SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The NY Hard Cider Industry continues to grow due to strong consumer demand. There are many hard cider start-ups and many more folks considering giving it a go.

During the Hard Cider session at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo on Thursday, January 19, Micah Martin from Cornell University will discuss his research on using NY desert varieties to make an excellent hard cider. Greg Peck, also from Cornell, will be sharing his knowledge of cider apples and giving an introduction to tannins, an important component to make traditional tasting ciders. For those attendees considering growing their own cider apples or growing for the cider industry, Alan Cummins from Cummins Nursery will discuss the growth aspects (both good and bad) of the more popular hard cider varieties. Following these talks there will be a tasting of NY’s best hard ciders.

This Expo session was organized by Matt Wells, CCE Lake Ontario Fruit Team.

Hard Cider
Thursday, January 19, 2017
1:45 pm – 4:30 pm

The 2017 Empire State Producers Expo is January 17-19 at the OnCenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY. This annual show combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York and neighboring producers. Attendees can expect presentations by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.

Educational sessions offered at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo include commodity specific programs in berries, cabbage, processing vegetables, hops, grains, cut flowers, tree fruit, sweet corn, tomato, onion, potato, Cole crops, root crops and specialty crops; and focused programs in water management and irrigation, weed management, wildlife management, soil health, post-harvest handling, biopesticides, beginning farmer, marketing using social media and apps, transplant and greenhouse production, climate and forecast models, GAPS, labor, and hard cider production. DEC pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be offered during the appropriate educational sessions.

For more information about the Expo and to register, visit the NYS Vegetable Growers Association website at nysvga.org/expo.

–Cornell Cooperative Extension

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