Core Report October 2014

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:
Paul Baker
discusses OT
proposal
Page 4
Official Newspaper of the New York Apple Association
7645 Main Street
PO Box 350
Fishers New York 14453-0350
Volume 3, Issue 5
October 2014
In this Issue
USApple continues to work on
industry’s issues during Congressional recess.
...................................... Page 5
New York Apple Association promotional materials are displayed at the McDonald’s in Guilderland, N.Y., outside Albany.
NYAA steps up its advertising efforts in the New York City market.
................................. Pages 6-7
Julia Stewart offers tips on email
marketing.
...................................... Page 9
NYAA Variety Guide featured in
‘Edible’ magazine.
.................................... Page 10
New England Produce Council
holds Expo in Rhode Island.
.................................... Page 11
Non-profit Feeding America
makes appeal to increase tax incentives for food donations.
.................................... Page 14
Industry sees retirement of three
longtime researchers.
.................................... Page 15
McDonald’s,
N.Y. apples, Lovin’ it
N
ew York apples were on display
when McDonald’s restaurant
operators in the Albany capital
region hosted an Open Door Tour event
for local leaders, media and bloggers.
McDonald’s restaurants in the
region serve fresh-cut apple slices
that are sourced from New York state
apples. The event highlighted these
locally-sourced fresh apple slices as
one example of healthy food choices
that are served at McDonald’s. New
York Apple Association Marketing
Director Molly Golden was on hand at
the event to represent the New York
apple industry.
The Sept. 23 event was the first of
three that McDonald’s Operators of
the Capital District are hosting to give
a behind-the-scenes look at a local
restaurant to showcase its menu,
food quality and commitment to the
community.
Owner/Operators John and Kathie
Reeher welcomed guests including
legislators, local business owners,
media and bloggers to their Crossgates
Commons restaurant near Albany for
New York Apple Association Marketing Director Molly Golden and Crossgates Commons McDonalds Owner/Operators John
and Kathie Reeher participate in the Sept.
23 Open Door event.
this unique behind-the-counter tour.
“As a mom myself, I know how
important it is for parents to feel
comfortable with the restaurant
choices they make for their families,”
Golden said. “The whole family loves
healthy, delicious apple slices, and
the local McDonald’s restaurants are
supporting our growers by sourcing
slices locally.”
Golden told attendees about NYAA’s
work to highlight apples as an easy
choice for healthy living. She noted
that McDonald’s sources New York
state apple varieties such as Gala and
Empire because they naturally resist
browning.
Other presenters included John
Cisna and local nutritionists. Cisna
received national attention earlier this
year after losing nearly 60 pounds
during a student-led experiment on the
power of choice in the diet.
He lost the weight on an allMcDonald’s diet. Nutritionists led
a game of “Eat This, Not That” that
demonstrated how to make healthy
choices from McDonald’s fare vs.
traditional food choices.
McDonald’s is the single-largest
purchaser of U.S. apples.
Page 2
Core Report® October 2014
Slide into the holidays with New York apples
Check out our seasonally
changing website sliders
showcasing N.Y. apples at
www.nyapplecountry.com.
Retail Review
News from the retail marketing industry
Maine-based
Hanaford offers
drive-thru service
The Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald
EXETER, N.H. – Hannaford
customers may soon be able to grocery
shop from the comfort of their home.
The Maine-based supermarket chain
is proposing to add a curbside grocery
pick-up service in the parking lot of its
store at 137 Portsmouth Ave.
The new “Hannaford-to-Go” is a
service that would allow customers to
place orders online. Employees would
then pack their groceries.
Customers would later visit the store
to pick up their groceries at a drivethrough.
“You don’t ever have to get out of
your vehicle,” Hannaford spokesman
Eric Blom said.
According to Hannaford’s plan,
customers would announce their
arrival at the store through a call box
and then pull forward under a canopy
where employees would deliver their
groceries.
Customers can order anything sold
at the store, Blom said.
They can also place notes with their
order if they’re looking for something
specific.
For instance, they can indicate the
amount of yellow on their bananas or
the marbling in their steak.
The supermarket opened its first
“Hannaford-to-Go” at its store in
Dover a few years ago.
Hannaford’s Goffstown location was
the second New Hampshire store to get
the service.
Walmart opens
click/collect facility
Supermarket News
Wal-Mart Stores on last month
began fulfilling same-day Internet
grocery orders at a drive-up Grocery
Pickup
facility
in
Northwest
Arkansas.
The facility is the first “click-andcollect” center to be opened in the U.S.
by Walmart, which refers to the facility
as a “test.”
Walmart’s United Kingdom-based
sister company, Asda, operates several
such facilities there.
The facility carries nearly 10,000
SKUs including fresh meat, dairy,
produce and common household
items.
Customers ordering online or by
mobile phone can schedule pickup in as
little as two hours or up to three weeks
after the order is placed, Walmart said.
Customers arriving for pickup enter
their order information at a drive-up
kiosk and wait as Walmart workers
deliver the order to their cars.
Loan to help new
Rochester market
(Rochester) Democrat & Chronicle
Constantino’s
Market,
a
Cleveland-based grocer, will open a
20,000-square-foot store at College
Town next April with the help of a
loan managed by Action for a Better
Community Inc. and supported with
federal funds.
The low-interest loan will be funded
by a grant of nearly $750,000 from
the federal Community Economic
Development Healthy Food Financing
Initiative, according to a release the
office of U.S Sen. Charles Schumer,
D-N.Y.
Most of the money will be loaned
to the grocer, with the remaining
helping Action for a Better
Community to create a job training
and placement program for lowincome applicants to fill a majority of
the grocer’s 46 local jobs, including
30 full-time jobs.
“Now, we can move forward to
assist Constantino’s with their startup
costs, workforce recruitment, preemployment training and postemployment support services,” James
H. Norman, president and CEO of
ABC, said in a prepared statement.
October 2014
Core Report® Core Report® is published
monthly by the New York
Apple Association
as a member service.
Page 3
President’s Message
God willing and
weather permitting!
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
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]
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]
“GWWP”, is one of my favorite
sayings that I have borrowed from the
late memorable Hymie Grapple, long time
Hunts
Point
merchant.
For decades,
Hymie
was
an icon on the
docks of the old
Broad
Street
Market in New
York City and
then of course
the current Hunts
Point Market.
Hymie passed
Jim Allen
away a number
of years ago,
but he left a
remarkable legacy; one of course was this
great saying. He used to say it all the time
and with much sincerity and reverence.
Being in the produce business all his life,
Hymie knew so well the tremendous control
both God and the weather have over farming.
When asked how the crop was or
what size the crop is, his answer was
always “God Willing and Weather
Permitting, we will have a crop this
year.” Sometimes he just answered
“GWWP” and then waited for the next
question which always followed … “what
does that mean?” He would gleam when
he defined GWWP. Hymie was serious
about his Jewish faith, his love of God
and committed to his chosen profession.
This quote summed that up nicely.
Hymie also is remembered for his cordial
demeanor, his jovial laugh and his very hip
hair style. I am not sure if the style had a
name, but it was similar to a silver Afro
and it certainly added at least 4-5 inches to
his small stature. He wore it well!
Over the years of knowing Hymie he
shared a number of stories of the old
days on the market and the changes in the
marketplace, from location to the makeup
of the merchants. Wholesale markets were
often dominated by certain nationalities
such as Italian or Jewish merchants.
Over the years the merchants became
more diversified, and more and more
Asians entered the marketplace. Today, the
Latin influence is also increasing.
Hymie use to tell a great story about
how, as a very young man in his teens, he
would drive from New York City with two
friends in an old ‘30s flatbed truck to Sodus
and pick up drop apples. I believe he said
they would pay the grower 10-25 cents per
crate and take them back to New York City
to sell the next day.
He did this throughout the fall harvest
for many years. His ambition and his
entrepreneurial skills served him well for
more than nine decades.
His famous quote lives on today and
what better way to answer the proverbial
question that everyone always asks …
“How’s the crop?”
As far as harvest goes, can we remember
better weather than this fall so far? Warm
sunny days and cool brisk nights … that is
the perfect storm for apple harvest. Some
have said maybe a little too warm, but as
Marty Feldman’s character said in Mel
Brook’s “Young Frankenstein,” “Could be
worse … Could be raining!”
So, Mr. Grapple, thanks for the saying
and thanks be to God for the
crop.
Good Luck with harvest
and the weather!
Branching Out
Jim
Why coupons work
By Molly Golden
[email protected]
I have talked a great deal about the
promotions we set up with retailers
across the country to help promote and
sell more New
York
apples
in the past
issues of this
publication.
I feel it is
important
to
educate
not
only
consumers on
which
apple
is best for
their
needs
Molly Golden
and why New
York
apples
are the best choice, but also industry
members as to why our promotions
work and why they are the best value
for consumers and the industry alike.
The most important program I would
like to touch upon is couponing. These
coupon opportunities are opening new
doors for both New York apples and
apple cider. We have set up both digital
and kiosk couponing with retailers this
season and last, and do so because the
results are measurable and successful;
and the best part about these programs
is that the savings is passed on to the
consumer directly.
With five retailers spanning 12 states
and more than 1,000 stores, our focus
is to get as many New York apples
sold as possible. Retailers want these
programs because they know they
work, and they know the consumer
believes the retailer is the hero giving
them these savings. The discount is
not given to the retailer; it is directed
to the consumer.
Coupons draw in value seeking
customers. We pay upon redemption of
the coupon and every coupon redeemed
is a sale of New York apples. Some of
the coupon programs we set up can be
targeted directly to the consumer buying
habit according to their purchase history.
We can target the consumer who
has purchased our competitor’s apples
in the past and guide them to make
the right choice by offering a savings.
Coupons equal more apple purchases,
which equal more New York apples
sold. Couple the coupon with the
attractive variety specific point-ofsale, variety guides and usage cards
we provide and you have the
recipe for a happy
consumer!
y
l
l
Mo
Page 4
Core Report® October 2014
Labor
matters
News from Agricultural Affiliates
Let’s take a look at overtime
By Paul Baker
Ag Affiliates
I am certain every one of you wish
there could be a different topic for me
to bring before you today.
In my opinion this single topic,
which I feel will play out in the next
year, will have a tremendous impact on
defining agriculture in the future. I will
go even further to say it will perhaps
totally restructure the upstate New
York economy.
As much as this is a “bad” topic, I
feel the more you know about your
adversary, the better position you will
be in to deal with it.
Before 1938 there was no such term
or practice. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
is the man responsible for driving this
concept forward in the Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA). A second key
biproduct of the FLSA was, for the first
time, a creation of a minimum wage.
In 1938, the nation was deep in a
depression of enormous magnitude;
huge bread lines, millions of people out
of work and no prospects in sight. The
overtime component was put in place
to be a way to discourage employers
from the very common practice of
demanding their workers to put in 60
plus hours of work per week.
No man who had such a job dared
complain
or
he would find
himself and his
family in the
bread lines. The
idea was that this
would encourage
employers to hire
more employees
and avoid the
Baker
overtime pay.
It
was
not
intended as a way to reward employees
for extended hours on any given job
over 40 hours per week.
It is important to note that even then
there were limits as to who was covered
under the FLSA. It was only intended to
help those who had an annual income
of less than $25,000. In 1938 that
covered a wide range of people. Today
the Obama Administration is pushing
to raise this cap to $50,000.
The point is that the overtime
laws never covered all workers in
every profession. Agriculture has
traditionally always held a national
exemption on the federal level.
It is in the state legislatures where we
see the real teeth of overtime come into
play. States can have higher standards,
but never less than the federal. With
the Federal rules for overtime set at a
maximum allotted personal income per
year at $25,000,
it allows states
to enact tougher
rules.
So if there was
only a federal
overtime
law
to abide with
any employee who makes $11.38 an
hour or more would not be covered I
raise this because this may become
a key discussion chip in dealing with
our pending legislation. The AWAR is
today $11.22.
The primary state that has enacted
any overtime in agriculture is today
California. They have overtime after
60 hours. Other states have tried and
re-tracked from this. Hawaii also has
a very high agriculture overtime law
today as well. It is a key reason that
the Dole Pineapple Company closed its
operation there.
The New York Assembly annually
has passed a bill on to the Senate
asking for agriculture workers to be
covered similar to other workers in
other professions after 40 hours per
week. The movement has historically
stalled in the Senate.
Current primary elections hint that
INSIDE:
Study looks
at impact.
Page 12
See Affiliates, Page 12
Hort Report
News from the New York
State Horticultural Society
State Labor
department
set to survey
N.Y. farms
By Paul Baker
NYS Horticultural Society
On Sept. 17, Tom Maloney and I
traveled to Albany to sit down with
NYS DOL to review the content of
their 2014 Fruit Farm Survey.
We were able to make several
corrections to this original draft.
The survey will be used to address
concerns by the Federal DOL as to
fruit farm wages and practices on
farms in New York during the 2014
year.
It is up to you to fill this out and
return it; but be very accurate and
be certain you do not overstate your
wages. You should report all job
requirements that you ask for on this
document.
Overtime
NYS Horticultural Society and
Agriculture Affiliates are sitting in
See Hort, Page 15
October 2014
Core Report® Page 5
Congress has left town
but much work to be done
U.S. Apple Association
VIENNA, Va. -- With the mid-term
elections just weeks away, members of
Congress have cleared out of D.C. and
are home hitting the campaign trail.
For all of the focus on gridlock in
Washington, D.C., the past two years
actually brought significant legislative
victories for the apple industry. Most
notable was passage of a new Farm
Bill, which USApple and our partners
in the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance
helped to negotiate and push over the
finish line.
The legislation continues a number
of trade promotion programs including
the Market Access Program and
Technical Assistance for Specialty
Crops. Both are utilized by the U.S.
Apple Export Council and Washington
Apple Commission and have played
an important role in the significant
increase in U.S. apple sales overseas.
The legislation reinstates funding for
the Specialty Crop Research Initiative
and Clean Plant Network, both of which
had temporarily lost funding. The
SCRI has been critical in combating the
brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)
and in the process prevented millions
in losses to apple growers in the
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and beyond.
The SCRI offers promise in other key
areas as well, including mechanization
and pollinator management.
The Farm Bill also maintains, and
even increases, funding for marketing
programs including the Specialty Crop
Block Grant Program, Value Added
Grants, and federal nutrition programs
that promote fruits and vegetables
such as the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program. In total, the bill dedicates
approximately $4 billion (over 10 years)
in funding targeted to the apple industry
and other specialty crop producers.
Now that the legislation has passed,
USApple and our coalition partners
in the SCFBA are working with USDA
and key congressional offices to ensure
the specialty crop provisions are
implemented properly and programs
are accessible to the industry.
In
addition
to
Farm
Bill
implementation, there are a number
of trade issues impacting the apple
industry, and New York specifically,
which USApple is working on and
following closely.
In July, USDA
published a proposal on the importation
of fresh apples from China. The
publication of this Pest Risk Assessment
was the expected next step in what has
been a lengthy regulatory and technical
process, which began in 1998.
During this time, the importance
of exports for the U.S. industry has
dramatically increased and the middle
class in China has expanded making
it a key export market for the United
States. As a result, access to the
Chinese market for all varieties from
all growing regions, including New
York, is also a top priority.
Shortly after China made its initial
request, USApple and the Northwest
Horticultural Council formed the
TreeTAC scientific advisory committee
comprised of scientific experts from
the major apple producing regions
(including a scientist from Cornell). These scientists have been following
the issue at every step and provided
extensive input to USDA in the
development of the pest list (the
precursor to the PRA).
TreeTAC reviewed the July proposal
and submitted comments to USDA as
did USApple. The TreeTAC comments
were scientific and technical whereas
the comments submitted by USApple
focused on the economic impact.
USApple President & CEO Jim Bair
made it clear that “it is our members’
orchards, livelihoods and thousands
of jobs that will be jeopardized if the
pest risk assessment underlying the
proposed rule is in error and exotic
pests gain entry into the US from
imported Chinese apples.” Bair went on
to argue that we “want to make certain
that the current proposed rule is not A letter sent by the U.S. Apple Association to the Secretary of Agriculture regarding imfinalized until it is firmly established ports from Poland.
that all US apples will have meaningful
access into China.”
In August, Poland initiated the process
to apply for access to the U.S. market
for its fresh apples. The move is in
response to the Russian embargo which
is also impacting U.S. growers. As the
largest exporter of apples in the world,
the impact on Poland is significant and
they have launched a campaign with
the hashtag “freedom apples” to appeal
to the U.S. to expedite the request.
However, the U.S. has a stringent
regulatory process in place grounded
in science with clear steps that must be
taken by any country seeking access.
USApple recently wrote Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack on this issue,
stating the “situations like this should
in no way impact the regulatory
process administered by APHIS. The
United States has a vigorous regulatory
process based strictly on science and we
trust it will be adhered to in this case,
despite geopolitical concerns. We will
be monitoring this issue closely should
APHIS and the Polish government
seek to move forward with the petition
and will engage our team of scientific
advisors if the process warrants.”
So even with Congress out of town,
there is still much work to be done here
in D.C. We at USApple will continue to
follow these issues closely and advocate
for the entire U.S. apple industry.
And……… when Congress comes back
in January, we’ll continue our fight for
immigration and labor reform.
Core Report® is online at:
http://www.nyapplecountry.com/industry/core-report
Page 6
Core Report® October 2014
NYC targeted for homegrown apples
Recently, Metro Newspaper, NYC published three New
York Apple Association as ads promoting fresh homegrown apples at the more than 80 NYC Green Markets,
Identifying New York apple varieties, and mapping out
PYO destinations for customers wanting to pick apples. Metro Newspaper is printed daily and reaches
more than 350,000 New Yorkers. Two of the ads are
displayed here and on Page 7.
October 2014
Core Report® NYC targeted for homegrown apples
Page 7
Page 8
Core Report® October 2014
Williamson’s Lagoner Farms, others
want to produce hard cider
By Diana Louise Carter
(Rochester) Democrat & Chronicle
WILLIAMSON – While the apples
continue to pour in, it’s a bit of a
waiting game for Lagoner Farms to
join the latest craft beverage trend.
The century-old apple farm is
waiting for its federal approval to begin
producing hard cider. The popularity
of hard cider has been rising for some
time, but a New York state law that
went into effect in January has given
producers a boost by making it easier
to gain necessary state approval.
At least seven producers obtained
a state license since the law passed,
making a total of about 60 across the
state. More are certainly in the pipeline.
And those who passed the licensing
hurdles at the federal and state
levels — Apple Country Spirits, also
in Williamson, and Black Diamond
Farm in Trumansburg, Tompkins
County, for instance — are waiting for
additional approvals, such as an OK on
their bottle labels.
“It’s easier than it used to be in
New York State, but the feds haven’t
changed anything,” said Ian Merwin, a
retired professor at Cornell University
who specialized in the science of wine
grapes and tree fruits.
In some cases, Merwin said, the
wait at the federal level is longer now
because of the growing number of
applications. He and his wife raise
heritage apples on Black Diamond
Farm and applied for a cider license in
February. They’re pretty sure the final
OK will come in time to sell bottles of
cider at the Finger Lakes Cider Week
events starting Friday. If not, they’ll
just hand out free samples.
Everyday
experience
The Lagoners, meanwhile, are
thinking it will be several months
before they can start production.
With 175 acres planted in apples and
At left, co-owner Jake Lagoner packs apples at Lagoner Farms, which is working to make hard cider.
a year-round farm market, the “cider
thing makes a lot of sense for us,” said
Jake Lagoner, a fifth-generation owner.
Jake and his wife, Mitzi, along with his
parents, Mark and Diana Lagoner, and
Chris Gowans, own and operate the
farm. He’ll head up the cider-making
operation for the family business.
The Lagoners used to just grow
apples for the processing business, but
like other farmers who saw the market
become unstable in recent years, they
decided to diversify. In 2003 they
opened a farm market so they could
sell fresh apples. They expanded in
2008, adding bulk and all-natural
groceries such as baking supplies and
dried fruits and nuts.
“We wanted to make this an everyday
shopping experience,” Lagoner said.
They also took out some of their
acreage in apples and started growing
other kinds of fruit and vegetables
now sold in their market and at 13
different farmers markets in three
counties. They also provide produce
for the Good Food Collective CSA, and
three years ago started its own CSA a
or community supported agriculture
program where participants make
investments in return for fresh produce
throughout the growing season.
As distillers, wineries and breweries
started popping up on farms in the
area, the Lagoners decided to take
stock.
“We looked at what we have,”
said Mark Lagoner, rattling off an
established location, a good client
base, an existing structure with space
for processing, a tasting room and an
apple supply. Not to mention a younger
generation passionate about hard cider.
“It’s been something I’ve been
interested about for a few years,” Jake
Lagoner said. “It kind of rekindles my
excitement about growing apples.”
Adding to that excitement was a
federal grant the farm won of almost
$50,000 to help market this new valueadded farm product.
The mix
NYAA again teams with Marathon
New York Apple Association
FISHERS — The New York Apple
Association’s newly created point-ofsale card for metro New York retailers
in preparation for the the 2014 TCS
New York City Marathon.
The race takes place in New York
City on Nov. 2.
Cider makers in the region talk about
the interesting taste profiles created
in hard cider using a mix of different
types of apples rather than using juice
concentrate the way that some large
commercial producers do.
“We can control the process because
we grow the fruit right on our farm
here,” Jake Lagoner said.
When apples are picked to go into
cold storage for eating later in the
year, farmers pick them a little on the
green side because they’ll ripen more
in storage, he said.
But with cider, they may leave them
on the tree longer to allow the sugars
to develop.
Cider makers often use a mix of apples
that include old-fashioned apples that
have always been grown in the area,
and newer varieties from cider-making
Carlos Ortiz/Democrat & Chronicle
regions in Europe. These types of apples
may not be good for eating fresh — some
call them “quick-spitters” because their
taste causes people to spit out the first
bite — but they have great cider-making
qualities, said Merwin.
“It’s basically aromas, acids and
tannins. Aromas — a lot of old russet
apples have cinnamon-y aromas,” he
said.
Acids and tannins are good for flavor
and color, respectively. “If (you) have
a lot of acid, it gives a complex flavor
profile,” Merwin said. Sweet apples
make “pretty bland, insipid ciders.
They don’t pair well with food. They’re
boring.”
The need for cider apples adds
up to more opportunity for apple
growers, even if they don’t make cider
themselves.
Merwin says he is selling cider apple
varieties for $20 to $40 a bushel, which
is about three times or more the price
for McIntosh.
Similarly, sweet cider — the stuff
you drink with doughnuts — sells for
about $5 or $6 a gallon. There may
be more costs to making hard cider,
but on the retail market, Merwin said
it can command $10 to $15 for a 750
milliliter bottle.
Not far from Lagoner Farms,
DeFisher Fruit Farms operates a
distillery using apples. Operating as
Apple Country Spirits, David DeFisher
is making vodka and soon hopes to be
selling bottled hard cider.
“To me it only makes sense that we
should be offering hard cider as another
craft beverage,” DeFisher said. During
the Cider Week, Apple Country Spirits
will be offering eight kinds of cider
made by other producers who, like in
the wine industry, are cooperating in
marketing the region’s locally made
beverages.
“I think for the industry it’s great to
have more guys popping up who are
doing it. It’s going to expose the public
to hard cider,” DeFisher said. “For
Williamson and Wayne County, it’s
going to be awesome.”
October 2014
Core Report® Page 9
Crop continues to grab headlines
By Julia Stewart
[email protected]
New York media continue to show
strong interest in the 2014 state
apple
crop,
as your newcrop
apples
make
their
appearance at
farm
stands
and
grocery
stores.
As a result,
your
New
York
Apple
Association
spokespersons
Stewart
have been busy
conducting
print, radio and television interviews
with media outlets across the state, to
help increase demand for New York
apples.
We stick to the same basic list of
talking points with each interview:
Another great crop has arrived,
consumers can find more of their
favorite varieties, they need look no
further than right here in New York
state, visit our new website to learn
more and find a supplier near you.
By focusing on delivering the same
key messages in each interview, we are
sending a consistent, drumbeat call to
action to consumers. While our exact
wording for delivering those messages
may change a bit from interview to
interview, the takeaway is the same: buy
new-crop New York state and cider now.
A highlight of coverage last month
PR Theory
Email marketing dos and don’ts
By Julia Stewart
[email protected]
This is the eighth column in a series
designed to help you grow your New
York state apple business with public
relations. Read previous columns at
www.nyapplecountry.com/industry/
core-report.
Harvest time is the ideal time of
year to start – and cement – your
relationships with consumers, for
direct marketers and wholesalers
alike.
We have their attention and
excitement right now, so let’s make the
most of it for the long term. One way
to do that is by inviting them to sign
up to receive future e-mail updates
from your business.
The good news is that email
marketing can be done at no cost
beyond your time. Here’s how to put
a basic email-marketing program in
place to maximize the value that both
you and your email recipients get from
the relationship.
u Plan your content. Before you
do anything else, map out a plan for
what you want to talk about to your
subscribers.
u Be helpful: While your goal
is to grow your business, do so by
building a helpful relationship rather
than simply pushing sales pitches at
consumers. For example, by giving
consumers appealing ideas for how to
enjoy apples, you encourage them to
buy more apples from you.
u Be consistent: Identify a handful
of key messages that you want to
repeat and reinforce across your
emails – such as buy local, we are
family friendly, we have more of the
varieties you’re looking for.
u Be regular: Develop a schedule
of email topics several months in
advance. During the height of your
season, you’ll want to communicate
more frequently – but don’t be
completely silent during the offseason.
u Be brief and visual: Keep your
messages relatively short, and include
pictures.
u Choose an email marketing
service provider. Both MailChimp and
Mailigen offer free accounts for small-
scale e-mailers. We use MailChimp
to distribute NYAA press releases;
it is easy to learn and fairly robust,
with good analytic reports. Constant
Contact and Real Magnet are popular
paid services with reasonable rates.
u Design your look. Your emails
should resemble your business’ other
communications vehicles, including
your website and letterhead, so that
you convey a consistent image across
those vehicles.
u Build your list. Your email
“client” (tech-speak for “service
provider”) should allow you to
create a sign-up form to collect your
subscribers’ contact information. You
can then link to the sign-up form on
your website. Invite consumers to
sign up through every other consumer
communications channel you have –
the website, social media accounts,
postcard mailings, even that old print
newsletter if you have one.
was a creative piece from WNYC that
compared New York apples with that
other Apple (the just-released iPhone
6). The real fruit won the comparison
handily. NYAA President Jim Allen
helped to bring that concept to fruition.
View WNYC’s coverage at www.wnyc.
org/story/comparing-apples-apples-
new-york/.
And finally, have fun. You have a
great story to tell, and email is an easy,
convenient way to tell that story and
build customer loyalty.
See Headlines, Page 14
Page 10
‘Edible’
features
Variety
Guide
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
The fall edition of five different Edible
Magazine issues all contained the most
recent Apple Country® Variety Guide
as an insert, seen at right.
Two hundred thousand guides were
glued into the Manhattan, Brooklyn,
Long Island, Hudson Valley and New
Jersey editions of Edible.
The guide features descriptions
and usage tips for 20 of New York’s
favorite apple flavors, and provides
recipes, nutritional facts and handling
tips. Along with the apple information,
fresh apple cider is also featured with a
cider recipe.
The guide was inserted to the center
seam of the magazine adjacent to our
apple ad.
Because of its placement, the
magazine automatically opened to the
ad and the guide page.
Hitting
the consumer
from all angles
By John McAleavey
Back in July we covered the
markets of Metro New York/New
Jersey, Philadelphia and Baltimore/
Washington
D.C., to discuss
the early crop
varieties
and
plant the seed for
the crop season
ahead.
The population
of
this
marketplace is 36
million people. In
McAleavey
our discussions
with the retailers
we want to make sure we are driving
apple sales in their stores through any
and all opportunities.
To date, we have programs in
place with our customers for print
ads, demos, bins and customized
point-of-sale materials to be utilized
at store level. Ads with attractive
retails continue to run weekly in this
marketplace and demos will be kicking
off shortly.
Whether in the city stores of
Manhattan to the suburbs of Long
Island, Valley Forge, Pa., and Chevy
Chase, Md., you will see the New
See McAleavey, Page 16
Core Report® October 2014
October 2014
Core Report® Page 11
USDA revises N.Y. 2013 crop;
’14 crop picking light
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
As reported in last month’s Core
Report®, the USDA underreported the
size of the 2013 New York apple crop
and it turns out they were off by 9,285,
000 bushels.
Late this August, the USDA released
a corrected number of 33,571,000
bushels.
The new and more accurate number
now translates accurately that the 2014
crop is certainly down from last year,
by at least 11 percent, but some areas
are reporting volumes down by as
much as 20 percent from last year.
In August the state’s crop was
thought to be stronger than what is
now being harvested.
Eleven NYAA board members
participated via conference call on July
25 to discuss and to arrive at the fall
crop estimate.
At that time the general consensus
was that most all areas had a strong
crop, but the crop would be smaller
than 2013. It was a consensus that the
crop was about 10 percent off from
2013.
It now appears that estimate was off
the mark by another 10 percent.
The Mayer Brothers booth.
New York Apple Sales’ booth.
New England Produce Show takes on Newport
By Molly Golden
[email protected]
The New England Produce Council
held its 15th annual Expo in Newport,
R.I., on Sept. 11.
New York shippers attending
included New York Apple Sales,
Hudson River Fruit Distributors and
Mayer Brothers.
The New York Apple Association
booth was staffed by myself and retail
assistant, Cathy Jadus. This was a great
event to sit down with retail buyers
to discuss promotions, as well as to
network with other industry members.
Pat Ferrara of Hudson River Fruit Distributors.
The New York Apple Association booth.
Page 12
Core Report® October 2014
Economic impact of mandatory
overtime in New York agriculture
By Robert A. Smith
Farm Credit East
The New York State Legislature and
Gov. Andrew Cuomo are considering
legislation to require New York farm
employers to pay mandatory overtime
to farm employees.
This action would change a longstanding exclusion from mandatory
overtime. To date, little economic or
financial analysis has been prepared
on this proposal. The adoption of
mandatory overtime pay in New York
would clearly impact many farms’
financial viability and investment
decisions.
The reality is that at any point some
farms have financial challenges, so
additional costs would clearly spell
negative implications for them.
In addition, even farms that are
financially stronger could experience
significant financial impact that would
affect future decisions to expand or
modernize facilities.
Labor intensive
agriculture
New York farms, regardless of size,
are overwhelmingly family businesses
with relatively narrow margins and
limited ability to influence prices
for their products. Most farms have
considerable capital investments and
Affiliates
Continued from Page 4
after this November the New York
Senate also may be in the hands of
the Democratic Party. If so, then this
bill has a much stronger prospect of
being passed on to the governor for
his signature. Currently Gov. Andrew
Cuomo has expressed interest in having
discussions with agriculture to see if we
could find a mutually agreed formula
to put this topic to bed for good. In
reaching some level agriculture would
be asking for some series of relief.
There are many suggested topics
Be heard
may not be able to make significant
short-term production shifts.
Little argument can be made that
farms will simply pass through costs
since they do not pass through costs
for higher energy or feed bills and are
unlikely to be in a position to pass
through higher labor costs. New York
State has a diverse agricultural base.
In many respects, diversity in
production and marketing is beneficial
when farm prices are low in one sector
but other farm sectors are not impacted.
For example, farm milk prices have little
impact on apple or grape prices. Thus
agricultural diversity benefits long-term
industry stability at the state level.
New York has many part-time farm
operations that depend in part on
nonfarm income to support family
living situations. These part-time
operations are an important and
integral part of agriculture. Many
part-time farms and some smaller
full-time farm operations do not have
employees.
Most full-time farm operations
have some employees, even if they
are limited to seasonal employees.
Moreover, farms with employees
produce an overwhelming majority of
and I will not have time to list all here
now. If an agreement in theory could
be met between agriculture and the
Governor he is suggested he place this
in his budget. In short if you wished
to see the budget pass you would also
accept this agreement. This may be a
better position to negotiate other than
trying to find a mutually agreeable
level should the Senate swing to the
Democrats.
In short, the topic is very toxic and
very much alive. You need to reach out
to your respective legislators and offer
your perspective on this topic. We each
realize how competitive our business
economies are. State lines in business
for all intensive matters do not exist.
New York’s agricultural production.
New York
agriculture overview
u 7.2 million acres of land
u 35,537 total farms; 29 percent with
employees
u $5.4 billion in total farm sales
u $37 billion in economic impact
for agriculture and related processing/
inputs
u 156,066 jobs, including agriculture
and related processing/inputs
u 3 percent of New York’s GDP
(gross domestic product) (ag and
related processing)
u 1.7 percent of total New York
State employment (ag and related
processing)
u 10,345 farms employ 60,944
employees (full- and part-time).
u Total labor expense on farms is
$771,281,000 (hired and contracted
labor).
u Labor makes up 14.24 percent of
farm sales.
u Of all farm expenses, labor is
one of the most significant, making
up 17 percent of total expenses.
We are in competition with every
other farm across this nation and in
many if not all of our commodities
across the world. To place us in
even much more of an economic
disadvantage may be just the tipping
point many of you have feared coming.
It is for this reason I earlier suggested
that this very decision may have a grave
impact on the structure of agriculture
here in New York. If we are to have
overtime in agriculture it should be
clear to all who are invested in this
industry it has to be at very least only
on a federal level. Any state passage
can only be placing more pressure on
our economic survival.
The history of overtime in many
The University of Connecticut Zwick
Center for Food and Resource Policy,
with funding support from Farm
Credit East, is interested in finding
out your views on state and municipal
regulations that affect farming
activities and profitability.
This
survey
should
take
approximately 15 minutes of your
time, and your participation is very
important.
Your responses will be anonymous,
and your name or contact information
will not be shared.
The results of this survey will be
developed into a report which will be
shared with Northeast agricultural
leaders, and policy makers at the state
and local levels.
Your participation may impact the
regulatory environment for Northeast
agriculture by allowing for better policy
recommendations on regulations that
limit Northeast farm businesses.
To participate, please use the
following link to be taken to the survey
site administered by UConn:
http://www.zwickcenter.uconn.edu/
survey.php
uuu
Robert A. Smith is the senior vice
president for public affairs and
knowledge exchange at Farm Credit
East.
cases limits many employees from
making the money they desire for
their families. This, along with the
Obamacare, further limits a person’s
ability to make a stand alone wage.
Passage of a 40-hour overtime bill
will only remove business, thus remove
jobs. It will not in too many instances
enhance the economic value of our
workforce. Agriculture wages are rising
due to the market place. I would argue
they are rising faster than most entry
level jobs.
The question at the end of the day
then is will this really help? Yes, we
each can take a long hard internal look
at our wage packages and compensate
those who have earned it. I do not feel
the time is right or called for to
mandate such a change from the
national norm.
It only offers one more reason
why it is very hard to do business
in state of New York.
E-mailing
Congress
To find your
Congressperson’s
Web site, visit:
www.house.gov or
www.senate.gov.
October 2014
Core Report® Page 13
Concentrate imports down
Quinn brings message to life in videos
New York Apple Association
A 22 percent decline in AJC from China is pretty dramatic. Consumers are paying
more attention to where their food is sourced and this number shows that. There is
more and more pressure on manufacturers to source ingredients from the United
States. Some retailers have even posted signs indicating their apple juice is U.S.sourced only. I even admit to being the mom standing in the club store in front of a
pallet of juice boxes searching for the package that isn’t stamped with the SOURCE:
CHINA stamp. — Molly Golden
Calendar
OCTOBER 17-10, 2014
PMA Fresh Summit Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, Calif.
DECEMBER 8-9, 2014
NYAA Board of Directors Meeting
Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel
Syracuse
NOVEMBER 2, 2014
TCS NYC Marathon, New York City
DECEMBER 9-11, 2014
NY Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting
Rochester
DECEMBER 2-4, 2014
New York Produce Show & Conference
New York City
Linda Quinn, MS, RDN Nutritional
Spokesperson for New York Apple
Association has been busy this past
summer and is continuing to promote
healthy eating and New York apples
with numerous television news
appearances at stations across the state.
This past August, Linda spent many
days shooting educational videos
focusing on the different uses and
health benefits of apples. The video
titles are Nutritional Benefits Of Apples
For Athletes, Juicing Apples, How To
Make Applesauce, Ways To Use Apples
and Apple Dip Recipes. They will be
appearing very soon on our website
and YouTube channel.
Page 14
Core Report® October 2014
Feeding America looks for hike
in federal tax incentive for donations
Feeding America
The United States Department of
Agriculture reported in September that
14 percent of American households
remain food insecure – meaning 1 in
7 households in the United States had
difficulty at some time during the year
in providing enough food for all their
members.
The report reinforces the significant
challenges millions of American
families continue to face in the wake
of the recession. Household food
insecurity increased by approximately
35 percent between 2007 and 2008
and has remained stubbornly high
since then.
“These numbers reinforce the
importance of strengthening both
federal anti-hunger programs and
charitable food assistance. Economic
recovery remains elusive for many lowincome families. It’s unacceptable that
so many of our neighbors, friends and
families don’t have enough food for
themselves or their families,” Feeding
America CEO Bob Aiken said. “It’s
because of numbers like these that we
need to maintain and pass common
sense legislation that helps keep our
communities strong.”
Strengthening federal tax incentives
for businesses who donate food to food
banks and other qualified non-profits
would help farmers, small businesses and
food banks, as well as the environment.
With about 70 billion pounds of food
wasted each year, including 6 billion
pounds of produce, tax policy can help
secure additional donations at a time
when food banks are stretched meeting
sustained high demand.
Headlines
These apples at Allman Fruit Fram in Williamson were being collected for distribution at the Foodlink food bank in Rochester.
Congress will also have the
opportunity
to
strengthen
vital
programs providing meals to children in
need both in and outside of school, as it
begins work on the 2015 Child Nutrition
Reauthorization Act next year.
“Our nation’s food banks are
already stretched thin and we know
that we all have a role to play in
solving hunger. We urge Congress to
maintain Washington’s long-standing,
bipartisan commitment to protecting
programs that help struggling families
put food on their tables. We encourage
every Member of Congress to visit their
local food bank and learn how food
insecurity impacts their communities.”
Feeding America is a nationwide
network of 200 food banks that leads
the fight against hunger in the United
States. Together, we provide food to
more than 46 million people through
food pantries and meal programs in
communities throughout America.
Feeding America also supports
programs that improve food security
among the people we serve; educates
the public about the problem of hunger;
and advocates for legislation that
protects people from going hungry.
Individuals, charities, businesses and
government all have a role in ending
hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate.
Educate. Together we can solve hunger.
Visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/.
Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.
com/FeedingAmerica or follow us
on Twitter at www.twitter.com/
FeedingAmerica.
NYAA website adds Green Market locator
Continued from Page 9
Other consumer media coverage last
month included:
u The Joe Gallagher Show, WGY
Radio in the capital region
u Gannett’s LoHud.com, covering
the lower Hudson Valley
u The Hudson Valley’s Times Herald
Record – which wrote not one but two
articles!
u North Country Public Radio
We expect consumer media interest
to continue through remainder of the
harvest season – and we’ll be doing our
part to ensure that, including talking
up apple cider and holiday apple uses
E-mailing
Congress
To find your
Congressperson’s
Web site, visit:
www.house.gov or
www.senate.gov.
New York apples are featured at virtually all 54 Green Market locations in NYC and we have updated our website to direct consumers to those apples. New York apples, fresh New York cider and New York juice products continue to be the most popular items
sold at the markets. We are proud of New York apple growers and are happy to direct consumers to the freshest, most delicious
apples around.
October 2014
Core Report® Page 15
Congratulations
Industry sees retirements
of DeMarree, Hoying, Reissig
Alison M. DeMarree
Cornell University
Alison M. De Marree retired after 32
years of working with the fruit industry
and Cornell and other university
faculty.
De Marree
especially
wanted
to
“thank all of
the
growers
who
have
shared
their
experiences
and
helped
me
grow
and
better
understand the
fruit industry.
De Marree
It has been
a
pleasure
to work with some of the finest fruit
growers in the world!”
She earned her M.P.S. in Education
at Cornell University developing a
publication “Fixed and Variable Costs:
a student workbook and teacher
guide.” She started her career with
Cornell Cooperative Extension on the
Lake Ontario Fruit Program in 1982
after working on campus for a year and
a half in the Department of Education.
She previously taught vocational
agriculture in Chaska, Minnesota and
at the Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES in
Flint, NY.
De Marree is most known for her
Net Present Value Excel workbook
used to analyze various apple planting
systems.
She has been gathering
data for and summarizing the Fruit
Farm Business Summary for decades
to help growers compare costs to an
average benchmark. She particularly
appreciates the growers committed
to participating in the Lake Ontario
Fruit Farm Business Summary. The
willingness of progressive growers to
share business financial information
has been beneficial to the entire fruit
industry, helping extension to develop
decision-making models based on
industry economics.
Her experience on the farm and
her position on the team facilitated
her ability to help growers meet
labor regulations and recordkeeping
requirements and retain a reliable
workforce. She has collaborated
with Dr. Terence Robinson first
in analyzing and comparing plant
system profitability and more recently
in analyzing the increases in labor
efficiency through mechanization.
The emphasis in increasing labor
efficiency through mechanization
began in 2007 when De Marree
and John Hanchar (NWNY Dairy,
Livestock, and Field Crops Program/
PRO-DAIRY Team) received a Risk
Management grant to explore with
growers methods of reducing labor
risk. She has been professionally and
personally involved in evaluating new
apple varieties and understanding the
risks and rewards of both open release
and managed varieties.
De Marree has given many
presentations to the fruit industry
in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Michigan, Ontario, Canada and at
International Fruit Tree Association
meetings in Washington state. She
was presented the 2010 Outstanding
Extension Agent by the International
Fruit Tree Association at the 2010
International Fruit Tree Association
Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI.
Between now and the end of this
year, she will be working on a very
limited basis to finish up existing grant
projects and the 2013 Farm Business
Summary, write articles for newsletters
and assist growers with labor and
economic questions. Please leave voice
messages at (315)-573-8881 or e-mails
at; [email protected].
Stephen Hoying
Good Fruit Grower
The Cornell University team that built
the tall spindle apple orchard system
lost two members in July, as Stephen
H o y i n g
and
Alison
DeMarree
retired.
J o i n i n g
Cornell
in
1982, as an
extension
educator in the
Lake Ontario
Fruit Program
s e r v i n g
growers
in
Hoying
western New
York, Hoying
became a key leader in the development
of the tall spindle system, which was
developed under the leadership of
Dr. Terence Robinson, who came to
Cornell in 1984 Hoying was the cultural
practices leader on the team.
“I was kind of the field guy,” Hoying
said. “I collected data and arranged
locations for field research. I found
growers willing to cooperate with us
and take care of the trees. Growers
made large plantings, two to three acres
each, so we had real-world conditions.
“It was perfect for me,” Hoying
said. “I could do extension work and
do applied research as well.” he tall
spindle system won converts fairly
quickly, as the best growers who tested
the system were eager to increase
plantings, and other growers were
convinced of the system’s value. Tall
spindle is now being widely adopted
across apple-growing country and is
being adapted for pears and cherries.
Besides working with Robinson on
tall spindle systems and rootstocks,
Hoying worked with Dr. Alan Lakso
on growth regulators and with Dr.
Bob Andersen on stone fruit culture.
Both have since retired. Hoying was
a leader for programs in cultural
practices that included fruit variety
selection and testing, rootstocks,
irrigation, fertilization, ground cover
management,
crop
management,
growth regulator usage, thinning, vigor
control, and others.
“I also served as local resident expert
for programs and information outside
my subject matter with responsibilities
including
pest
management,
production economics, labor, harvest
maturity, and postharvest storage and
handling,” he said. “That’s the nature
of extension—knowing a little about a
lot of things.”
Over the years, Hoying became well
known to growers in other states,
too, speaking frequently at winter
horticulture meetings in Pennsylvania,
Michigan, California, Washington,
and other states, and at International
Fruit Tree Association conferences.
He spoke on topics as varied as tree
planting, trellis construction, renewal
pruning, and crop load management.
In 2006, as part of a reorganization
of Cornell’s staffing, Hoying moved
to Highland, in eastern New York,
the heart of another fruit production
region in the Hudson River Valley.
There he worked with plant pathologist
Dr. Dave Rosenberger and entomology
extension specialist Peter Jentsch.
Rosenberger retired last year, and
Jentsch took over as superintendent of
the lab.
The Hudson Valley Lab, which
Cornell has considered for closure,
has been rejuvenated with an influx
of grower support—a minimum of
$100,000 a year for at least three years.
A new extension fruit specialist, Dan
Donahue, has replaced Mike Fargione,
who resigned last year.
Hoying came to Cornell from the
University of California at Berkeley,
where he was a research associate in
entomology for Helmut Riedl’s tree
fruit insect program.
Raised on a field crop farm in
Ohio, Hoying received his bachelor’s
in zoology and master’s degree in
entomology from Michigan State
University and did graduate studies at
University of California, Davis, but left
before finishing a doctorate.
Harvey Reissig
By Arthur Agnello
at
After 42 years as a fruit entomologist
Cornell’s
NYS
Agricultural
Hort
Continued from Page 4
on all metings to discuss the possible
draft agreement that is being asked for
by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This group
is made up of all areas of agriculture.
New York Farm Bureau is a member of
this working group, but the final draft
will be a consensus of all areas from
dairy, vegetable and fruit. We will
keep everyone advised when we reach
a workable document.
NYS Fruit Farm
Survey
Employment Practices on New York
Fruit Farms 2013 should be ready for
publication in late November or early
December of this year. This is the survey
conducted by the NYS Horticultural
Society based on practices in the year
2013.
It is by far the most complete and
accurate document that defines the
practices on fruit farms in New York.
Experiment Station in Geneva, Harvey
Reissig officially retired on March 31 of
this year.
Colleagues who work on tree fruit
insects came to regard Harvey as one of
the gurus of the field, someone who not
only had a broad familiarity with all of
the complex arthropod interactions
taking place in the orchard, but who
somehow managed to keep a handle on
the practical aspects of what the insects
were doing out there.
There are a thousand stories about
what we can and can’t see going on
in the apple trees, and Reissig always
was willing to take the time to patiently
explain the little-known facts behind
why a specific kind of damage was
caused by a particular insect, or what
happened to the insect after it got
there, or even how it felt after it took a
bite out of the fruit.
His research covered some of the most
pressing and innovative issues in fruit
entomology over the years, including
the emergence of obliquebanded
leafroller as an economic pest,
advances in management of apple
maggot, challenges of resistant mite
populations, and the implementation
of modern sampling and monitoring
methods in tree fruit, as well as
evaluation of the newest pest control
products available from industry.
During his tenure at Cornell, Reissig
mentored and collaborated with a long
line of colleagues, students, visiting
scientists, fruit industry leaders and
insiders and the general public.
It’s a true challenge to appreciate the
impact he has had on the education and
careers of so many who were a part of
his story over this time, but it’s certain
that his contributions will continue
to be acknowledged and appreciated
by the current and subsequent
generations of researchers, extension
agents, consultants and growers in
the fruit industry of New York and
beyond.
This will be of tremendous usage as we
deal with both the State and Federal
DOLs to make our case as to our human
resource needs.
Cornell has compiled the data and
will be publishing this very soon.
We were aided by Allison DeMarree,
Shuay-Tsyr Ho, Thomas Maloney,
Bradley Rickart and myself in editing
this work.
NYS Horticultural
Society Board open
We are currently seeking to fill two
vacancies from the Hudson Valley to
serve on our board of directors. If you
have any interest in serving on this
board, please contact me and I will
submit your name for consideration.
The NYSHS is very active, yet only
requires three to four days of your time
each year.
US Apple Association is online
at www.usapple.org
Page 16
Core Report® September 2014
Export Report
Europeans have little appetite
for United States apples
The Fresno (Calif.) Bee
growers now want U.S. negotiators to
insist on greater access to European
markets to make sure Europeans
don’t gain an upper hand. “We’re very
concerned that the U.S. is going to open
up and liberalize more for European
products and we will not beable to
export into the EU,” Powers said.
Some environmental groups want
the United States to follow Europe’s
lead, with DPA now used on roughly
80 percent of all U.S. apples.
While the federal government says
the chemical is of low toxicity and not
likely to cause cancer, critics say that
more testing should be done.
“This is a provocative move by the
European government,” said Sonja
Lunder, senior scientist with the
Environmental Working Group, a
health and environmental research
group.
She said it would be a mistake for
trade negotiators to push for “the
lowest common denominator.” She
predicted that it would be tough for
the EU to agree to any demands of U.S.
apple growers anyway. “I don’t get how
you sell that to your people,” she said.
Under the new European limit, no
apples can be imported if they contain
more than .01 part per million of
DPA. Lunder said U.S. apples have a
concentration that’s roughly four times
higher, at .42 parts per million.
The EU did not find evidence that
DPA had caused harm. But it acted after
concluding that there was insufficient
data from pesticide producers to show
that DPA applied to fruit would not
break down into nitrosamines, a family
of carcinogens.
In April, the Washington State
Department of Agriculture said the
new rule would close the European
market for all conventionally grown
U.S. apples. State officials say it could
result in lost sales of up to $25 million
per year.
“In my opinion, I have no doubt about
their safety,” said Washington state
Agricultural Director Donald Hover.
“For us, we’re the No. 1 producer of
apples in the United States and we
produce close to 60 percent of all the
apples that are grown in the United
States. So any kind of restrictions in the
European market or any other market
are going to have an effect on us.”
Wendy
Brannen,
director
of
consumer health and public relations
for the Virginia-based U.S. Apple
Association, said that U.S. apple
growers abide by “rigorous and
reliable” regulations set by the
Environmental Protection Agency. She
said DPA helps both reduce storage
scald and prevent rotting. “Our priority
is to assure consumers that U.S.-grown
apples are safe and that DPA is used
sparingly and safely,” Brannen said.
In a letter to the agency in April,
Environmental
Working
Group
president Ken Cook said that DPA
should be banned in the U.S. pending
the results of a new comprehensive
investigation. In the past, he said,
researchers have discovered that
pesticides once thought to be safe were
found to be toxic, citing arsenic as an
example.
“The American public deserves the
same level of protection as Europeans
from pesticide risks,” Cook wrote in his
letter.
The group said it was not satisfied
with the EPA’s most recent assurances
that DPA is safe, saying a more thorough
analysis is still warranted. Among other
things, the group wants the EPA to
insist that DPA manufacturers collect
and disclose data showing whether
toxic chemicals can form when raw
fruits coated with DPA are stored for
long periods or processed into juices
and sauces.
McAleavey
states) to have representatives walk
the floor to see, touch and taste our
products, and to familiarize themselves
with and order POS material.
We had a supply of New York
McIntosh and Gala apples in our bins;
bins are a great way to impulsively
attract consumers to buy our apples.
Some stores have tote bags packed in
our bins, which drives home the buy
local/farm fresh feeling like you just
picked them yourself.
A new avenue for us to reach the
consumer is through a retailer’s digital
commerce programs. We are excited to
be a part of a “Digital At Home” program
with a $1.00 off coupon for a 3 lb. bag
of New York apples. We are one of only
three produce companies working with
this retailer on these programs so far.
In addition to the offer, NYAA will be
featured on their website with content
that includes an article about our crop
season ahead and our Variety Guide.
This is just the beginning of this
marketing outlet for us. As more
retailers get up and running with these
types of programs, we will get on board
with them.
Good Selling!
In Washington state, growers
boast that their apples are the best in
the world. But that view is far from
unanimous: Fearing possible ill health
effects from the chemical, Europeans
want nothing to do with them.
It’s another example of the wide gulf
separating the United States and the
European Union when it comes to food
safety.
While the U.S. government says that
DPA is safe, the European Commission
in 2012 banned its use on apples and
other fruit grown in the 28 EU nations.
In March, the commission put into
effect strict new DPA residue limits on
imported apples, effectively blocking
anything from the United States
besides organic apples.
Convinced that their product has
been unfairly maligned, U.S. growers
now want to gain more access to the
vast European market as part of the
Obama administration’s ongoing trade
talks with the EU, set for a seventh
round on Sept. 29. It won’t be easy,
with apples stirring just one of many
food fights between the two economic
giants.
Responding to the European
objections, the U.S. government in
June sent a letter that said there’s no
need for consumers to worry. Treating
apples with DPA “is safe and does not
present a health risk of concern for the
U.S. food supply,” Jack Housenger,
who heads the office of pesticide
programs for the Environmental
Protection Agency, said in the letter to
the European Food Safety Authority.
Backers of DPA say the chemical
has been targeted for criticism for
unscientific reasons.
Mark Powers, executive vice president
of the Northwest Horticultural Council
in Yakima, Wash., said DPA is both
safe and “good to use.” He said apple
Continued from Page 10
York apple POS cards and bins in full
display. We’ve had a lot of interest in
the A-Z Apple Variety Guide as well.
In fact, New York Apple Association
produced a poster-sized version of this
piece to be placed in the backroom of
our largest accounts. They have also
forwarded this piece to all of their
nutritionists, chain-wide.
To support the efforts of our
customers, we participated in two food
shows this quarter. One of the shows
was a two-day event for suppliers to
showcase their products and services.
The purpose of the show was for the
retailers’ 360 stores (covering six
Core Report® is
online at:
http://www.nyapplecountry.
com/industry/core-report
The Obama administration is getting
pressure from members of Congress to
side with U.S. apple growers, too.
Nine senators, led by Democrat
Maria Cantwell of Washington state
and Republican Mike Crapo of Idaho,
wrote a letter in November to U.S.
Trade Representative Mike Froman,
complaining that apple and pear
exports to Europe already had declined
by 73 percent over the past five years.
The letter said that EU food rules on
pesticides and additives often “diverge”
from the U.S. science-based approach
and urged the Obama team to make it
easier to sell U.S. agriculture products
in Europe.
In the meantime, apple growers face
a long wait in knowing whether the
trade rules will change.
When
Obama
announced
in
February 2013 his plan to expand trade
with Europe, administration officials
said they hoped to wrap up talks on
the proposed Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership, or TTIP, by
the end of 2014.
While the next round of talks were
set for Sept. 29-Oct. 3 in Washington,
D.C., EU Trade Commissioner Karel
De Gucht told reporters last week
that political changes in the European
Union and the November elections
in the United States have put any big
decisions on hold.