It was cheers for beers this week, at news from Albany that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo would be investing $350,000 for research into hops and malting barley, key beer-brewing ingredients, to help Cornell specialists understand the varieties and differences that work best for New York agriculture.
“New York is home to world-class wineries and craft breweries, and by launching these initiatives we are looking to further grow the industry, as well as increase the production of locally made products,” Governor Cuomo said. “When New York brewers buy from New York growers and producers, jobs are created, our economy grows stronger and everyone wins.”
A portion of the hops and malting barley funding will go toward research being conducted on a hops plot at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, where Cornell researchers are evaluating approximately 30 varieties of hops and experimenting with pest management techniques.
“Hop production in New York is quite different from the Pacific Northwest, where most hops are currently grown,” said Cornell Cooperative Extension hops specialist Steve Miller. “Information from the work at Geneva will assist growers in choosing varieties and pest management strategies suitable for New York conditions.”
Specialists from Cornell will also experiment with malting barley on variety testing, integrated disease management, certified seed production, and weed management. A recent article in Mashable highlighted some of the work plant breeder Mark Sorrells has started to test available varieties, most of which have been bred in western parts of North America and Europe.
“There’s great excitement about the potential for this malting barley crop right now,“ said plant pathology and plant-microbe biology professor Gary C. Bergstrom. "We’re excited to work with growers and industry to do everything we can to make sure this industry succeeds.”
There are approximately 225 acres of hops planted in New York State, of which 150 acres will be harvested this year—amounting to over 100,000 pounds of hops. Craft breweries have experienced unprecedented growth over the past three years, with the number of microbreweries rising from 40 in 2011 to 100 today—an increase of 150 percent. In addition, as a result of Governor Cuomo’s 2012 Farm Brewery law, 48 new Farm Breweries have opened up across the state.
"I am excited to see this significant investment in a renewed and growing agricultural industry in our state,” said Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS, “ We are pleased to be partners with the Governor’s Office and the legislature on this initiative, and we look forward to bringing our research and extension resources to bear. We are confident that continuing innovation and expansion lie ahead.”
