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Source: NATIONAL ASSOC. OF STATE DEPTS. OF AGRICULTURE, 5/21/13
By Matthew J. Lohr, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)
One of the marvels of the human race is that we were able to make a transition from eating what we could hunt or gather to a systemized method of producing food at will. We call that agriculture.
Agriculture has made some amazing strides in the years since it caught on, due to the creative spirit and sheer determination of the world’s farmers. Often this creativity manifests itself in dramatic ways; other times it is smaller and quieter. In both cases, it changes the landscape of the industry of agriculture and, more importantly, it gives people new ways to make a living within that industry.
We have been able to assist some of our hard cider makers and apple producers with grant funding through our Specialty Crop Competitive Grants program. Nelson County used them to fund an economic feasibility study for artisanal hard cider producers using an economic model very similar to our farm wineries. The study showed that this was feasible and the goal was to convince apple producers that they could grow these specialty apples profitably. We also worked with Virginia Tech to develop an enterprise budget for orchardists growing these specialized apple varieties and to create a website of technical assistance resources for growing these apples.
The grant’s goal was to demonstrate to existing and prospective growers that a robust and growing market existed for the special varieties. We also wanted to provide growers with basic technical resources to grow these varieties successfully.
A second grant provided cost share funds to growers willing to plant these specialized hard cider apple varieties. The project’s goal is to increase the plantings of specialized hard-cider apple varieties in Virginia, giving our artisanal hard cider producers access to the raw material they need. This also creates new opportunities for our apple producers. Due to recent efforts on the part of several localities, VDACS and Virginia Tech, Virginia now boasts seven hard cideries, in Richmond, Albemarle County, Nellysford, Keswick, Dugspur, Timberville and Free Union.
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