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

New York farmers are eligible for two Christmas presents from the state: money for clean energy technologies and a 10-year extension of a tax waiver for farm buildings. New York State Energy and Research Development Authority announced on Tuesday that ...

Tagged with: Alicia Barton Andrew Cuomo clean energy David Fisher New York Farm Bureau NYSERDA Richard Ball tax exemptions

You’ve bought the local fruits and vegetables. Now the state Department of Agriculture is asking that you buy local when it comes to your Christmas tree, too. To set an example, locally grown trees and wreaths are being displayed at ...

Tagged with: agriculture buy local Christmas tree farms Richard Ball

CountryMax, the Ontario-county based chain of pet, farm and garden stores, is planning to return to Batavia in Spring 2019. The family owned company had operated a store in Batavia for 17 years, but closed in February, citing the inability ...

Tagged with: batavia CountryMax Ontario County

As the craft beverage business goes, so goes Waterloo Container Co. With the boom in wineries, breweries and distilleries in New York and around the Northeast, the company that supplies bottles and packaging to the beverage industry is booming too. ...

Tagged with: beer bottles finger lakes hard cider Waterlook Container wine

After a decade of matching consumers of local foods with farmers, the Good Food Collective is branching out to offer a new product: choice. A subscription service that provides a range of fresh produce depending on what’s in season, the ...

Tagged with: agriculture farms Good Food Collective Headwater Food Hub produce

  With so many choices for meal and delivery services, it can be hard to stand out in a crowded field. But a new Geneva company is trying to do just that with Real Eats. The 13-month-old company is currently shipping ...

Tagged with: Cornell University Dan Wise Geneva Marco Ballatori meal solutions Real Eats

There’s now a reason to go to the state fair in the winter: a miniature, indoor version of the Great New York State Fair in February was announced Tuesday. Winter Fair 2019 will include rides, games, sausage sandwiches and fried ...

Tagged with: expo center New York State Fair Premier Promotions Winter Fair

Just a fraction of the money most Americans will spend during the five-day Thanksgiving period will be on the turkey and trimmings, according to a survey by WalletHub. Americans will spend an average of $49 dollars for a Thanksgiving dinner ...

Tagged with: spending Thanksgiving turkey wallethub

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