Events - month view
earlier monthsFebruary 2018
2018 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School Lockport
February 5, 2018
8am - 4:30pm
Lockport, NY
2.75 DEC credits available.
Bring your DEC Applicator ID. If you need DEC credits, please arrive on time to sign the roster and plan to stay all day. DEC will not allow partial credit.
Click details for registration.
2018 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School
February 5, 2018 : Winter Fruit School Lockport
February 6, 2018 : Winter Fruit School Newark
Bring your DEC Applicator ID. If you need DEC credits, please arrive on time to sign the roster and plan to stay all day. DEC will not allow partial credit.
Program (speakers & topics confirmed, order of presentations differs by day see agendas below)
- Protected Culture: Low Tunnels, High Tunnels, Exclusion Netting and How to Control SWD in These Situations - Laura McDermott, CCE-ENYCHP
- Cherry Fruit Fly - Margaret Kelly, NYS Dept. of Ag & Mkts
- Launch of the New Precision Smart App - Poliana Francescatto & Jaume Lordan, Cornell
- IPM update - Tess Grasswitz, CCE-LOF
- FSMA Update/Requirements - Craig Kahlke, CCE-LOF
- Building a Fruiting Wall for Future Technology - Mario Miranda Sazo, CCE-LOF
- Orchard Soil Health - David Granatstein, WSU
- New York Apple Association—Marketing New York Apples (summary of promotional activities for 2017 crop year and NYAA's strategic work plan) - Cynthia Haskins, NYAA
- Labor Update - Brett Kast (Niagara County) & Liz Madison (Wayne County)
- Using Whole-Farm Revenue Protection with Yield Insurance for Fruit Production - Jenny Ifft, Cornell
- Importance of Bacterial Strains in Cultivar Response to Fire Blight - Awais Khan, Cornell
- Hail Netting: Is it Right for Your Farm? - Liz Higgins, CCE-ENYCHP
- Hispanic Worker Training - Kat McCarthy (Niagara County) & Anu Rangarajan (Wayne County), Cornell
- Orchard Weed Mgmt - Davis Granatstein, WSU
- Round Table Unanswered questions/discussion any of the day's talks
2018 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School Newark
February 6, 2018
8am - 4:30pm
Newark, NY
2.75 DEC credits available.
Bring your DEC Applicator ID. If you need DEC credits, please arrive on time to sign the roster and plan to stay all day. DEC will not allow partial credit.
Check details for registration.
The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention
February 21 - February 22, 2018
Niagara Falls, ON
Postponed - Lake Ontario Fruit Team Communications Focus Group
February 27, 2018
AM - details TBA
Hilton, NY
Please join us and share your thoughts on how the Lake Ontario Fruit Team should best communicate with you, the stakeholders! Technology information overload is upon us - the Lake Ontario Fruit Team wants to use the platforms that best serve you best. We need your feedback and ideas!
Cider Tasting & Sensory Education for Apple Growers
February 27, 2018
Lunch - 12PM; Meeting - 1:00PM - 2:30PM (Communications Focus Group Meeting -AM)
Hilton, NY
Register by February 9, 2018.
March 2018
Candidate Interviews for CCE-LOF Business Managment Position
March 2, 2018
All day (specific TBA)
Newark, NY
Pre-register by February 28, 2018.
2018 Pre-Exam Training & Test to Become A Certified Pesticide Applicator
March 13 - March 19, 2018
Classes - March 13 & 15 from 8am - 12:30pm Test - March 19 from 9am - 12pm
Albion, NY
March 13 & 15, 8am-12:30pm
Cost: $50 payable to CCE-Orleans Co.
Certification Exam - to register for exam or if you have questions contact: Justin Schoff @ 607-622-8290.
March 19, 9am-12pm
Cost: $100 payable to DEC
FSMA 7 Hour Grower Training Course - Registration Closed
March 16, 2018
8AM - 5:15PM
Newark, NY
Save the Date: Friday, March 16, 2018
Cost & Registration: $70 per farm, maximum of 2 people/farm.
All of you should be aware of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into federal law by President Obama in 2011. I have been writing about it and offering courses for nearly 2 years. If you are not exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, one of the requirements is to take a 7-hour grower training course.
Click details for more information.
2018 CCE-LOF Spanish Winter Fruit Schools
March 16, 2018 : 2018 CCE - LOF Spanish Fruit School - Wayne
March 17, 2018 : 2018 CCE-LOF Spanish Fruit School - Orleans
March 17, 2018 - Orchard Dale Fruit Farm
Pre-register by March 12th
This years Spanish - speaking fruit school program will provide an indepth and current look at orchard horticulture, pests, hard cider, as well as a review of skills for success and management.
2018 Pruning Workshop of Apple Orchards in Oswego
March 21, 2018
1:30-4pm
Mexico, NY
Apple Crop Insurance Plan for Information Collection Listening Sessions
March 21, 2018 : Monroe County
March 23, 2018 : Ulster County
Listening Sessions for Growers, Insurance Co. Staff & Agents
Agralytica of Alexandria, Virginia is conducting a review of the apple insurance plan on behalf of the USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA). As part of the review, Agralytica staff will hold listening sessions with growers, insurance staff and other interested parties in several states. For New York, the sessions will be on March 21 in Rochester and March 23 in Highland. Participants from New England states are also welcome at the Highland session.
April 2018
2018 Worker Protection Standard Training & DEC Special Permit Training (Wayne County)
April 4, 2018
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM English Session / 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spanish Session
Newark, NY
Workers requiring general pesticide training/Agricultural Worker Protection Standard Handler training who do not need special permits are welcome to take the class; they will not be tested and will receive a course participation certificate.
Statewide Honeycrisp Sensory Evaluation - Niagara/Orleans & Eastern NY Blocks
April 4, 2018
10 AM - 2 PM
Geneva, NY
As most of you know, I've been working on a statewide precision harvest management experiment, that is a continuation of Terence Robinson's work with some modifications. It focuses on Honeycrisp within the 3 main production regions of the state, in which all of some of you were involved.
The main goal of this experiment is to develop guidelines for precision harvest management by determining if Honeycrisp orchards can be evaluated at harvest for storage potential using fruit dry matter content, fruit mineral (peel and flesh) content, the DA meter, and piecing together complex block histories and cultural practices.
2018 Worker Protection Standard Training & DEC Special Permit Training (Orleans County)
April 5, 2018
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM English & Spanish sessions
Albion, NY
Workers requiring general pesticide training/Agricultural Worker Protection Standard Handler training who do not need special permits are welcome to take the class; they will not be tested and will receive a course participation certificate.
Statewide Honeycrisp Sensory Evaluation - Wayne County Blocks
April 5, 2018
10 AM - 2 PM
Geneva, NY
As most of you know, I've been working on a statewide precision harvest management experiment, that is a continuation of Terence Robinson's work with some modifications. It focuses on Honeycrisp within the 3 main production regions of the state, in which all of some of you were involved.
The main goal of this experiment is to develop guidelines for precision harvest management by determining if Honeycrisp orchards can be evaluated at harvest for storage potential using fruit dry matter content, fruit mineral (peel and flesh) content, the DA meter, and piecing together complex block histories and cultural practices.
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
2026 Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course
February 25, 2026 : Week 1 - IPM Fundamentals + Tools
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 4, 2026 : Week 2 - Insects: Part 1
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 11, 2026 : Week 3 - Insects: Part 2
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 18, 2026 : Week 4 - Diseases
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 25, 2026 : Week 5 - Weeds, Wildlife, + Wrap-Up
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
Northeast Fruit Consortium Winter Webinar Series
February 4, 2026 : Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States
February 11, 2026 : Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast
February 18, 2026 : Apple Color and Sunburn
February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game; Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption
March 4, 2026 : Update: USEPA Endangered Species Act and Implications for Pesticide Use
March 11, 2026 : Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers
2026 Orleans County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training
March 9, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 1
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.
March 13, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 2
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.