing of
irrigation water that comes into direct
contact with RACs (bureaucratic speak
for “Raw Agricultural Commodities,”
or, for our purposes, an apple hanging
on a tree irrigated by way of overhead
sprinklers.)
January 2015
Core Report® Page 7
NYAppleCountry.com, a core
component of marketing efforts
By Karl Heberger
Mason Digital
Back in July we launched the brand
new website, providing an online
destination for consumers to interact
with all things New York apples.
There are interactive maps where
users can find nearby farm markets and
pick-your-own orchards. The recipes
section shows dozens of recipes in eight
categories where users can search for
new ideas and even upload pictures of
their own creations. Site visitors can find
extensive information about the different
varieties offered in the state as well as
nutritional facts. There’s even a live feed
from Facebook and links to social media
channels which provide plenty of ways
for users to interact and engage.
Since “going live” back in the summer
the site has been extremely successful at
engaging with users and has proven to
be an essential piece of our marketing
efforts. In 2014 there have been more
than 110,000 visits to the site with
users viewing over 256,000 pages. The
most popular section of the site is the
interactive map that helps users locate
pick-your-own orchards. The section
highlighting the various apple varieties
has been the next most popular section
followed by recipes.
There are many techniques being
utilized to drive visitors to the site.
Various online advertising tactics
providing direct links include banner
ads, pre-roll video ads, mobile banners
(appearing on smartphones and
tablets), Facebook ads, and display ads
on Pandora. These efforts combined
for over 38,000 clicks to the website.
While online advertising was a large
driver of site traffic, the most popular
way visitors found the site was via search
See Web, Page 14
Sneek Peek!
New York Apple Association
FISHERS — Take a look at our work in progress-the NEWLY revamped
NYCider.com website!
While we are still diligently working behind the scenes to get this new site up
and running and looking spectacular; we thought we would give you a glimpse of
what is to come.
All of your input over the last few months regarding your businesses has been
extremely helpful in making this new site as resourceful as possible. We cannot
wait to unveil the finished product!
Page 8
Core Report® January 2015
USDA study: Birds cause $
January 2015
Core Report® Page 9
$16M in damage each year
Page 10
Core Report® January 2015
CCE offers pruning, mechanization
tour in Lake Ontario region
The CCE LOF team will continue
its extensive on-farm and educational
outreach targeting apple growers in the
Lake Ontario fruit region (both large
and small) who have not experienced
the use of partial mechanization at
their orchards.
On Thursday, Feb. 12, the CCE
LOF program will conduct the
second “Winter Pruning and Orchard
Mechanization Tour” in Niagara and
Orleans Counties. Participants will
learn about the benefits of partial
orchard mechanization and proper
pruning for high density plantings.
The importance of work safety with the
correct use of fall protection harnesses
and the advantages and disadvantages
DOL announces
Adverse Effect
H-2A wages
U.S. Department of Labor
Please see the announcement below
regarding the release of the new 2015
H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates.
Feel free to contact the Ombudsman
Office with any questions. H2A.
[email protected]
The Department’s H–2A regulations
at 20 CFR 655.120(l) provide that
employers must pay their H–2A
workers and workers in corresponding
employment at least the highest of: (i)
The AEWR; (ii) the prevailing hourly
wage rate; (iii) the prevailing piece
rate; (iv) the agreed-upon collective
bargaining wage rate, if applicable; or
(v) the Federal or State minimum wage
rate, in effect at the time the work is
performed.
Except as otherwise provided in
20 CFR part 655, subpart B, the
regionwide AEWR for all agricultural
employment (except those occupations
deemed inappropriate under the
special procedure provisions of 20 CFR
655.102) for which temporary H–2A
certification is being sought is equal
to the annual weighted average hourly
wage rate for field and livestock workers
(combined) in the state or region as
published annually by the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
20 CFR 655.120(c) requires that the
Administrator of the Office of Foreign
Labor Certification publish the USDA
field and livestock worker (combined)
wage data as AEWRs in a Federal
Register notice. Accordingly, the 2015
AEWRs to be paid for agricultural work
performed by H–2A and U.S. workers
on or after the effective date of this
notice are set forth in the table below:
TABLE—2015 ADVERSE EFFECT
WAGE RATES
State 2015 AEWRs
Alabama.................................... $10.00
US Apple
Association
is online at
www.usapple.org
Arizona.........................................10.54
Arkansas...................................... 10.18
California......................................11.33
Colorado........................................11.37
Connecticut...................................11.26
Delaware.......................................11.29
Florida.......................................... 10.19
Georgia ....................................... 10.00
Hawaii..........................................12.98
Idaho............................................. 11.14
Illinois........................................... 11.61
Indiana.......................................... 11.61
Iowa ............................................. 12.62
Kansas ......................................... 13.59
Kentucky......................................10.28
Louisiana ..................................... 10.18
Maine............................................11.26
Maryland.......................................11.29
Massachusetts...............................11.26
Michigan.......................................11.56
Minnesota.....................................11.56
Mississippi................................... 10.18
Missouri....................................... 12.62
Montana ....................................... 11.14
Nebraska...................................... 13.59
Nevada..........................................11.37
New Hampshire............................11.26
New Jersey....................................11.29
New Mexico.................................10.54
New York............................ 11.26
North Carolina ............................10.32
North Dakota............................... 13.59
Ohio .............................................. 11.61
Oklahoma..................................... 10.35
Oregon......................................... 12.42
Pennsylvania ................................11.29
Rhode Island.................................11.26
South Carolina............................ 10.00
South Dakota .............................. 13.59
Tennessee ....................................10.28
Texas............................................ 10.35
Utah..............................................11.37
Vermont........................................11.26
Virginia .......................................10.32
Washington.................................. 12.42
West Virginia...............................10.28
Wisconsin .....................................11.56
Wyoming....................................... 11.14
Pursuant to the H–2A regulations at
20 CFR 655.173, the Department will
publish a separate Federal Register
notice in early 2015 to announce (1)
the allowable charges for 2015 that
employers seeking H–2A workers may
charge their workers for providing
them three meals a day; and (2)
the maximum travel subsistence
reimbursement which a worker with
receipts may claim in 2015.
of using electric, pneumatic shears will
be demonstrated and discussed. There
will be a grower panel discussion about
their experiences with mechanization,
new tools, and new methods for higher
labor efficiency.
The 2015 CCE LOF Winter Pruning
and Orchard Mechanization Tour
will be at four or five farms located
in Niagara and Orleans Counties on
Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The full
program will be posted on the CCE LOF
website,
http://lof.cce.cornell.edu/
the first week of February and will be
presented at the 2015 CCE LOF Winter
Fruit Schools on Feb. 2 at CCE Niagara
County, Lockport, NY and on February
3 at Quality Inn Hotel, Newark.
USApple files
comment letters
on FDA safety rule,
pollinator health
By Mark Seetin
USApple
The U.S. Apple Association has filed
a comment letter with the FDA on the
Agency’s proposed revisions to the
Produce Food Safety Rule.
In late September, the FDA issued
a revised set of proposed produce
food safety regulations in an attempt
to address concerns over the original
proposals issued in January 2013. The
revised proposals deal chiefly with
concerns expressed by USApple and
industry allies over the rules covering
use of agricultural water.
In the revised proposals, the
agency has significantly changed
the original standards and testing
requirements for agricultural water.
The new proposal eliminates the
original requirement of weekly or
monthly testing of water throughout
growing season and replaces it with
a tiered approach based on the
EPA “recreational water” standard,
and includes an option to utilize
microbial “die off” rates to determine
the interval in days between the last
use of water and commencement of
harvest.
The revision calls for growers to
establish a “baseline” for microbial
presence in agricultural water using
water samples gathered over a twoyear period.
USApple’s comments focused on a
few key areas:
u Standards should be expressed
as guidance – The revisions to the
standards for water testing are an
improvement, but are not science
or food-safety based. Guidance can
be more easily adjusted as science
provides answers, whereas altering
standards embedded in a final rule
can be a difficult and cumbersome
process.
u Cost benefit analysis– Based on
more than a century of commercial
apple production experience, the
proposed rule adds significant
costs which growers will be forced
to incur while providing no known
benefits to the public in the form of
safer food.
u Commodity risk profiles – With
no documented cases of foodborne
illness from fresh apple consumption,
apples should not be considered a
“high risk” commodity. The Agency
should heed the directive of the
Congress in the FSMA to establish
commodity risk profiles that allow
for a focus on those areas presenting
See USApple, Page 15
Attention bulk
apple juice suppliers:
In order to provide the emerging
and expanding hard cider, apple wine
and distillery industry in New York,
we are building a new directory for the
Cider Website that will list suppliers in
New York that can offer for sale, bulk
quantities of fresh pressed raw juice.
Many new Hard Cider makers are
seeking to establish long term supply
sources for New York apple juice.
If your operation can currently
supply or could be retrofitted to
meet this increasing demand, please
submit your contact information
to be posted. Send to:
cathy@
nyapplecountry.com
Page 12
Core Report® Industry history
January 2015
In Memoriam
Linda Concklin Hill
dies at 67
The (White Plains) Journal News
Visitors to the December 2014 New York Produce Show and Conference enjoyed two attractive, informative displays, one being
from H.H. Dobbins and Son. The text of the poster above reads: In 1930, Howard Dobbins started a wholesale fresh fruit business
in Lyndonville. It was a time when the packaging of fruit was transcending from barrels to bushels and a packing-house and cold
storage were needed. Howard’s son H “Bud” Dobbins, Jr. joined the firm in 1953. Under his leadership, the company evolved into
a multi-dimensional company providing packing, marketing, storage facilities and processing contracts for many local fruit growers.
Today H.H. Dobbins, Inc. is operated and owned by Bud’s son, Howard Dobbins III. From the first generation to the third, the Dobbins family has an influential role in the apple and produce industry.
The text of the poster above reads: The New York apple industry produces around 25 million bushels of apples each year, and
the state has been involved in 28 apple production for centuries. Believed to be from the 1950s, this black and white photograph
depicts two men harvesting apples from an orchard in Kinderhook. Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, believes
the apples are Baldwins, a heritage variety grown in the Hudson Valley. Of note is the old-time truck — most likely a model made
long before the ‘50s— and retrofitted to maximize efficiency of hauling fresh-picked apples in their square, slatted, wooden crates.
“Today, less than one percent of apples are picked using wooden crates,” notes Allen. “Now, everything goes right into bins. But
back then, these crates went directly from the field into cold storage, where they were stacked all the way up to the ceiling.” Another
distinct difference between apple farming in days of yore and today is the number of trees planted per acre. As depicted, there is
a notable amount of space between each apple tree, allowing only 75-100 trees to be planted per acre. “Today, that’s a different
story entirely, with upwards of 1,200-2,300 trees per acre,” details Allen. “They are smaller obviously, but produce much more fruit.”
Core Report®
is online at:
www.nyapplecountry.com/core-report
Linda Concklin Hill, the daughter of
one of Rockland’s first farming families
who championed a 300-year-old
tradition, died Dec. 3 at 67. The cause
was cancer, her son said.
The Concklin family has operated
The Orchards of Concklin for 11
generations on land settled by Nicholas
Concklin in 1712 under a grant from
England’s King George II. It is now
operated by Hill’s son, Scott, her
brother, Rich Concklin, his wife, Ellen,
and their children Rachel and Seth.
In 2002, Hill helped negotiate a deal
with the county whereby Rockland
purchased the development rights on
the farm for $2.3 million to preserve
it as open space, while allowing the
family to continue farming apples,
peaches and vegetables.
Former County Executive C. Scott
Vanderhoef recalled Hill as a fighter
for keeping Rockland the way it once
had been.
“She was very much leading the
charge in how she felt the arrangement
could be made and she deserves great
credit for having established that
arrangement,” he said.
At the time of the 2002 agreement,
Hill said: “We’re ... looking forward to
being able to farm it in peace, with some
constructive attitude to moving ahead.”
When Linda Concklin was born in
1947, Rocklanders had been eating
Concklin apples for more than 230
years. The county was dotted with
hundreds of small farms. The advent
of the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1955
brought residential development that
swallowed up the farmland.
“While the county has changed
tremendously, its historical roots are
in the Concklin soil,” Vanderhoef said.
“I still get people telling me how much
they enjoy driving up through there to
see the old Rockland County, the way it
used to be. And Linda Concklin and her
family certainly played a role in that.”
Jim Cropsey, another longtime
Rockland farmer, at the Cropsey Farm
in New City, recalled Hill as someone
who was “very proud of her lineage and
that they preserved that farm.”
Hill told Cropsey about being at a
farmer’s market in Lower Manhattan
on Sept. 11, 2001, when the terrorist
attacks struck. “She barely got out of
there with her skin,” he said. “At the
last moment, police told her to just run,
and that’s what she did. I remember
her saying she didn’t think she could
run that far, but she did.”
Jim Van Houten, yet another
longtime Rockland farmer, said he
saw Hill a few times a year, typically in
conjunction with her work as president
of the county’s Farm Bureau.
“She and her brother, Richie, are
extremely hard-working people who
loved the land,” Van Houten said. “She
had a purpose to carry on the family
tradition and husband the land.”
January 2015
Core Report® Page 13
Marketing topics to watch in 2015
By Julia Stewart
[email protected]
Your New York Apple Association
public relations staff spends most
of our time
promoting
the
apples
and
apple
foods that you
produce. In the
meantime we
also keep an
eye on topics
–
positive
and negative
– that might
impact
that
Stewart
promotional
work. Here are
some of the
topics that we think are worth watching
in 2015, in alphabetical order.
u Biotechnology: USDA is expected
to announce that genetically modified
plants producing two Arctic® Apple
varieties (Goldens and Grannies) can
be sold commercially. It will be several
years before Arctic fruit appears at
commercial markets. USApple is ready
to lead communications on the U.S.
apple industry’s behalf.
u Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2015: The federal guidelines are updated
every five years. Pundits watching
the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory
Committee’s work are forecasting that
the group’s recommendations will be
controversial. For the first time ever,
the DGAC is studying the effects of
food production on the environment.
The DGAC is also expected to take on
sugar and beef.
u Food Safety Modernization Act
implementation: FDA will finalize most
of the major FSMA rules by the end of
2015, including a produce-specific rule.
For updates, visit www.unitedfresh.org
and www.pma.com.
u Pollinator health: Federal, state
and local actions to protect honeybees
and other pollinators may impact
specialty crop industry access to
some crop protection tools, including
neonicotinoids. For updates, visit
www.prclarity.com/mcfa.
u “Real” foods: Seems like everyone
in the food industry is jumping on
the “real foods” bandwagon – for
example, Kraft Foods is now selling
New Year’s resolution: 2 apples a day
By Julia Stewart
[email protected]
New York Apple Association
finished 2014 strong with several
public relations activities to
encourage consumers to include
our apples and apple products in
their year-end celebrations.
Throughout the month of
December, we talked up doit-yourself apple gift baskets
through social media posts and
our own DIY-style video. We also
used photos and other gift basket
content created by U.S. Apple
Association for members’ use.
For Hanukkah, we reprised
last year’s video making
applesauce to accompany those
traditional latkes, starring our
own Consulting Dietitian Linda
Quinn, MS, RD, CDN.
We concluded the year by
encouraging New Yorkers to
leave apples for Santa and his reindeer. “We’re not saying
no to cookies, we love a good apple cookie – we’re saying
that every house may be a little excessive,” nutrition
spokesperson Quinn told media outlets across the state.
“Meanwhile, our state grows so many different varieties of
apples that there’s no way Santa will get bored.”
Resolve to eat 2 apples a day
To help keep New York state apples top of mind with
consumers in the first few months of the New Year, NYAA
will focus on our foods’ healthy profile starting with
New Year’s resolutions and continuing through March’s
salad dressings with “uncomplicated
ingredients”. Consumers tell us that
buying local trumps buying organic.
Good news: We’ve always been on trend
here! This is a tremendous opportunity
to connect with consumers, who have
largely lost touch with agriculture.
u Social media: Connecting with
today’s consumers means you’ve got to
have a website and be active on social
media. But what social media channels,
and exactly how do you connect? We
are staying on top of trends, and will
bring you advice and ideas.
Bottom line: We think there are more
opportunities in 2015 than there will
be issues. Let’s make the most of them.
Calendar
February 2, 2015
LOF Winter Fruit School
Niagara CCE., Lockport
http://lof.cce.cornell.edu
February 3, 2015
LOF Winter Fruit School
Wayne County, location TBA
http://lof.cce.cornell.edu
February 3-6, 2015
Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany
February 9, 2015
Tree Fruit Growers’ School
Fort William Henry Conference
Center,
Lake George
February 10 & 11, 2015
Tree Fruit School, Kingston
March 9-11, 2015
NYAA Board of Directors Mtg.
The Desmond, Albany
March 18, 2015
USAEC Board Meeting
Washington, D.C.
March 19, 2015
Capitol Hill Day
Washington, D.C.
March 20, 2015
USApple Committee Meetings
Washington, D.C.
March 21, 2015
USApple, Board of Directors
Meeting
Washington, D.C.
National Nutrition Month.
Focusing on health this time of
year is a natural fit for us. Many
consumers resolve to eat and live
healthier each New Year, and our
industry is ideally positioned to
help them succeed. Apples are
the very icon of health, they are
consumer favorites, there is a
flavor for everyone, and apples
and apple products are easy
to incorporate into snacks and
meals from morning to night.
What’s new this year: We are
urging consumers to eat TWO
apples a day, not just one, for
their better health. (Imagine
the possibilities if even a small
percentage
of
consumers
took our advice!) And we are
focusing more on connecting
with consumers directly via
social media, in addition to our
traditional press outreach. Our
Facebook following has been
growing steadily, demonstrating the importance of social
media outreach; we should top 20,000 followers early this
year!
Our consulting dietitian and health spokesperson Linda
Quinn will feature prominently in these activities. We are
also using USApple-developed “Two a Day” artwork and
other content to bolster our work.
To learn how you can put the “Two a Day” campaign
to work to promote your New York state apples, contact
NYAA Public Relations Director Julia Stewart by email at
[email protected].
Best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy and
prosperous 2015.]
Page 14
Core Report® Happy New Year!
Well it’s that time of year again.
Time to get back into your routine after
the typically festive holiday season
filled with sweets, calories and lack of
healthy eating.
Welcome, the apples.
Everywhere you look now; television
ads, newspapers, social media - everyone
it touting getting back into shape and
dieting to get you back on track and in
the swing to kick off 2015. Supermarkets
are on board and so are we.
We
are
out
continuing
to
spread the word
that
consumers
are looking for
smart
snacks
to
complement
their New Year’s
resolutions.
McAleavey
Apples are one
of the healthiest
foods a person can eat. They are high
in fiber and vitamin C, and they are
also low in calories, have only a trace of
sodium, and no fat or cholesterol.
Kristin Kirkpatrick, manager of
wellness nutrition services at the
Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute,
recommends aiming for five different
colors of produce every day and refers
to it as the “Rainbow Connection.” Our
Macs, Empires, Honeycrisp, Galas and
Crispin Apples can be part of the rainbow.
And, when you fill up on good-for-you
January 2015
produce, it leaves less room for junk food.
We are out in the trade this month
getting ads to help pull through the
2014 crop. In addition to these ads, we
are planning in-store demos, displays
and the annual Coaches versus
Cancer Program which has been very
successful in the Northeast around the
NCAA Men’s Basketball season.
We look forward to 2015 and being a
part of consumer’s healthy eating!
Good selling…
Healthy twist: An apple for Santa
By Tracy Ormsbee
Albany Times-Union
A plate of Christmas cookies and a
glass of milk seem like an appropriate
offering for the guy who delivers gifts
to children around the entire globe.
Until you multiply that gesture by
gazillions and consider the effect on
Santa’s waistline and — horrors! — his
ability to fit down the chimney with
your gifts.
Don’t cry. Or pout.
The New York Apple Association has
an idea: They’re calling on children
across the Empire
State to instead
leave an apple
for
Santa
this
Christmas Eve.
It’s
just
80
calories, contains
no fat, a fraction
of the sugar found
Quinn
in holiday cookies
— and, a biggie, is
full of fiber, says Registered Dietitian
Linda Quinn, who consults for the
state’s apple growers.
“If you’re eating sweets and treats
over the holidays, you need more fiber
in your diet to get things moving, if you
know what I mean,” she says.
Quinn says Santa eats an estimated
5,000 tons of cookies each Christmas
Eve, well beyond the recommended
serving size. Meanwhile, most
everyone needs to eat more fruit,
Quinn reports.
“We’re not saying no to cookies,
we love a good apple cookie, we’re
saying that every house may be a
little excessive,” Quinn clarifies.
“Meanwhile, our state grows so many
different varieties of apples that there’s
no way Santa will get bored.”
And in answer to the worry on every
child’s mind: Will Santa want to skip
the homes without the cookies?
“We don’t think so at all,” Quinn
says.
“We think Santa’s going to find it a
pleasant surprise. A little change is
probably a good thing.”
And maybe she’s right. Santa might
want some variety.
“Think about it, a person can only
eat so many cookies in one night – let’s
give Santa a break and leave him an
apple instead,” she says.
Web
Continued from Page 7
engines like Google and Bing. In order
to make sure that people would find
the new site, a search engine marketing
campaign was developed and employed.
The strategy used a combination of paid
search engine advertising and search
engine optimization.
Paid search advertising gives us the
ability to put a listing on the search
engine results page and only pay when
someone clicks over to the site. We only
appeared when searchers put in specific
keywords that we specified. For example,
when searchers typed in “apple picking
ny” our ads appeared over 30,000 times
and resulted in almost 1,500 clicks. Other
terms that drove a lot of traffic to the site
included “apple orchards”, “apple farms”,
and “pick your own apple orchards”.
Search engine optimization is a
technique that makes the site more
“visible” to the major search engines
and allows for NYAppleCountry.
com to appear in the natural listings
for many related search queries.
More than 30 percent of all visits
to the website came from natural
search engine listings in 2014. These
visitors viewed more than three
pages per visit and spent two and a
half minutes on the site on average.
Unlike paid search terms that
focused mostly on general apple
search queries, visitors from natural
search listings often were searching
for specific varieties of apples. The
search query that sent the most
visitors to the site was “snapdragon
apple”. Other terms that drove many
visitors to the site included “paula
red apples”, “ruby frost apple”, “ida
red apple”, and “autumn crisp apple”.
The new site has been very
popular among New York apple
consumers and with a bevy of great
content available, they’re finding
information they can really sink
their teeth into.
January 2015
Expo
Continued from Page 1
University
2 Understanding the physiological
and biochemical mechanisms of graft
incompatibility – Stefano Musacchi,
Horticulture,
Washington
State
University, Wenatchee, WA
2:30 Break
Tree Fruit — New Pests,
Ballroom East
3:30 Announcements and DEC
credit sign-up – Deborah Breth, CCE
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
3:35 Experience with black stem
borer in ornamental nurseries, –
Christopher Ranger, Entomology,
USDA-ARS, Wooster, Ohio
4:15 Black stem borer: A new pest for
NY apple growers – Deborah Breth,
CCE Lake Ontario Fruit Program
4:25 What’s new from industry?
4:30 Managing fire blight and late
USApple
Continued from Page 10
the highest food safety risk instead
of a “one size fits all” that imposes
significant costs on growers without
a corresponding benefit to public
health.
u Agricultural water provisions are
an improvement, but are too complex
– Terminology and calculations
required to determine the “statistical
threshold value” or “STV” and
“geometric mean” for water samples
is complex and potentially confusing.
The Agency should simplify the
process by; 1) providing a software tool
to assist growers in making microbial
die off calculations, or; 2) develop a
“lookup table” that would provide the
day intervals required based on water
test results, or: 3) add an option for
growers to use “water that meets the
microbial standard for drinking water”
for a set number of days before harvest
instead of having to develop a costly
“baseline” and testing regime.
The letter was filed on Dec. 12. The
FDA is under a federal district court
settlement that calls for the final
produce rules to be issued by Oct. 31,
2015. Growers would have 2 years
from the effective date of the final rule
(or up to four years for the smallest
operations) in which to implement the
agricultural water rules. USApple’s
food safety comment letter is available
at USApple.org.
Core Report® season tree decline – Kerik Cox, Plant
Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology,
Cornell University
4:50 Progress in precision fruit
spraying – Tomas Palleja Cabre,
Entomology, Cornell University
5:15 Adjourn
Wednesday, Jan 21
Tree Fruit - How New York
Apple Growers Are Addressing
Labor Challenges, Ballroom East
9 a.m. Welcome – Craig Kahlke, CCE
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
9:05 How New York apple growers
are addressing labor challenges –
Thomas Maloney, Dyson School of
Applied Economics and Management,
Cornell University; Paul Baker,
Executive Director, New York State
Horticultural Society and Executive
Director, NYSBGA
9:45 Break
Tree Fruit - Optimizing High
Density
Orchard
Systems,
Pollinator Health
In response to widespread concern
over reports of declining numbers of
pollinators, the Obama Administration
created the Pollinator Health Task
Force, composed of multiple federal
agencies including the USDA and the
EPA to address the issue.
The widely reported issue of managed
bee colony “decline” often referred to as
Colony Collapse Disorder has generated
significant discussion and attention
by beekeepers, agricultural interests,
researchers and public interest groups.
A 2013 report issued by the USDA
and EPA entitled “Report on the
National Stakeholders Conference on
Honey Bee Health” states that multiple
factors play a role in honey bee colony
declines, including parasites and
disease, genetics, poor nutrition and
pesticide exposure and concludes that
there is not a single factor causing CCD.
However, despite the identification
of multiple causes for CCD, a number
of special interest groups have focused
on just one of the five factors listed in
the report – pesticides – and push for
regulatory action, such as banning the
use of neonicotinoid pesticides that is
not supported by the underlying science.
USApple’s comment letter to the
Pollinator Health Task Force stress
the need to use a science based
approach to research and regulatory
actions aimed at understanding and
addressing the causes of CCD. The
concluding paragraph of the comment
letter summarizes USApple’s position
Ballroom East
1 p.m. Welcome – Anna Wallis, CCE
Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture
Program
1:05 How to optimize apple
training systems to improve orchard
mechanization – Stefano Musacchi,
Horticulture,
Washington
State
University, Wenatchee, Wash.
1:45 How pruning severity impacts
thinning success to optimize grower
income
–
Terence
Robinson,
Horticulture, Cornell University
2:30 Break
Tree Fruit - Weed Management
in Perennial Fruits, Ballroom
East
3:30 Announcements and DEC
credit sign-up – Deborah Breth, CCE
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
3:35 Managing invasive and resistant
weeds – Darcy Telenko, CCE Cornell
Vegetable Program
4:05 What’s new from industry?
4:10 Replacing herbicides with
under-vine cover crops in vineyards –
on pollinator protection;
“USApple has consistently supported
a science based regulatory approach to
crop protection chemical registration.
Producing a crop totally dependent
upon insect pollination, apple growers
as a group are a major stakeholder in
the work being done by the Pollinator
Health Task Force and share the goal
of better understanding the problem
of pollinator decline as a whole.
We strongly urge the Task Force to
use a science based approach that
encompasses all of the identified
causes for pollinator decline and
utilizes the knowledge gained to
support what appears likely to be a
Page 15
Justine Vanden Heuvel, Horticulture,
Cornell University18
4:40 Research update for apple weed
management – Deborah Breth, CCE
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
5:10 Adjourn
Thursday, Jan. 22
Hard Cider, Room 3
9 a.m. Welcome – Craig Kahlke, CCE
Lake Ontario Fruit Program; Derek
Simmonds, CCE Seneca County
9:05 Apple varieties for craft
cidermakers in New York – Ian
Merwin, Black Diamond Farm, LLC,
Trumansburg
9:45 Fifteen years of cider survival
– Bill Barton, Bellwether Hard Cider,
Trumansburg
10:15 Establishing a New York
State farm cidery – Scott Donovan,
BlackBird Cider Works, Barker
10:45 Resources for hard cider
production – Derek Simmonds, CCE
Seneca County
11 Adjourn
multi-faceted solution encompassing
bee nutrition, stewardship, parasite
and pathogen control, habitat, and
genetics in promoting a vital and
healthy pollinator community.”
The comment letter to the Pollinator
Health Task Force is available at
USApple.org.
US Apple Association
is online at
www.usapple.org
Page 16
Core Report® January 2015
Export Report
Obama establishes relations with Cuba
By Tom Karst
The Packer
Opening the door for greater
agricultural trade, President Barack
Obama said Dec. 17 that he is moving
to normalize the U.S. relationship with
Cuba.
Obama said the U.S. embargo against
Cuba will have to be lifted by Congress,
but he said that he will ease travel
and commerce restrictions. Obama
said the U.S. will begin discussions to
reestablish diplomatic relations with
Cuba, which were severed since 1961.
He said the U.S. also plans to reopen
an embassy in Havana.
“Fifty years of isolation have not
worked,” Obama said. “It’s time for a
new approach.”
Some Republicans and Democrats
in Congress expressed opposition with
lifting the embargo, with Sen. Marco
Rubio, R-Fla., promising to “undo” the
deal when the new Congress convenes.
Produce and farm leaders supported
stronger ties with Cuba.
Cuba has purchased apples in the
past from North Carolina, Georgia
and Virginia, said Jim Allen, president
of the New York Apple Association,
Fishers, N.Y. “I’ve always had the
feeling if relations were put back to
normal for that country, that it could
be quite a market,” Allen said. “We are
the closest country to them to supply
them a lot of goods.”
Allan Henderson, owner and
managing director at CL Henderson
Produce LLC, Hendersonville, N.C.,
said that his firm exported fresh apples
to Cuba for three years, from about
Prospects improve for China exports
USDA
China is the world’s dominant
producer of apples, pears, and table
grapes, comprising roughly 50 percent
75 percent, and 47 percent of total
output, respectively.
Post
forecasts
China’s
apple
production at 37.8 MMT in market
year 2014-15, down 5 percent from
the previous year because of cold,
wet weather in the major growing
regions. Pear production is expected
to recover by 7 percent to 18.5 MMT in
MY 2014/15, while grape production
is forecast to increase 11 percent to 9
MMT.
U.S. apples exports are expected
to grow dramatically over the next
few years due to China’s October
2014 decision to lift the ban on Red
and Golden Delicious apples from
Washington State.
2003 to 2006. The sales were made
under the terms of humanitarian aid,
but he said those export licences were
not renewed by the U.S. government
for political reasons and sales ended in
2006.
Meeting both Fidel Castro and his
brother Raul, Henderson went on trade
missions to Cuba in 2002 and 2003,
and sold them apples through 2006.
Cuba would take five to seven loads of
apples per week for about four months
each year, he said.
“It was a good market for us,” he
said. The apples were packed in North
Carolina shipped to Jacksonville,
where Crowley Freightliners put them
on a barge to Cuba. “Everything worked
very nicely,” he said. “They were happy
with our product and were able to put
our (apples) in there a lot cheaper than
what they were buying apples from
Europe or South America,” he said.
Henderson said the apples were
imported by the state-run Al Imports
in Havana.
“All of a sudden that opportunity
left us and if it (came again) I would
be more than happy to start back with
them,” Henderson said.
Allen
suggested that if ports were put
under the Railway Labor Act, a law
that bars unions from striking until
they have gone through arbitration
and mediation, this action could be
averted. The law was passed because
of the importance of rail and air to the
nation. This suggestion to convince
Congress to write and pass legislation
to prevent it from happening again
is gaining support from many
industries.
Once again, although presently
this seems to be a western problem,
it quickly becomes our problem as
well. Our markets are vulnerable to
increased western shipments, and
our ports could also be targeted by
similar union activities.
The administration has boldly
set goals for the U.S. to increase
exports each year, and have created
export agencies, committees and
commissions to accomplish this.
Later this month, the President will
give his State of the Union Address,
and odds are that increasing national
exports will be included. But increased
national exports will not happen as
long as port slowdowns are allowed
and nothing is done to prevent them
from reoccurring.
Good Luck,
Continued from Page 3
November shipments should have
exceeded 100,000 tons, but were
down 50 percent.
Apples are in the same boat, or
should I say are trying to get ON the
boat.
As previously reported, apple
exports are down dramatically and
the holiday business was seriously
reduced. Other commodities such
as Christmas trees, potatoes, onions,
soybeans, and beef all have been hurt.
Not much demand for Christmas
trees after December!
In all of these cases, the folks paying
the price are the innocent customers
that rely on the Pacific Maritime
Association and the Longshoremen to
provide the needed services that they
pay dearly for. Apple growers and hay
farmers have no control over those
issues and no recourse to fall back on.
So far no government intervention
of any kind to settle the dispute has
taken place (not surprising). When
industries depend on exports as much
as so many do, can any protection
be granted to prevent unions from
throwing tantrums and causing
billions of dollars of loss?
Chris Schlect of the Northwest
Horticultural
Council
recently
Baker
Continued from Page 4
Wells named to CCE
business mgt. post
Cornell Cooperative Extension
We are happy to announce the new
teammate, Matt Wells, will begin his
role in the Fruit Production Economics
and Business Management position
for the Lake Ontario Fruit Program of
Cornell Cooperative Extension starting
Jan 16. 2015.
Wells, extension support specialist
II, will work as a member of the LOF
team, and closely with Cornell faculty
and industry leaders to provide
commercial growers and industry
representatives with the educational
resources in economics of production
and business management necessary
to assess if practices will enhance
profitability.
Core Report® is online at:
www.nyapplecountry.com/core-report
A second area of concern was the
reality that all employers had to pay
into the NYS Unemployment Fund for
all H2A employees. The hypocrisy here
is that no H2A employee will ever be
eligible to collect, so this is clearly a
“tax” on such employers who are forced
to reach outside of the domestic work
force to meet their needs. The federal
government does not require employers
to pay into the federal unemployment
programs on H2A employee earnings.
They already are saddled with a higher
minimum wage than domestic workers.
(Adverse Effect Wage Rate in 2015 will
be $11.26) The minimum wage in New
York State is now $8.75. The federal
minimum wage is $7.25.
Then finally we must deal with the
unsettled business coming out of
Albany on the topic of overtime pay for
agriculture. This perhaps if ever enacted
would have the greatest impact on current
agricultural business within the Empire
Jim
State. Clearly it would place agriculture,
that must employ large amounts of labor,
at a distinct economic disadvantage.
With the November elections leaving the
New York Senate still with a Republican
majority we may still have some time to
discuss and educate on the implications
for the State if this bill passes.
On the topic of the Upstate economy
it would be hard to imagine New York
if we lost our orchards, vineyards,
fields of fresh vegetables and large
dairy farms. Agriculture is key to the
rural economy. I think the New York
State Legislatures will have to consider
the impact it might have if we were
to see a decline in labor intensive
crops towards those that require more
automation than manpower. Recently
the Governor announced that he
would oppose any movement towards
fracking in the state. This has lead to
economic booms in adjoining states.
With this in place I think it might cause
people to consider the importance of
agriculture as we currently enjoy it. To
pass legislation that might discourage
agriculture would be a severe loss to
this economy.