Lyndonville Fruit-drying Plant Cuts Jobs

LYNDONVILLE -- A facility that buys about 250,000 bushels of New York-grown apples annually will cease its apple drying operation in Lyndonville. The move by Shoreline Fruit will eliminate a market for apples and result in 16 fewer jobs at the plant on Route 18, near the Niagara County border.

Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, bemoaned that apple growers would lose a market in the state. "Each time we lose another outlet for processing apples here in New York, it hurts the entire industry," Allen said in the Core Report, the New York Apple Association's monthly newsletter.

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Fruit-drying Plant

$1 Million in Federal Funds for New York's Specialty Crops

Commissioner Announces 2 RFPs to Enhance Industry & Regional "Buy Local" Efforts

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced two grant opportunities to support and promote specialty crops in New York State. Both programs are funded through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provide close to $1 million combined for specialty crops, which includes fruits, vegetables, maple, honey and horticulture crops.

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Funds for NY Specialty Crops

More than Farmers Markets

A group of Hilltowns residents aims to bring more people to their rural towns, while giving them a dose of the country.

A new Helderberg Hilltowns Association will promote sustainable economic development in the small, rural towns by featuring their farms, hiking trails, historic sites and sweeping vistas. "Drawing people from the metropolitan area up the hill is really going to improve the business climate up here," Knox resident Russ Pokorny said.

"Farms that are located close to big metropolitan areas are smart to be aggressive in their marketing," said New York Farm Bureau spokesman Peter Gregg.

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More than Farmers Markets

NY Parks Still on Closing List

Despite widespread protests, New York is moving ahead with the plan to close 55 state parks and historic sites, and trim programming and services at an additional 22, a group trying to kill the plan said.

According to Parks & Trails New York, Parks Commissioner Carol Ash said Thursday morning that her agency will go ahead with the governor’s plan unless sufficient funding is restored to the state budget and office that oversees parks and historic sites.

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NY Parks