The federal government this week along with Cornell University hosted a groundbreaking in Geneva for a new state-of-the-art grape research facility.
It will be located on the Cornell AgriTech campus, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), noted that the federal government is investing nearly $70 million in the facility.
The new facility will be named the National Grape Improvement Center and it will house various grape research projects, including those involving plant genetics, and ways to make grapes more resilient to weather events and plant diseases.
Xochitl Torres Small is Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She said one of the efforts with this research work is to help grape growers be able to better deal with the impact of climate change and other issues affecting grapes.
“Whether it’s looking at ways to attack traditional diseases, like Powdery Downy Mildew disease, for example, or whether it’s dealing with new challenges like climate change or increased drought, and how we can make sure we have genetic strains that work, that grow better in those kind of environments,” said Torres Small.
And Torres Small said the nearly $70 million the federal government is putting toward the project is well worth the investment.
“Grapes are one of the nation’s most impactful specialty crops, and so it’s a direct impact of $60 billion to farms and over 1.1 million jobs nationwide, but it’s also $162 billion in terms of economic impact in the United States,” said Torres Small.
Schumer said that the announcement helps ensure that Geneva and the Finger Lakes “will now be the beating heart of research and innovation for the future of America’s wine and grape industry,” and he noted the new facility will also house the USDA’s Grape Genetics Research Unit, which previously was limited by smaller space that it leased from Cornell.
Sam Filler, Executive Director of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, said this investment by the federal government is an indication of just how important the grape and wine industry is for the Finger Lakes, and to the U.S. in general.
“It’s certainly a testament to the strength of grape growing in New York state,” said Filler. “So this investment from USDA is a signifier that New York is a place that if you're interested in starting a vineyard, you should bring it here, because we're going to have the most up to date and cutting edge research for grapes, especially grapes that are viable in the Northeast.”
Filler noted that factors including climate change has made things challenging for grape growers in recent years, and hopefully this research will help farmers produce grapes that are both flavorful and more resilient to extreme weather events.
