Options for health insurance, life insurance and disability insurance, and how they can help farmers and their employees. Maire Ullrich, CCE Orange County and Lucas Smith, Cornell Ag Workforce Development 

Do you have an idea for a new enterprise to add value to your farm? Maybe you're considering scaling up for a potential market opportunity but just aren't sure if it's a good fit for your business. Join Cornell Cooperative Extensions of Allegany County, Broome County, Madison County, Onondaga County, Niagara County, Tioga County, the Niagara Small Business Development Center, and the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Team for a hybrid series on Wednesdays in February, starting on February 4th that will answer these questions and more.   Annie's Project seeks to empower farm women through education, networks and resources. We welcome, and encourage, learning and sharing amongst farm women as we help you grow as decision-makers and leaders on your farm.

Registration Closed, but want to see if there is room for you?  Contact Craig Kahlke @ 585-735-5448, cjk37@cornell.edu

CCE-LOF are excited to bring you a return to LOF's Winter Fruit Schools, in which there will be two nearly identical programs on consecutive days in two locations in LOF's territory. We are in the process of putting together the program, and have garnered key input from our growers, businesses, and other personnel.  Please note registration cost increases after January 27th, Registration Now!  

Session 1: Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States

CCE-LOF are excited to bring you a return to LOF's Winter Fruit Schools, in which there will be two nearly identical programs on consecutive days in two locations in LOF's territory. We are in the process of putting together the program, and have garnered key input from our growers, businesses, and other personnel.  Please note registration cost increases after January 27th, Registration Now!  

Insuring your infrastructure, equipment, and livestock from loss. Learn about the types of coverage, and the risks they reduce. Colin Hostetter, Tri-County Ag Team, Desiree Keever, CCE Delaware County and Steve Glick, Kevin Daniels Agency.

Session 2: Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast

Week 3: Fire Blight Management Updates - Pathogen Biology, Defense Inducers, Biopesticides, and Pruning Therapies

Week 3: Fire Blight Management Updates - Pathogen Biology, Defense Inducers, Biopesticides, and Pruning Therapies

Session 3: Heat Mitigation- Sunburn and Fruit Coloring

Week 4: Pink and Petal Fall Insecticides - Can We Strike the Right Balance? 

Week 4: Pink and Petal Fall Insecticides - Can We Strike the Right Balance? 

Live Webinars February 25-March 25, 2026

Five sessions, Wednesdays 6:30-8 pm

Join us for our Annual Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference with two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Greenhouse and a special Food Safety Wash and Pack session!  While there you can also visit with more than 50 exhibiotrs!

The Annual Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference is two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Greenhouse and a special Food Safety Wash and Pack session!  While there you can also visit with more than 50 exhibitors!

Session 4: The Dating Game- Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption

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.

Join the Lake Ontario Fruit Team for programming updates and goals.  This meeting is your chance to shape the research priorities of our specialists and team. Your insights are vital to delivering the most valuable resources and support to the WNY apple industry.

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.

Session 5: USEPA Endangered Species Act Strategies and Pesticide Use

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.

Swede midge is an invasive fly that causes serious economic losses to brassica crops. Due to its small size and hidden feeding habits, swede midge is often called an "invisible pest" and damage may be misdiagnosed. In this webinar, we will review the swede midge life cycle and crop damage symptoms, current management recommendations, new research findings, and highlights from on-farm case studies with a focus on organic management. 

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.

Learn about food safety on the farm! This event hosted by the Cornell Vegetable Program, Cornell Lake Ontario Fruit Team, CCE Wayne County, and the NYS Department of Agriculture, will cover good agricultural practices (GAPs) to help reduce the risk of microbial contamination on the farm, keeping food and consumers safe.

Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start?  Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills?  This one-day workshop is for you! 

Session 6: Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers

As part of our multi-state SPARC SCRI project on mitigating orchard heat and cold stress, the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School will focus on understanding and managing heat-related challenges in apple and pear production. The program brings together research-based insights and applied discussions on sunburn physiology and mitigation, red color development in apples and pears, and the impacts of heat on postharvest storage and fruit quality. Each session will include an expert presentation, followed by a panel discussion with panelists from across the US.

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.

Urban and small-scale producers are encouraged to join us for the Urban Ag Food Safety webinar, featuring speakers from Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell IPM. We will explore the 'why' behind food safety, providing a basic overview and diving into specific urban ag considerations including water, pest, rodent, and soil health challenges. We will touch on the regulation and marketing landscape, and share resources for learning more. Bring your questions!

Attend the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School at an in-person regional learning hub in Waterport, NY, covering heat-related challenges in apple and pear production—or join virtually on your own.

This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to learn or refresh their grapevine pruning skills.

Join experts from CCE ENYCHP, CCE Vegetable Program, and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in Pine Island, NY, on March 12, 2026, for our annual Onion School. Local onion farmers are encouraged to attend to receive important updates and new research from the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Week 5: Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi

Week 5: Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi

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.

A Certification Exam will be administered on March 16th by the DEC to Qualified Applicants. Plan to arrive by 8:30am. The fee for the exam is $100: bring a check payable to NYSDEC the day of the exam.  You must register with DEC to take the exam. To register for the exam or if you have questions regarding the Certification Process, please contact Justin Schoff at the Bath DEC office (607) 622-8290.

Join us to dive deep on growing asparagus! Bringing together experts from the Cornell Vegetable Program, Michigan State University, OMAFA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness), and industry, featuring a panel of growers. 

Join us in Chazy on March 17th for pest management updates, and to receive some additional pesticide recertification credits for your farm's certified applicators!

Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start?  Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills?  This one-day workshop is for you! 

Cornell University personnel from the National GAPs Program and the Produce Safety Alliance are presenting a workshop on postharvest water management, sanitation, and traceability. This workshop will include a mix of short talks and hands-on activities to provide attendees with applied experience with sanitation, postharvest water, and traceability topics. 

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.

Week 6: St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast

Week 6: St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast

This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to learn or refresh their grapevine pruning skills.

Join us for this specialized workshop to cover requirements for this specific audit.  Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are increasingly being asked to have the Harmonized GAP Plus+ audit to satisfy some large buyer's requirements.

This 2-day course will go over the core information to help applicators pass the applicators exam, which students will take on April 2nd after the course is concluded.  *Note: This is not the 30-hour course, and you will need to meet the requirements set by the DEC to qualify for the exam.*

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.

This 2-day course will go over the core information to help applicators pass the applicators exam, which students will take on April 2nd after the course is concluded.  *Note: This is not the 30-hour course, and you will need to meet the requirements set by the DEC to qualify for the exam.*

A Certification Exam will be administered on April 2nd by the DEC to Qualified Applicants.