Rochester Business Journal Leading source of business news and information in Rochester, N.Y.

Matching grants of up to $50,000 are available for early-stage farmers who apply to the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund. State officials announced this week that $1 million had been added to the annual fund, which has provided ...

Tagged with: agriculture grants new farmers Richard Ball

The most popular grapes in New York are Concord grapes, having both a wonderful aroma and a great taste that make them the preferred grape for juice, jam, sweet wine and the much-hyped grape pie. When it comes to eating ...

Tagged with: Bruce Reisch Concord grapes Cornell Agritech Everest Seedless grapes

Sweet cherries and almonds have been added to the list of crops that are eligible for a new federal subsidy. The subsidy is to compensate growers for losses caused by tariffs other nations are levying in reaction to President Donald ...

Tagged with: agriculture subsidies sweet cherries tariffs USDA

Almost a quarter of all land in New York state is farmland, which may come as a surprise to those who think of the state as one Big Apple. A report issued by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Thursday says ...

Tagged with: agriculture cattle crops milk New York thomas dinapoli

The state Department of Agriculture has confirmed four cases of equine infection with West Nile Virus, including one in Livingston County, and so is urging horse owners to vaccinate their animals. “This is the time of year when the risk ...

Tagged with: cattle horses vaccine West Nile Virus

Project Gator, the 20,000-square-foot building expansion for ever-growing O-AT-KA Milk Products of Batavia, has been completed and the process of hiring an additional 40 employees is underway. O-AT-KA has undergone three expansions in the past six years and added more ...

Paul Curcillo and Stephanie King, the Philadelphia couple who bought Torrey Ridge Winery in 2015, have now acquired another Finger Lakes winery: Rooster Hill Vineyards. Rooster Hill’s founders were Amy and Dave Hoffman, who decided to retire after 16 years ...

Tagged with: Amy Hoffman Dave Hoffman finger lakes Paul Curcillo rooster hill Stephanie King Torrey Ridge wine wineries

The Finger Lakes is the best wine region in the country, according to the USAToday 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards. In dozens of categories, experts in the field winnowed selections to 20 finalists and then the top 10, and their ...

Tagged with: Belhurst Castle Dr. Konstantin Frank finger lakes Finger Lakes Wine Festival FLX Table Fox Run Hermann J. Wiemer USAToday wine country

With just a couple of years of entrepreneurial experience under their belts, the three owners of Genesee County’s L&M Specialty Fabrication already have grown their business to the point that new space was a necessity. Thirty acres of new space. ...

Tagged with: batavia farm equipment GCEDC L&M

It was quite a weekend for Fox Run Vineyards in Yates County. On Friday, the winery announced that two of its 2016 Chardonnays have won scores of more than 90 points from Wine & Spirits magazine. And on Saturday, the ...

Tagged with: Chardonnay Fox Run Vineyards Riesling wine Wine & Spirits magazine

Now here’s a landmark event: the butter sculpture at the New York State Fair, which opened Wednesday, is 50 years old. Not the sculpture that’s on display at the fair this year, of course. What’s 50 years old is the ...

Tagged with: agriculture Andrew Cuomo butter sculpture Concord grapes dairy Howard Zemsky maple products New York State Fair

Wines from the Finger Lakes region are dominating a New York takeover of a wine podcast produced in London. But it’s a friendly takeover. Lawrence Francis, creator of the “Interpreting Wine” podcast, visited the Finger Lakes and other New York ...

Tagged with: finger lakes Lawrence Francis podcast Interpreting Sam Filler wine

The machines and tires are huge. The advice is sometimes amazingly simple, yet effective. Such are some of the contrasts evident this week at the annual Empire Farm Days, a 300-acre trade show for farmers held on the Rodman Lott ...

Tagged with: Alexandra Grimm Empire Farm Days Empire State Potato Growers Jerry Bertoldo Rodman Lott seneca falls Tom Overton

The Finger Lakes region has won big at the annual New York Wine Classic in Watkins Glen this week. The region was also represented in an award for agricultural environmental management. Winning the wine classic’s Governor’s Cup was Keuka Spring ...

Tagged with: Dr. Konstantin Frank Keuka Spring Kite & String cider Lakewood Winery

New York farmers, including those who sell at the Rochester City Public Market, will be able to continue selling to SNAP recipients after the state leap-frogged over a federal problem that could have halted farm market sales to people who ...

Tagged with: agriculture Andrew M. Cuomo Farm markets farmers Richard A. Ball Rochester City Public Market SNAP benefits