It’s time to raise a glass and toast the recipients of the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) 2017 cider research grants.
Four proposals were selected for a total of $44,770 in funding. The selected proposals were:
- An investigation into the presence of hydrogen sulfide (sulfur reduction) during hard apple cider production (Appalachian State University, Fermentation Sciences)
- Impact of Nitrogen Fertilization on Orchard Productivity, Fruit Quality, Cider Tannin Concentrations and Fermentation Kinetics (Cornell University)
- Phenotyping the USDA-PGRU Malus Germplasm Collection for Novel Apples to Use in Hard Cider Production (Cornell University)
- Cider Tannins: Quantification for Sensory Impact (Virginia Tech)
The grant selection committee and the board of directors selected these proposals because of their broad relevance to the hard cider industry and the quality of the proposal narratives.
“This is only the second year we’ve released a request for research proposals, so it’s exciting to watch the program evolve. We noticed a large uptick in the quality of the applications this year, and we see a lot of potential for the projects we’ve chosen for funding. I can’t wait to hear the results of these projects at CiderCon in Baltimore next February,” said Michelle McGrath, USACM’s executive director.
Congratulations!