New York Growers Get New Apples
These two varieties, currently known as NY 1 and NY 2, have been developed by the Cornell Apple Breeding program led by Susan Brown. Both apples have excellent appearance, flavor and crispness that consumers will demand.
NYAG has surveyed all New York growers regarding their interest in joining NYAG. There have been positive responses from 170 growers, including 70 grower-direct marketers. These growers expressed a desire to plant about 1,000 acres of the NY 1 and NY 2 cultivars. Currently, only New York growers are eligible to join NYAG and to plant, grow and market the licensed varieties.
NYAG will be contracting with grower members to manage the distribution of the acreage and, ultimately, the packing and marketing of the fruit. NYAG will be sublicensing packing houses and marketers in order to offer premium returns to growers for the sale of this fruit. Revenues derived from royalties of these initial varieties will be shared with Cornell University to provide funding for breeding work to create future selections suited to the New York State climate. As a result, NYAG growers will be directly funding the apple breeding program.
New York growers have now joined the trend of offering “managed varieties,” an effort to provide consumers with exciting new varieties and to support the breeding programs that provide these varieties.