This all day event provides 2 near-identical programs available on the West and East sides of Rochester on consecutive days.  We are featuring an intensive Precision Honeycrisp management school in addition to updates on Labor, Fruit Farm Business Summary, as well as pests and diseases, including European Cherry Fruit Fly.

This all day event provides 2 near-identical programs available on the West and East sides of Rochester on consecutive days.  We are featuring an intensive Precision Honeycrisp school in addition to updates on Labor, Fruit Farm Business Summary, as well as pests and diseases, including European Cherry Fruit Fly.

Join us for a day-long program featuring grower presentations, small group discussions and demonstrations, and extension presentations focused on a number of production topics.  These will include fertility management, injection systems, grafting, variety selection, pruning, trellising systems, pest and disease management, and more!

Growing strawberries in substrate (soil-less media) can help prevent soil-borne diseases. It can also increase yields, improve quality, and reduce the costs associated with pesticides, fertilizer, and water.

Join us for a day-long program featuring grower presentations, small group discussions and demonstrations, and extension presentations focused on a number of production topics.  These will include fertility management, injection systems, grafting, variety selection, pruning, trellising systems, pest and disease management, and more.

Pollinator habitats are in the news, but how exactly do you create one? 

We cover some installation methods that we have tried and discuss benefits and costs. 

February 20 - Basics of Mushroom Production - Steve Gabriel, Specialty Mushrooms and Agroforestry Specialist, Cornell Small Farms.  Mushrooms are an emerging niche crop with many benefits, including improving farmer stewardship of forested lands and the ability to offer a unique and highly desired product. Steve will introduce students to mushrooms that can be easily grown in the woods. 

A grower training course developed by the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) that meets the regulatory requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.  At least one person per farm producing more than $25,000 worth of fruits and vegetables must attend this course once.  Participants will receive a certificate of course completion by the Association of Food and Drug Officials.

Join us for two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Hemp, and more!

Join us for two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Hemp, and more!

Join us for two days filled with informative sessions on Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Small Fruit, Grapes, Hemp, and more!

Join us for a morning of hands-on pruning discussion and demonstration with Dr. Terence Robinson.  Terence will walk us through the key steps of pruning the tall spindle orchard, and will also review pruning techniques for other orchard systems commonly grown across the Capital Region. Please note this meeting will be held the morning following our annual winter conference in Albany.

February 27 - Cracking Into NYS Nut Production - Sam Bosco, PhD candidate, School of Integrated Plant Science, Cornell.  

Interested in learning about a valuable, highly nutritious food crop that grows well on marginal land and helps combat climate change? Go nuts! Temperate nuts are an emerging crop with a powerful potential for the future of sustainable NYS agriculture. Get introduced to the basics of growing nuts and receive an overview of the nut-work of people planting the seeds of a new industry. 

2-day, hands-on workshop to explore best practices in supervising farm employees in Millbrook, NY

March 5 - Adding Poultry to Your Small Farm - Jason Detzel, CCE Ulster Co. and Ashley Pierce, CCE CAAHP.  Jason and Ashley lead livestock and poultry educational programs in the Capital District and Hudson Valley regions of the state.  Poultry production is relatively low-investment with a quick turnaround time but farmers need specific skills to produce a product that is safe and profitable. This course will provide basic information to build a successful poultry enterprise.

Join experts from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell University, and the University of Georgia for a day full of updates on best practices for muck onion production in New York. Researchers will share the results from trials studying herbicide efficacy, pink root management in transplanted onions, Stemphylium leaf blight fungicide programs, timing of copper applications for reducing bacterial bulb rots, adjuvant selection and use, and more! 

The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) is pleased to provide an Agricultural Respirator Fit Testing Clinic for NYS DEC Region 3 which services the following counties: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. Clinic appointments will be held March 11 to 12, 2020 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County (CCEUC), 232 Plaza Road (Hannaford Plaza) in Kingston. 

Appointments are 1-hour long and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, only during the date range below. Groups of 8 workers can be seen at a time. Medical evaluations, fit tests, and trainings are available in both English and Spanish.

March 12 - Basics of Tree Fruit Production - Mike Basedow, CCE ENYCHP. Planting and managing apples, pears, and stone fruit is a rewarding hobby and business, but it's not as simple as planting and picking. There's a lot that goes into successful orcharding! Mike will provide some of the bare essentials to help you determine if growing tree fruit is right for you. 

Join us the morning of March 16 via webinar to review current best management practices for some of our most challenging insect, disease, and weed pests of New York stone fruit orchards.  Speakers include Dr. Art Agnello, Dr. Kerik Cox, and Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie.

Join us the morning of March 16 via webinar to review current best management practices for some of our most challenging insect, disease, and weed pests of New York stone fruit orchards.  Speakers include Dr. Art Agnello, Dr. Kerik Cox, and Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie.

CANCELLED - this class will be available online at a later date, check back for updates - 2-day, hands-on workshop to explore best practices in supervising farm employees at CCE Orleans County in Albion, NY

"Thus meeting has been CANCELLED due to low regsitration numbers- to be rescheduled at a later date.

CANCELLED - Specific test areas of concern can be discussed via phone click event for more details

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.

*This event is postponed until further notice.*

Have farm employees that need recertification credits? At this meeting, we will cover the basics of integrated pest management, including how to monitor traps, evaluate insect thresholds, and use prediction models to better manage common orchard pests of Northern New York.   In the second portion of the meeting we will discuss as a group IPM tactics for managing apple scab, phytophthora root and crown rot, plum curculio, tarnished plant bug, and some common weeds in the orchard.  We will also review sprayer safety.  

We will be offering 2 DEC recertification credits in categories 1a, 10, and 22.  

This one-day educational program is co-sponsored by UConn Extension, USDA Risk Management Agency and the CT Agricultural Experiment Station.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from UConn Extension and a cooperative effort of UConn Extension and the USDA Risk Management Agency.

Five pesticide recertification credits have been approved for this event for attendees from all New England States. 

The point of a pollinator habitat is to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. 

We look at the insects we found in our plots and discuss whether they are 'good' or 'bad' and what benefits this may have for your environment.

Join us for a morning of hands-on pruning discussion and demonstration with Dr. Terence Robinson.  Terence will walk us through the key steps of pruning the tall spindle orchard, and will also review pruning techniques for other orchard systems commonly grown across the Champlain Valley.

March 19 - Food Safety for Small Farms - Elisabeth Hodgdon, CCE ENYCHP. Elisabeth is a regional vegetable specialist and farm food safety lead for the ENYCHP. She is actively involved in high tunnel research, invasive pest management, and pesticide and food safety education. In the final segment of our series, Elisabeth will guide the audience through a thoughtful approach to designing diversified farming systems with food safety in mind.   

CCE prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of the communities we serve. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and due to an abundance of caution, our Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Workshop that was to be  held on March 19 at CCE-Wayne in Newark has been cancelled.  We hope to have the course in June, you'll be notified when we reschedule.

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.

CCE prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of the communities we serve. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and due to an abundance of caution, the Pruning Workshops at both locations on March 23rd and 25th have been cancelled.  However, the content will be videoed and the recording will be made available to all of our enrollees shortly thereafter. Look for an email with the information later next week or early the week of March 30.

CANCELLED -

A Certification Exam will be administered on March 24th at 9am by the DEC to Qualified Applicants. 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 Avon DEC office @ 607-622-8290.

CCE prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of the communities we serve. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and due to an abundance of caution, the Pruning Workshops at both locations on March 23rd and 25th have been cancelled.  However, the content will be videoed and the recording will be made available to all of our enrollees shortly thereafter. Look for an email with the information later next week or early the week of March 30.

Join us via webinar to learn about bloom thinning with the pollen tube growth model.  We will hear from Dr. Greg Peck, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Cornell University in Ithaca.  

View Details for Update on Annual Fit Testing Requirements and Temporary Exemptions here https://www.nycamh.org/programs-and-services/respirator-fit-test-clinics.php

Click details for temporary enforcement guidance on Annual Fit Testing.         

- CANCELLED - In a collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne County, Wayne County Farm Bureau and the Finger Lakes Occupational Health Services (FLOHS), we are offering the opportunity for Fit Test and Training provided by the FLOHS.

Topics that will be covered:

• Extend pollination period to enhance fruit set in apples, pears and cherries
• Improve fruit set following a frost event
• Improved branching and revitalizing blind wood
• Improved vigor on new plantings
• Control of San Jose scale and codling moth
• Long-lasting weed control in young orchards

UPDATE: NYS DEC has approved a revised Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Special Permit Training (SPT) Program for 2020 that accommodates current restrictions on public meetings, recommendations for social distancing, and projected delays in H2A guest worker processing.  Our previously announced SPT in-person training sessions scheduled in Wayne and Orleans counties for April 7 and 8 have been cancelled.  However, a recorded webinar is being developed that will satisfy the requirements. Registration deadline for this Revised Special Permit Training is April 3rd.

View Details for more info.

Special Permits (SP) will only be issued for specific pesticide labels and SP trainees will have to pass a test. This will relieve the certified pesticide applicator from "on-site within voice contact" supervision of non-certified pesticide applicators when they are handling federally-restricted-use pesticides for which they hold a Special Permit.

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.

THIS IN-PERSON EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BUT A REVISED PROGRAM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED.  REVISED PROGRAM & REGISTRATION

Special Permits (SP) will only be issued for specific pesticide labels and SP trainees will have to pass a test. This will relieve the certified pesticide applicator from "on-site within voice contact" supervision of non-certified pesticide applicators when they are handling federally-restricted-use pesticides for which they hold a Special Permit.

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.

THIS IN-PERSON EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BUT A REVISED PROGRAM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED.  REVISED PROGRAM & REGISTRATION

Special Permits (SP) will only be issued for specific pesticide labels and SP trainees will have to pass a test. This will relieve the certified pesticide applicator from "on-site within voice contact" supervision of non-certified pesticide applicators when they are handling federally-restricted-use pesticides for which they hold a Special Permit.

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.

Topics that will be covered:

• Timing and use of PGR to optimize fruit size and quality
• Thinning and sizing
• Russet control plus improved fruit quality
• Codling moth, leaf rollers and San Jose scale protection

**This event has been CANCELLED**

The Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University, the University of Vermont and CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture are hosting a workshop on Cleaning, Sanitizing and Hygienic Design. 

This one-day workshop will include:

• A brief review of produce safety
• Presentations focused on cleaning, sanitizing and drying best practices
• An introduction to hygienic design principles
• Several hands on exercises to reinforce cleaning, sanitizing and hygienic design concepts

Weekly Berry Office Hours held on Thursdays at 12:30pm via Zoom or on your phone.  Format will be a short, in-depth presentation about a production issue and then Q&A.

Daily, folks are being bombarded with news on the effects of COVID-19 in our industry.  On Thursday 4/23 at 7pm, Nicole Tommell, Farm Business Specialist CCE CNYDLFC, Myron Thurston CCE Madison Ag Economic Development & Marketing Specialist and Liz Higgins Ag Business Specialist, CCE Eastern NY Horticulture Team will give an update on the USDA COVID-19 relief package announced by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on 4/20. 

Got commercial vegetable questions? Get LIVE answers every Thursday night from 7:00-8:00pm! This event is hosted on Zoom or you can call in for farmer-driven production conversations, dynamic troubleshooting with CCE Specialists, and photo diagnostics of crop issues and pests. Learn how to identify the pests affecting your crops.

The USDA Risk Management Agency and Agralytica will conduct a listening session for grower and stakeholder feedback about potential revenue coverage options for apple crop insurance.

For New York State stakeholders the sessions will be:

In light of what we understand about the spread of COVID-19, new management practices will be needed to protect your U-Pick farm team and your customers. This will take some more planning as well as possibly adding more staff to your team. 

Join free webinar today - click details for link.