2022 Cornell NYS Tree Fruit Conference
CCE-LOF are excited to bring you another winter tree fruit conference in concert with our counterparts in Eastern NY, CCE-ENYCHP. While we held out hope as long as we could for a live event, we had to stay virtual, but we feel this program is very strong and will allow more attendees the flexibility to attend from their own homes/offices. We listened to your feedback from our conference last winter and we've made modifications. The conference will be 2 days instead of three, with more time for breaks. Each day will have 2 morning and 2 afternoon sessions, ranging from 95-120 minutes. In addition, most of the sessions are structured around ideas we've received from our stakeholders over the past year though advisory meetings, email and phone communications, and farm visits. There are 3 DEC credit-eligible sessions currently being applied for, and all should be eligible for CCA credits. We're excited to bring you high-caliber speakers, many from outside NY. An overview of the sessions are below. As with last year, our virtual conference replaces the two Lake Ontario Winter Fruit Schools, the winter ENYCHP Fruit and Vegetable Conference (tree fruit portion) and the fruit section of the Empire Producer's Expo. Last year, the cumulative attendance of our virtual conference was over 335 for the largest sessions.
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Thank You to Our Sponsors! (PDF; 604KB)
Event Details
Date
January 27, 2022
Time
TBA
Location
Online
Cost
Early Bird CCE -ENYCHP or CCE-LOFP Enrollee : $85.00
register by 20 January
CCE-ENYCHP or CCE-LOFP Enrollee : $95.00
register 21 - 26 January
Early Bird Non-Enrollee : $95.00
register by 20 January
Non-Enrollee : $105.00
register 21 - 26 January
Host
CCE-ENYCHP & CCE-LOFP
Craig Kahlke
585-735-5448
cjk37@cornell.edu
Event Registration
Day 1
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Session I - Business Session I: Apple Industry Outlook and Regulatory Updates - Chaired by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- U.S. Apple Outlook, Chris Gerlach, Director of Industry Analytics, US Apple.
- US Apple Advocacy Update, Diane Kurrle, Senior Vice President, US Apple.
- Regulatory Update for New York State, Jim Bittner, New York State Horticultural Society
- Apple Crop Insurance Policy 2023 Changes, John Fitzpatrick, Crop Growers.
Session 2 - Business Session II: New Technologies and Profitability in Orchard Systems, Chaired by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- Analyzing Profitability of Your Orchards, Mark Wiltberger, Cornell University.
- Adopting New Technologies for Your Farm: Evaluating Orchard Management Systems, Mark Wiltberger, Cornell University.
- Retail Trends - Steve Lutz, Category Partners
Session 3 - Climate Change, Postharvest, and Marketing, Chaired by Craig Kahlke, CCE-LOF
- Featuring an introduction by Dr. Jason Londo, new Cornell Assistant Professor, his position will focus on Physiology of Fruit Crop Adaptation to Climate Change.
- A summary of several years of research on dynamic controlled atmosphere by Dr. Chris Watkins, Cornell.
- A New York Apple Association marketing update by Cynthia Haskins, ED of NYAA.
Session 4 - Integrated Pest Management I, Chaired by Janet van Zoeren, CCE-LOF - 1.25 NYS DEC credits
- A Brown marmorated stink bug update by Dr. Greg Krawczyk, Penn State University.
- Life history of native solitary bees by Maria van Dyke, Cornell University.
- An introduction by new Cornell Tree Fruit Entomologist, Dr. Monique Rivera, who will be housed at Cornell Agritech in Geneva.
- A presentation of how applied stress impacts tree growth in virus-infected apple trees by Dan Donahue, CCE-ENYCHP.
- A talk on fire blight susceptibility and resistance genes in apple by Dr. Ricky Tegtmeier, Graduate Student, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, with the Khan lab at Cornell AgriTech.
Event Details
Date
January 28, 2022
Time
TBA
Location
Online
Host
CCE-ENYCHP & CCE-LOFP
Craig Kahlke
585-735-5448
cjk37@cornell.edu
Event Registration
Day 2
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Session 5 - Integrated Pest Management II, Chaired by Dan Donahue, CCE-ENYCHP - 1.5 NYS DEC credits
- A presentation of apple scab management with snow cover by Dr. Juliet Carroll, of NYSIPM.
- A fire blight grower panel, featuring growers from across all of NY's commercial apple growing regions and an introduction by Dr. Kerik Cox of Cornell University. Panelists confirmed include Mark Russell & Rich Breslawski (Western NY), Andy Vega (Hudson Valley), Jessie Mulberry (Champlain Valley), and Jim Eve (Western NY and Champlain valley).
- Bitter rot management by Dr. Kari Peter of Penn State University.
Session 6 - Maintaining High Quality Orchard Soils, Chaired by Mike Basedow, CCE-ENYCHP - 1.25 NYS DEC credits
- Mike Basedow and Janet van Zoeren will discuss their commercial field trials on pre-emergent herbicide timings and their herbicide trunk deposition studies.
- Dr. Greg Peck (Cornell) Dr. Mark Williams (Virginia Tech), and Dr. Hazem Sharaf (Virginia Tech) will discuss how mulch and composts can be used as alternative soil fertility amendments for apple orchards, and how these inputs affect the microbial communities in the soil.
- Dr. Deborah Aller of Cornell's Soil Health Lab will present on the use of wood chip mulch in Long island apple orchards.
- Tianna Dupont, Tree Fruit Extension Specialist, Washington State University will discuss soil health in Washington orchards.
Session 7 - Managing Apple Crop Load and Tree Fruit Nutrition for Improved Tree Growth, Mineral Uptake, Fruit Quality, Color Enhancement, and Storability, Chaired by Mike Basedow, CCE-ENYCHP
- Dr. Terence Robinson of Cornell will lead off this first of two thematically linked sessions to talk about precision crop load management as it relates to improving fruit quality, color development, and storability.
- Dr. Luis Gonzalez Nieto, PostDoc in the Robinson lab, will follow with a summary of their research on rain-exclusion studies and their effect on stem water potential, fruit size/weight, and color on Gala.
- Dr. Emily Lavely, of Michigan State University Extension, will present on soil physical and moisture conditions and their impacts on root growth and nutrient uptake. Dr. Lailiang Cheng of Cornell will round out this session with a talk on the influence of nitrogen management for improved fruit quality and color development.
Session 8 - The Use of Reflective Fabrics and Pneumatic Defoliation to Improve Fruit Color in High Value Apple Varieties in NY State, Chaired by Mario Miranda Sazo, CCE-LOF
- Dr. Robinson will lead this second thematic session and final of the conference discussing the importance of diffuse scattering and factors that influence light interception, distribution, and reflection from the ground.
- Dr. Nieto will present a summary of their research on the use of ground cover materials to increase fruit color on Honeycrisp, NY1, NY2, and Evercrisp.
- Dr. Lee Kalcsits from Washington State University will present on the use of reflective materials and the pneumatic defoliation to increase red fruit color in WA state.
- The 2 final sessions will come together with a statewide grower panel on their experiences with fabrics and pneumatic
defoliation machines in New York State. Growers confirmed include Rusty Lamb (Hudson Valley) and Chris Whipple, Jimmy Zingler, Brett Kast, and Kyle Wafler (all representing WNY region).
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
2026 Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings
April 30, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 1
Webster, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
May 28, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 2
Oswego, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
June 25, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 3
Medina, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
February 27, 2026 : Session 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons from 2025 - The first meetup will be conducted live on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:30pm (PST)/1:30pm (EST). The webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by two SPARC scientists, followed by a packer/grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. The program is free of charge.
June 11, 2026 : Session 2
Details to follow.
June 18, 2026
Details to follow.
June 25, 2026 : Session 4
Details to follow.
Cornell Fruit Field Day
July 30, 2026
Geneva, NY
Join Cornell researchers in Geneva for Fruit Field Day, returning after 10 years, to tour research plots, learn from experts—including Dr. Terence Robinson with 40+ years in tree fruit research—and explore the latest orchard technologies and practices.