State Agriculture Commissioner Joins with Indian Ladder Farms to...
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New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today joined Indian Ladder Farms to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the NYS Grown & Certified Program, as well as 10 years of the Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery. A nation-leading program, NYS Grown & Certified helps local products stand out by indicating that they were grown with a focus on environmental stewardship and food safety practices. Over the past decade, NYS Grown & Certified has proudly dedicated more than $34 million in support of its participating producers and retailers, including Indian Ladder Farms, since its launch, with funding supporting farm infrastructure upgrades and on-farm environmental stewardship and food safety efforts. During the event, Indian Ladder sampled their flagship NYS Grown & Certified craft cider, now in its tenth year, with several other NYS Grown & Certified farms and businesses also sampling their products to visitors of the Altamont, NY farm and cidery.
Commissioner Ball said, “When we launched the NYS Grown & Certified Program, we wanted to strengthen the link between producers and consumers and provide new opportunities for agricultural development in New York State. A decade later, I’m proud to say this program has done just that – and continues to grow its reach. With thousands of farms participating, millions of dollars dedicated, and countless consumers touched, NYS Grown & Certified is spreading the word that the food you love is grown right, right here in New York State. Today, we’re proud to join our longstanding partners and program participants Indian Ladder Farms to celebrate ten years of the NYS Grown & Certified Program and 10 years of their Cidery and Brewery, whose products showcase the very best of this program.”
As part of the celebration, Commissioner Ball joined Indian Ladder Farms owner Laura Ten Eyck and head brewer Dietrich Gehring to toast 10 years of partnership by raising a glass of Indian Ladder’s flagship NYS Grown & Certified cider, which has proudly carried the NYS Grown & Certified seal since 2019. The dry cider is a blend of Indian Ladder Farms’ dessert and bittersharp apples and features a crisp apple aroma and enjoyable tartness. The NYS Grown & Certified seal on the cider indicates that it was crafted with environmental stewardship and food safety practices at the forefront.
Additional NYS Grown & Certified agri-businesses taking part in the celebration included:
Since its founding, the NYS Grown & Certified Program has set a higher standard for New York agriculture, supporting a total of more than 3,000 participants. The program is dedicated to promoting New York’s farms and agri-businesses to consumers and buyers from all over the world. The NYS Grown & Certified Program has also helped hundreds of farms and producers connect to new markets and participate in other state programs, such as the NYS 30% Initiative, Nourish New York, and more.
In addition, NYS Grown & Certified provides many benefits to its participating farmers, producers, and retailers, including a statewide marketing campaign that encourages New York State consumers to look for the NYS Grown & Certified seal and drives them to retailers who stock NYS Grown & Certified products; full use of the NYS Grown & Certified seal in advertising and marketing materials; and presence on the NYS Grown & Certified website as a participating retailer. Shoppers can be assured that NYS Grown & Certified partner retailers care enough to offer local products that are safer, fresher, and produced in ways that protect the environment.
Indian Ladder Farms Owner Laura Ten Eyck said, “We’re honored to host Commissioner Ball and his team as we celebrate ten years of our Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery as well as the State’s NYS Grown & Certified Program. Indian Ladder Farms has been in my family for generations, so it feels right to celebrate these milestones here – on a farm that carries a legacy of stewarding the land and harvesting the best of New York State for over a century. I congratulate the State on their work to promote New York’s farmers and producers, and look forward to celebrating many more milestones together in years to come.”
Indian Ladder Farms Co-Owner Dietrich Gehring said, “The NYS Grown & Certified label showcases products that were created with an extra focus on sustainability and food safety best practices. That’s why I’m proud that Indian Ladder’s apples have carried the NYS Grown & Certified seal since 2017, with our cidery and brewery joining the program in 2019. Our ciders and beers are the best of the best, created with fresh, local, responsibly grown ingredients. It’s great to gather with everyone today to celebrate 10 years of farm-fresh cider, strong partnerships, and a lasting commitment to the health of our land and community.”
Senator Patricia Fahy said, "Since 1916, Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery has been a cornerstone and landmark of our Capital Region, showcasing the best of what our family farms and Upstate New York has to offer and grow right here in our backyard. As we celebrate all things grown and produced in New York and the tenth anniversary of the NYS Grown & Certified Program, Indian Ladder Farms' story, and the Ten Eyck family's legacy remains ingrained within our Capital Region DNA and identity. There's no better place to be in the fall than in Upstate New York, and one of the best places to experience it in the Capital Region is at Indian Ladder Farms and our farms and orchards in all of our communities."
Senator Michelle Hinchey, Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee, said, “The NYS Grown & Certified program has been one of the great success stories in New York agriculture over the past 10 years – for farmers, producers, and consumers. This program highlights everything that makes our state an agricultural powerhouse; the highest food safety standards, environmental stewardship, and the love our farmers put into their work each and every day. It has strengthened our local economies and provided new opportunities for small businesses and family farms, all while keeping local dollars in our communities. NYS Grown & Certified has reinforced the connection between New York farmers and consumers since the beginning and I can’t wait to see its impact over the next 10 years.”
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, Chair, Assembly Agriculture Committee, said, “The NYS Grown & Certified Program is point of pride for New York, as resources are dedicated to helping farmers and producers connect to new markets. Consumers know that products that carry this seal have been grown with a focus on food safety and environmentally responsible care. The program also serves as a gateway for farmers to participate in initiatives like Nourish New York, Farm-to-School, and the NYS 30% Initiative. I’m very pleased to see Grown & Certified celebrating 10 years and look forward to more agricultural success stories and more consumers choosing to buy local.”
Stewart’s Shops President Chad Kiesow said, “Stewart’s Shops prides itself on supporting local farms and providing high-quality, fresh, and local products to our customers every day. The New York State Grown & Certified program is a great example of the good that can happen when government, farms, and businesses work together to make sure our communities have access to fresh and local food.”
Tyler Blance, Manager of Marketing Strategy, Northeast Shared Services, said, “As long-standing, early-endorsing partners of the NYS Grown & Certified program in both the Market 32/Price Chopper and Tops Friendly Markets chains, and then a ‘combined’ program supporter in Northeast Grocery later on, it has been our collective honor to showcase locally grown and produced products to our shoppers through this programming over the last decade. The NYS Grown & Certified seal is something that we take pride in featuring on in-store signage, in our weekly circular, on digital in-store screens and beyond – more recently, we’ve begun featuring the seal on our PICS Milk packaging for Market 32/Price Chopper and are looking at additional opportunities across both chains to feature the seal on similar locally-produced products. As a New York-hailing organization that holds ‘supporting all things local’ near and dear to its supermarket heart, we’re excited to be able to celebrate 10 years of NYS G&C – here’s to the next 10 years of showcasing the best of the best in local products!”
Julia Van Loon, President of Slate Foods, Inc., said, “For us, NYS Grown & Certified has been much more than a seal. Buyers need confidence in where their food comes from, how it is produced, and what the words “New York” on a product actually mean. The NYS G&C seal gives our customers confidence that the New York products we bring to schools and institutions are backed by meaningful standards, transparency, and a commitment to New York agriculture. We’re proud to have been part of the program since 2017—and even prouder that, ten years later, we’re still working toward the same simple goal: connecting New York farms with New York communities.”
About the NYS Grown & Certified Program
In 2016, the NYS Grown & Certified Program was launched to meet the growing consumer demand for local food grown or produced to a higher standard, and to help tell the story of New York’s tremendous agricultural industry. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is proud to support this ground-breaking program that not only spotlights New York agriculture and local producers but also promotes farmers and processors who take extra care in the areas of food safety and environmental stewardship. The program started with fruit and vegetable growers and has since grown to add even more commodities to capture the breadth and diversity of New York agriculture, like dairy, beef, maple, craft beverages, aquaculture, Christmas trees, and even fiber.
Ten years later, the New York State Grown & Certified Program continues to shine the spotlight on New York’s growers and producers. The Department has promoted NYS Grown & Certified producers in the program at trade shows, in industry publications, in grocery stores, at media events, and on television, the radio, social media, and billboards across the state. The program website helps consumers connect to NYS Grown & Certified participants and find their products; grant funding has helped get the NYS Grown & Certified seal on packaging; and, in cooperation with the New York Farm Viability Institute, provides program participants with the resources they need to grow through funding opportunities such as the NYS Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development Grant Program; and so much more.
About the Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery
Nestled at the foot of the Helderberg Escarpment amidst sprawling fields of apple trees, Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery forges craft beers and hard ciders with farm-grown ingredients.
On May 1st of 2016, Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery opened its doors with a tiny tasting room off the porch of the Indian Ladder Farms store. As the word spread about the tasting room, Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery quickly outgrew the porch and moved into the lower level of Indian Ladder Farms where it resides today; this included expanding into what is now the Biergarten, complete with pavilion, sound stage, and fire pits. When you enjoy a beverage in the Biergarten, you have a view of the Hop Yard where the hops are grown to create your beer and apple trees that have produced the apples used to make your cider.
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