Professor of Horticulture, Emeritus

Grower & Cidermaker, Black Diamond Farm

Ian grew up on a farm in the Hudson Valley. After graduating from Reed College in 1969, he spent a year in Chile, and then worked for 14 years in the California horticulture industry. He completed a Ph.D. in Pomology and Plant Ecology at Cornell University in 1990, and then worked as a research and teaching professor at Cornell until he retired in 2013 to devote his time to fruit growing and cider-making.

Ian and his wife have managed a 64-acre family farm in Trumansburg since 1992. They grow wine grapes, peaches, plums, sweet & tart cherries, and more than 145 apple varieties, mostly traditional cider apples from the U.S. and Europe. The farm winery, Black Diamond Cider, makes 12 hard cider blends, all based on their own homegrown fruit.

www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/merwin/index.htm

Contact: im13@cornell.edu