By Terence Bradshaw

Cultivation of specific cider apple cultivars, including European bittersweets, heirloom North American cultivars, and other dual-purpose fruit is a small but growing component of the New England apple industry. I am collaborating with faculty from UMASS and University of Maine to conduct a short-medium term research and education project supporting increased or improved production of specialty cider apple cultivars on New England farms. We will submit a grant shortly, well before the end of the harvest season, and wish for grower input to rank specific research goals that we’ll address in the project.

The survey is quite short, as is out turnaround time- we would appreciate all responses to be submitted by Friday, September 7.”

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFD6LQ7

Thank you,

Terry Bradshaw

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

By Terence Bradshaw

Commercial Cider Making Workshop

Presented by UVM Extension & Center for an Agricultural Economy

Getting serious about cider marking? Come learn quality control best practices and latest equipment recommendations for handling, storing, and processing of apples after harvest. Learn how food-safe practices can ensure quality control. Discuss potential value-added products with food safety experts, including the safety of shelf-stable acidic and acidified foods, cider pasteurization, UV cider processing, and the laws around hard cider production. This workshop is intended for people interested in pursuing commercial value-added apple products (cider, jams, vinegars, etc.). Participants should come with questions about specific products, designs and processes that they are considering. This event is free but registration is required. Signs for Parking will be posted. Lunch will be provided. REGISTER HERE

Date and Time

Fri, August 24, 2018

11:30 AM – 3:30 PM EDT

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Location

Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard

120 Route 215

Walden, VT 05873

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Daniel Keeney

Center for an Agricultural Economy

140 Junction Rd. Hardwick, VT 05843
(802) 472-5362

www.hardwickagriculture.org

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

By Terence Bradshaw

https://www.regonline.com/cidermakergrowermeeting

Registration for the June 28, 2016 cider makers’ and apple growers’ educational meeting at Woodchuck Cidery in Middlebury, VT is now open. Topics will include: updates on apple production and cider apple economics projects (Terence Bradshaw and Florence Becot); cider marketing (Farrell Distributing Cider Education & Training Manager Jeff Baker); and evaluation of ciders for quality improvement and cultivar selection (Cornell Cooperative Extension Enologist Chris Gerling). There is a $10 fee to cover lunch. The meeting will be held from 10:00-3:30.

Feel free to forward to appropriate parties.

Tentative Agenda:

Cider Apple Production in Vermont: Field Research and Cider Quality

The Woodchuck Cidery

1321 Exchange Street

Middlebury, VT 05753

June 28, 2016

Agenda

10:00 Apple Cultivar Evaluations for Cider Making

Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit & Viticulture Specialist

10:45 Growing Apples for the Cider Industry: Does the Math Add Up?

Florence Becot, UVM Center for Rural Studies

11:15 Roundtable Discussion:
Product, Price, and Promotion: Perspectives on Cider Marketing

Jeff Baker, Farrell Distributing Cider Education & Training Manager (moderator)

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Risk Management

Jake Jacobs, UVM Extension

1:15 Developing Evaluation Programs to Improve Cider Making

Chris Gerling, Cornell University-NYSAES Enology Extension Associate

2:00 Coordinated Evaluation of Ciders

Moderated by Chris Gerling

3:30 Closing Comments and Adjourn

By Terence Bradshaw

https://www.regonline.com/cidermakergrowermeeting

Registration for the June 28, 2016 cider makers’ and apple growers’ educational meeting at Woodchuck Cidery in Middlebury, VT is now open. Topics will include: updates on apple production and cider apple economics projects (Terence Bradshaw and Florence Becot); cider marketing (Farrell Distributing Cider Education & Training Manager Jeff Baker); and evaluation of ciders for quality improvement and cultivar selection (Cornell Cooperative Extension Enologist Chris Gerling). There is a $10 fee to cover lunch. The meeting will be held from 10:00-3:30.

Feel free to forward to appropriate parties.

Tentative Agenda:

Cider Apple Production in Vermont:

Field Research and Cider Quality

The Woodchuck Cidery

1321 Exchange Street

Middlebury, VT 05753

June 28, 2016

Agenda

10:00 Apple Cultivar Evaluations for Cider Making

Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit & Viticulture Specialist

10:45 Growing Apples for the Cider Industry: Does the Math Add Up?

Florence Becot, UVM Center for Rural Studies

11:15 Roundtable Discussion:
Product, Price, and Promotion: Perspectives on Cider Marketing

Jeff Baker, Farrell Distributing Cider Education & Training Manager (moderator)

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Risk Management

Jake Jacobs, UVM Extension

1:15 Developing Evaluation Programs to Improve Cider Making

Chris Gerling, Cornell University-NYSAES Enology Extension Associate

2:00 Coordinated Evaluation of Ciders

Moderated by Chris Gerling

3:30 Closing Comments and Adjourn

We are collecting acreage and production information on apple cultivars grown specifically for hard cider production in Vermont and surrounding areas in order to best assess capacity for meeting cidery needs and to guide further research. All information is anonymous when entered through the web template at:

http://go.uvm.edu/cidersurvey

Your participation will greatly assist in our research efforts, and should only take a few minutes. Information collected includes cultivars, acreage, planting system, management, crop yield, and price received.

We are interested in both large and small plantings.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Terence Bradshaw, Ph.D.

Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist

University of Vermont Plant and Soil Science

MAIL ADDRESS:

210 Jeffords Hall

63 Carrigan Drive

Burlington, VT 05405

Information for commercial orchard and vineyard managers in Vermont and beyond:

http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit

http://blog.uvm.edu/fruit/

Director

UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center

Catamount Educational Farm

65 Green Mountain Drive

South Burlington, VT

(No Mail Service)

http://www.uvm.edu/~hortfarm

(802)656-0972 (office)

(802)922-2591 (cell)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

We are collecting acreage and production information on apple cultivars grown specifically for hard cider production in Vermont and surrounding areas in order to best assess capacity for meeting cidery needs and to guide further research. All information is anonymous when entered through the web template at:

http://go.uvm.edu/cidersurvey

Your participation will greatly assist in our research efforts, and should only take a few minutes. Information collected includes cultivars, acreage, planting system, management, crop yield, and price received.

We are interested in both large and small plantings.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Terence Bradshaw, Ph.D.

Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist

University of Vermont Plant and Soil Science

MAIL ADDRESS:

210 Jeffords Hall

63 Carrigan Drive

Burlington, VT 05405

Information for commercial orchard and vineyard managers in Vermont and beyond:

http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit

http://blog.uvm.edu/fruit/

Director

UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center

Catamount Educational Farm

65 Green Mountain Drive

South Burlington, VT

(No Mail Service)

http://www.uvm.edu/~hortfarm

(802)656-0972 (office)

(802)922-2591 (cell)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

The UVM Apple Program in conjunction with UVM Extension Risk Management Agency will be hosting an educational meeting to discuss opportunities in expanding apple production to meet the needs of the growing (hard) cider market in the region. The meeting will be held at the Woodchuck Cider Tasting Room, 1321 Exchange Street, Middlebury, VT, from 9:00-3:15.

Attendance is free but preregistration is required. To preregister, please reply to this email with your company affiliation and the number of attendees you will be sending. Attendance will be capped at 35 participants. The intended audience is apple growers with interest in growing fruit for the cider industry, as well as commercial Vermont cideries.

There will be an evaluation tasting of the ciders produced in the VT Working Lands Enterprise Fund Project: Apple Market Optimization and Expansion through Value-Added Hard Cider Production. The intent of this tasting is to present potential cidermaking qualities of apples presently grown in Vermont and to consider commercial ciders that may be produced from them.

150330AgendaUVMCiderAppleMeeting.pdf

UVM Food Systems Faculty awarded USDA Federal State Market Improvement Program grant to study apple production systems to support hard cider industry.

Hard cider is big business in Vermont and across the U.S., with average annual growth of over 50% nationwide for the past five years. However, little research has been conducted in the U.S. on costs of production for apples grown for hard cider production, opportunities to reduce inputs and change management practices in cider apple orchards, or economic impact of cider apple production systems. University of Vermont faculty Terence Bradshaw, Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist, and David Conner, Agricultural Economist, were awarded a multi-year, $75,000 USDA grant (“Orchard Economic Assessment to Support Vermont Hard Cider Production”) to conduct that research through collaborations with commercial apple growers and cideries in Vermont. Supporting partners providing matching funds include Vermont Hard Cider Company and Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association. Specific objectives of the project include: an evaluation of production costs to grow apples specifically for processing into hard cider; quantification of per-acre yield and fruit quality of cider-grown fruit in diverse orchard systems; identification of orchard management practices that may be modified to enhance profitability of cider apple production systems, and; calculation of economic impact on the cidery industry using different scenarios based on the results of the above objectives. The project builds on work presently being conducted by the investigators through a complementary project, “Apple Market Optimization and Expansion through Value-Added Hard Cider Production”, funded by the Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. More information on the recent USDA awards can be found here and a list of FSMIP project awards is available here.