Pre-registration by 5pm Wednesday August 14, 2024  is required space is limited to 55 participants!  It is especially important for food count/ seating, and handouts. 

We encourage all growers to register their Hispanic employees EARLY (again, there will be a limit for registration of 55 people!) by emailing a list of participants with first name(s) and second last name(s) plus a phone number from your organization to Mario (mrm67@cornell.edu) or Janet (jev67@cornell.edu). 

During the tour, all the education stops will be provided in the Spanish language only and there will be some hands-on activities and visual displays included. 

Agenda: 

3pm - 6pm Orchard tour starts at GPS coordinates: 43.32632 N, 78.37387 W, near 11647 Alps Rd, Lyndonville, NY 14098, follow the "Cornell Fruit Event" signs from this address to the first tour stop.

Stop 1:  Horticultural led by Mario Miranda Sazo will cover (1) beaver- and side-grafting of old plantings to a new strain of Pink Lady and (2) the strategies to enhance color development (leaf pruning, reflective fabrics, pneumatic defoliation, use of PGRs, etc.). Mario will introduce the recently hired farm manager Cristian Lavandero who is also a native Spanish speaker from Chile as well! 

Stop 2:  IPM led by Janet Van Zoeren will cover the topics of weed control and the black stem borer by invited speaker Sandra Lizarraga from Cornell AgriTech. Weed identification and management is an important part of growing a healthy orchard.  First, we will provide some context for how to categorize weeds (i.e. broadleaf vs grasses, perennials vs annuals) and learn to identify some key 'problem weeds' (including horse nettle, Canada thistle, poison ivy, and more). We will finish up with a quick discussion of the differences between systemic, burndown vs pre-emergent herbicides, and the importance of water pH in herbicide efficacy. The Black Stem Borer (BSB) is a significant pest that inflicts extensive damage on fruit trees. Effective control of this pest requires a thorough understanding of its life history. In this presentation, we will discuss the phenology and host preferences of the BSB, detailing its seasonal life cycle and monitoring efforts. Additionally, we will explore the nature of the damage caused by this beetle and provide guidelines for identifying signs of BSB infestation in the field. 

Stop 3: This year we are lucky to have invited speaker Mary "Bess" Lewis from Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development who will conduct an exclusive workshop on workplace efficiency at the orchard site! Hispanic orchard workers and supervisors will discover how to maximize limited resources, work smarter not harder, minimize waste, and enhance the processes. Tour participants will learn the importance of doing things right the first time and cultivating an efficiency mindset in all their tasks. Mary 'Bess' Lewis will lead an engaging team-building exercise, designed to highlight these crucial concepts in the workplace. 

6-7:30pm - Dinner celebration

Stop 4:  Russ Martino pavilion of Town of Yates (Morrison Rd, Lyndonville, NY 14098) dinner celebration catered by Mariachi de Oro at the Russ Martino pavilion of Town of Yates FREE thanks to funds provided by Farm Credit East.

Please contact Mario or Janet if you need more specifics about the tour or have any doubt.  Please be aware that the educational topics of the tour will be presented only in the Spanish language. There won't be on-site translation to the English language during this tour.