Cornell Orchards

About

Cornell Orchards, founded in 1910, supports 10 to 15 research projects each year. Currently there are 22 acres of apples, grapes, stone fruits and berries in active research, including one certified organic acre.

Our mission is to provide high-quality ecosystems for world class perennial fruit crop research and hands-on teaching. 

Research project highlights

vineyard

Ground-nesting bees to enhance pollination

Develop the protocols and best practices for propagating ground-nesting bees to diversify pollinators in agricultural landscapes, and enhance food security through resilient and sustainable bee management.

Project website and community science project

Researchers: Bryan Danforth, Jordan Kueneman

Weed control in perennial crops

Evaluate the performance of novel weed control technology, including electric weeders and vision-guided spray systems, to enhance the sustainability of fruit, berry, and grape production.

Researcher: Lynn Sosnoskie

Improve wine grape production systems

Improve both the environmental and economic sustainability of wine grape production systems in cool climates through vine and soil research.  

Researcher: Justine Vanden Heuvel

Fruit production systems

Develop fruit production systems that facilitate the long-term economic and environmental viability of commercial tree-fruit growers, with a particular focus on hard cider production.

Researcher: Greg Peck

Berry crops

Develop sustainable production methods for berry crops, including the use of high and low tunnels for season extension in colder climates.

Researcher: Marvin Pritts

Storage life of apples

Maintain quality and nutrition of apples during storage, especially of new and emerging varieties, using new postharvest technologies such as dynamic controlled atmosphere storage.

Researcher: Chris Watkins

Tree root biology

Promote sustainable landscapes through a better understanding of tree root biology and provide a teaching resource for below-ground processes in plants.

Researcher: Taryn Bauerle

Metabolism in apples and grapes

Understand how the metabolism in apples and grapes responds to carbon and nitrogen, and provide guidelines for fertilizer applications in orchards and vineyards.

Researcher: Lailiang Cheng

Teaching

A living laboratory

The orchards also serve as a living laboratory to hundreds of Cornell students every year, giving future generations of growers and researchers hands-on experience with virtually all aspects of fruit production. Teaching focus areas include pomology (growing apples, pears and other fruit), viticulture (growing grapes), enology (making wine), orchard management, and agricultural engineering.

Outreach

Community engagement

The Orchards are currently closed to visitors due to COVID-19. But usually, more than a 1,000 schoolchildren visit the Orchards each fall to taste apples, see how cider is made, and learn where fruit comes from. Hundreds of visitors, including fruit growers and professionals from local wineries and cideries, visit Cornell Orchards each year for special events.

Research

Fruit production

Additional plantings include peaches, cherries and pears, novelty fruits such as hardy kiwis and pawpaws, chestnuts, and of course a plethora of old and new apple varieties. Several apple trees at the Orchards are over 100 years old and still thriving. Students, faculty and staff appreciate the farm-fresh apples and other fruit, grown right next to campus and served at Cornell Dining locations and other eateries on campus.

A group of student pose for a photo holding a container of grapes.
A Cornell AES staff member shares samples of produce with families.
A researcher moves a container of apples on a tractor.

Contact

Cornell Orchards Staff

John (Jay) Owens

Farm Manager, Cornell Orchards

Cornell AES

Graduate Student

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

John (Jay) Owens
Eric Anderson

Orchard Worker, Cornell Orchards

Cornell AES

Eric Anderson
  • epa26 [at] cornell.edu
Michael Munroe

Field Assistant, Cornell Orchards

Cornell AES

Michael Munroe
  • mjm264 [at] cornell.edu