Award-Winning New York Grower Is the Apple of Everyone’s Eye

Tending his family’s two-century-old farm, second-generation CALS alum Bobby Brown ’06 has garnered his industry’s top honor

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By Melissa Newcomb

At Orchard Dale Fruit Company in Waterport—located halfway between Rochester and Niagara Falls—Brown and his family grow around 15 apple varieties on 400 acres.

The fruit is shipped nationwide to retailers including Walmart, Costco, Wegmans, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

In the nearly two decades that Brown has helped run the operation, it has doubled its apple acreage and production while introducing new technology, including cameras and drones that assist in managing the crops.

There’s a lot of pride, because it’s hard to grow and be successful at the same time.

His work growing apples and contributing to the industry beyond his own orchards earned him the award, presented annually by American Fruit Grower and Western Fruit Grower magazines based on nominations by fellow farmers.

Brown’s apple roots—and his Big Red ties—run deep. His family has farmed the land that’s now Orchard Dale for more than 200 years.

He grew up working alongside his late father, Robert Brown II ’77—Bobby’s full name is Robert Brown III—and uncle Eric Brown ’85. (Bobby’s sister, Sarah Brown ’09, is also an alum, as is Eric’s son, Harrison Brown ’23.)

Eric remains his partner in the operation, while Bobby’s wife, Beth Brown (daughter of Mark Henry ’76 and Bette Wightman Henry ’77), serves as business manager.

Bobby is also a part owner of the packing house—Lake Ontario Fruit, run by longtime friend Scott Henning ’06—where apples from Orchard Dale and other Western New York growers are prepared for shipment.

With so many relatives, coworkers, and fellow Cornellians woven into the orchard and its success, Brown doesn’t view the award as an individual accomplishment.

In the nearly two decades that Brown has helped run the operation, it has doubled its apple acreage and production while introducing new technology, including cameras and drones that assist in managing the crops.

“My first thought,” he says, “was, ‘How can I recognize the people who have helped me?’”

Among the most influential: his dad.

By high school, Brown knew he was interested in agriculture but found himself increasingly drawn to its business side. He majored in applied economics and management in CALS before returning to Orchard Dale after graduation.

For nearly two decades, he worked alongside his father and uncle to grow the family business. His dad, who passed away in 2025, continues to shape how Brown approaches the farm.

“He had a distinct vision on fruit quality,” Brown says. “He was a big advocate for doing the right thing—producing something that you can be proud of.”

Of the 13 farmers who nominated Brown for Apple Grower of the Year, several pointed to his willingness to share ideas with other growers, embrace new technology, and support the broader community, including serving for more than a decade on the New York Apple Association board.

[My dad] had a distinct vision on fruit quality. He was a big advocate for doing the right thing—producing something that you can be proud of.

“Everything I engage with on Bobby’s farm is in pristine condition due to the overall concern and organization he has for running his business,” assistant professor of entomology Monique Rivera said in an article announcing Brown’s win. “Bobby is an exemplary grower, and anyone who works with him can attest to his fairness and diligence.”

That attention to detail is especially important in a business that, Brown notes, is far more intricate than many consumers may imagine.

After winter planning and pruning, he explains, growers monitor trees as they bud, flower, and begin to produce fruit. A single tree may initially have around 1,000 small fruitlets, which are thinned to roughly 100 so the remaining apples can develop properly.

Determining when to harvest requires its own careful planning—balancing when the fruit have developed the right amount of sugar and flavor with how well they’ll withstand storage. Once it’s time to pick, Orchard Dale needs scores of workers to harvest the crop.

“Whenever we give a farm tour, people say they didn’t know apple growing was that complex,” Brown says. “It might seem like there’s three steps to produce an apple, but there’s probably 100.”

(All images provided.)

Published October 7, 2026

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