Lake Ontario Fruit Program Enrollment

Program Areas

  • Food Safety
  • Variety Evaluation
  • Market Development
  • Pest Management
  • Cultural Practices

Enrollment Benefits

  • Telephone / Email Consultations
  • Fruit Newsletter?
  • Direct Mailings
  • Educational Meetings & Conferences
  • In-Field Educational Opportunities
  • On-Farm Research Trials

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  • Issues of Fruit Newletters
  • Helpful Diagnostic Tool:
      What's wrong with my crop?

Events - month view

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March 2025

ENYCH Listed Event

Vegetable Workshop: Garlic and Brassicas

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 4, 2025
9:30am - 4:00pm
Whallonsburg Grange
Essex, NY

Cost: $20 per person (half day) or $30 per person (whole day)

Includes lunch for both half and full day registration. Registration options are: Half Day Morning (9:30am - 1:30pm), Half Day Afternoon (12:00pm - 4:00pm) or Full Day

Join us for a two-part workshop for vegetable growers focusing on garlic and brassica crops with additional general vegetable roundtable at the Whallonsburg Grange. Our morning session will include tips for growing great garlic from seed to postharvest, advice for managing the invasive leek moth, and discussion with a panel of experienced garlic growers. Brassica (cole) crops is the topic of our afternoon session, when pest and disease management, crop rotation, varieties, and planting dates will be discussed.

2 DEC pesticide recertification credits offered in categories 1A, 10, and 23. Must attend the whole day to receive credits. 

ENYCH Listed Event

From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan

January 7, 2025
January 14, 2025
January 21, 2025
January 28, 2025
February 4, 2025
February 11, 2025
February 18, 2025
February 25, 2025
March 4, 2025
: From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
3:00-4:30
zoom

Do you need a business plan for your farm?  Do you have an idea for a new venture, but aren't sure if it will work? This program is for you!

This course is designed for existing farm businesses or those planning to undertake a new farm business venture. Students will work with their farm's data, and the goal of the class is for participants to have a draft of a written business plan for a specific business venture.

During the course, you will learn to:

  • Assess whether or not a business idea is a good fit for you.
  • Develop a marketing strategy to make a profit
  • Use financial tools to evaluate if your business has the potential to be profitable

This online course meets from January 7-March 4, 2025.  All course content is available online so you can work on it at your own pace.  There will be weekly webinars where you can meet other students and interact directly with the instructor on the content.  These webinars will be recorded. 

From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan

March 4, 2025 : Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise
3 - 4:30pm
Webinar

Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)

  • Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise

ENYCH Listed Event

Northeast Extension Fruit Consortium 2025 Winter Webinar Series

Event Offers DEC Credits

February 12, 2025
February 19, 2025
February 26, 2025
March 5, 2025
March 12, 2025
: Northeast Extension Fruit Consortium Winter Webinar Series
12:00pm to 1:30pm
Zoom - different links for each webinar

February 12, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Brian Moyer, Penn State Extension will discuss 10 Common Marketing Mistakes

February 19, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Maria Gannett, UMass Extension Fruit and Vegetable Weed Specialist will discuss Basic Orchard Weed ID and Management.

February 26, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Anna Wallis, Senior Extension Associate, NYS Integrated Pest Management and Dr. Kerik Cox, Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, Cornell AgriTech will dig into Why Did My Scab Program Fail in 2024?

March 5, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Srdjan Acimovic Assistant Professor, Tree Fruit and Specialty Crop Pathologist at Virginia Tech University. This presentation will cover the biology and environmental conditions that favor bitter rot on apples; the management options and new areas of research this apple disease. 

March 12, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Jason Londo, Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section, Cornell AgriTech and Dr. Renae Moran, Tree Fruit Specialist Professor of Pomology, University of Maine will discuss Understanding Cold Hardiness Risks in Fruit Crops

Introduction to Tree Fruit Production

February 27, 2025
March 6, 2025
March 13, 2025
March 17, 2025
March 20, 2025
March 24, 2025
March 27, 2025
April 3, 2025

6:30pm - 8:30pm
Virtual

Thursdays: February 27 - April 3, with two additional Monday webinars on March 17 and March 24

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course, which offers eight live webinars for its 2025 offering, trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

ENYCH Listed Event

Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Prep Course

March 10, 2025
March 13, 2025
: Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Prep Course
8:30 am - 12:00 pm
In person at the Hudson Valley Research Lab
Highland, NY

Join ENYCHP specialists and NYSIPM for an in-depth review of topics covered on the NYS DEC pesticide applicator certification exam. This two-day course includes explanation of key concepts on the core exam, test-taking tips for the core and category exam, practice questions, and Q&A with instructors. 

2025 Wayne County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training

March 13, 2025 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 1
12:45pm Sign-In; 1pm - 5pm
Wayne County Cornell Cooperative Ext.
Newark, NY

2025 Wayne County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training

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.

ENYCH Listed Event

Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 17, 2025
January 31, 2025
February 14, 2025
February 28, 2025
March 14, 2025
: Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
11:00am to 12:30pm
Zoom - different links for each webinar

Week 1: Digging Into Pruning and Soil Health

Week 2: Cider Apples - Mechanized Harvesting and Patulin Food Safety

Week 3: The Value of "Eco-Friendly" Marketing - OMRI, Red Tomato, EcoApple, NYS Grown and Certified

Week 4: Biopesticides and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for Berries

Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day - Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management

Cornell Fruit Winter Webinars

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 14, 2025 : Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day: Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management
11:00am-12:30pm
Zoom

Speakers: Dr. George Sundin (Michigan State University) and Brett Blaauw (University of Georgia)

2025 Wayne County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training

March 17, 2025 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 2
1pm - 5pm
Wayne County Cornell Cooperative Ext.
Newark, NY

2025 Wayne County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training

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.

2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School - Honeycrisp & Other High Value Apple Cultivars

March 19 - March 20, 2025
Registration 8:30am W 8:45am - 4:30pm; T 8:45am - 3pm
DoubleTree by Hilton
East Syracuse, NY

2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School - Honeycrisp & Other High Value Apple Cultivars

Join us for this in depth review of the most successful cultural practices for growing challenging high value apple cultivars.

Hotel Room Block - Low Rates Expiring Soon!  Direct Booking Link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/syrdtdt-5dw-9dd06767-e6a3-4266-be8e-816ba353c1cb/ 

  Or call the hotel at 315-432-0200, and tell them the code: CORNELL IN DEPTH WORKSHOP

Online Registration is closed.  Still interested in attending?  Contact Craig Kahlke at 585-735-5448, or cjk37@cornell.edu.

Food Safety Updates: Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water (Subpart E) Update Webinar with Q & A - CANCELLED

March 21, 2025 : Food Safety Updates: Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water (Subpart E) Update Webinar with Q & A -CANCELLED
12-1:30 PM
Zoom

Webinar Cancelled.  Stay tuned for more info.

ENYCH Listed Event

Blueberry Pruning Workshop

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 26, 2025
10:00am - 12:00pm
Irona Berry Haven
Altona, NY

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

10 am - noon

 Irona Berry Haven

1897 Alder Bend Rd, Altona, NY 12910

$10 per farm

1 DEC credit requested in categories 1A, 10, and 22

Join us at Jeffrey Guerin's berry farm for a morning of pruning demonstrations, pest and disease identification, and more. Bring your own pruners so that you can learn by doing! Dress warmly for our workshop, which will be held outdoors. In the case of severe weather on the 26th, the workshop will be held at the same time on the 27th. Light refreshments will be provided.


ENYCH Listed Event

Champlain Valley Apple Pest Management Refresher

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 27, 2025
9:00am - 11:30am
American Legion Post 769
Chazy, NY

Join us in Chazy on March 27th for some pest management updates, and to receive some additional pesticide recertification credits for your farm's certified applicators! We will be offering 2.25 DEC recertification credits in categories 22, 10, and 1A. Light refreshments will be provided, and lunch following the meeting (sponsored by Valent) is optional.

$5 per employee

April 2025

ENYCH Listed Event

Blind Industry White Wine Tasting Workshop

April 1, 2025 : Blind Industry White Wine Tasting Workshop
9am - 12pm
Tousey Winery
Germantown, NY

Blind Industry White Wine Tasting Workshop

This event is a blind wine tasting for ENY grape industry members to get feedback from fellow growers and Cornell Enologists on unfinished white wines (hybrid, vinifera, etc.)

We respectfully request that only professional winemakers or commercial vineyard owners attend, as space is limited. Limit two wines per winery/vineyard.

Pre-registration is required.  For questions, please contact Jeremy Schuster at jds544@cornell.edu

Introduction to Tree Fruit Production

February 27, 2025
March 6, 2025
March 13, 2025
March 17, 2025
March 20, 2025
March 24, 2025
March 27, 2025
April 3, 2025

6:30pm - 8:30pm
Virtual

Thursdays: February 27 - April 3, with two additional Monday webinars on March 17 and March 24

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course, which offers eight live webinars for its 2025 offering, trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

2025 Respirator Fit Testing in Wayne County

April 17, 2025
Starts at 9am
Pultneyville Lodge
Pultneyville, NY

A one day clinic for respirator fit testing will be held in Wayne County on April 17th. Please be sure to register by April 7th, as space is limited. 

May 2025

Respirator Fit Testing in Orleans County

May 7, 2025 : Afternoon Clinic
12:30pm - 4:30pm
CCE Orleans County
Albion, NY

Afternoon respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 7th, save the date.

Respirator Fit Testing in Orleans County

May 8, 2025 : Morning Clinic
8am - 11am
CCE Orleans County
Albion, NY

Morning respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 8th, save the date.

more crops
Apples

Apples

Apricots

Apricots

Asian Pears

Asian Pears

Blueberries

Blueberries

Cherries

Cherries

Currants

Currants

Gooseberries

Gooseberries

Nectarines

Nectarines

Peaches

Peaches

Pears

Pears

Plums

Plums

Raspberries / Blackberries

Raspberries / Blackberries

Strawberries

Strawberries

Unusual Fruit

Unusual Fruit

more crops

Upcoming Events

Introduction to Tree Fruit Production

February 27, 2025
March 6, 2025
March 13, 2025
March 17, 2025
March 20, 2025
March 24, 2025
March 27, 2025
April 3, 2025

Thursdays: February 27 - April 3, with two additional Monday webinars on March 17 and March 24

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course, which offers eight live webinars for its 2025 offering, trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

2025 Respirator Fit Testing in Wayne County

April 17, 2025
Pultneyville, NY

A one day clinic for respirator fit testing will be held in Wayne County on April 17th. Please be sure to register by April 7th, as space is limited. 

Respirator Fit Testing in Orleans County

May 7, 2025 : Afternoon Clinic
Albion, NY

Afternoon respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 7th, save the date.


May 8, 2025 : Morning Clinic
Albion, NY

Morning respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 8th, save the date.

Announcements

2025 Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Recordings

Recordings now available on the NYIPM YouTube Channel 2025 Cornell Winter Webinar playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ccj8IT-8eI&list=PLoNb8lODb49u16HwAqx7Y_TS5S3vdkrON

SPARC Survey

Interested in strengthening pome fruit resilience to climate? Check out what 22 scientists from six states are joining forces to accomplish. Learn more and help support this effort by taking a quick survey at https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=948&crumb=crops|crops|apples|crop*38

Save the Date! - Scroll down for Upcoming Events

Have you missed a meeting recently? Scroll down for available recordings or pdf links or visits our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/LakeOntarioFruitProgram

2025 Events:

13 Mar - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now

13 Mar - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training - 12:45-5pm, Wayne CCE, Register Now

14 Mar - Cornell Winter Fruit Webinars: Week 3 - 11am-12:30pm, Free, Register Now!

17 Mar - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now

17 Mar - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training - 1-5pm, Wayne CCE, Register Now

20 Mar - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now



24 Mar - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now

27 Mar - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now

3 Apr - Introduction to Tree Fruit Production - Online Course, Register Now


7 & 8 May - 2025 Respirator Fit Testing Clinics - CCE Orleans


Webinar Recordings & Additional Meeting Materials

Check out the recordings of some recent webinars and/or conference materials from in person events: Recordings and Playlists are available at https://www.youtube.com/c/LakeOntarioFruitProgram


Recording of Precision Apple Cropload MANagement PACMAN technologies at the 2nd Annual WNY Fruit Grower Tour. https://youtu.be/yE6thvf4z0E

2024 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series - Water Wisdom: 






2024 Winter Fruit Webinars playlist on the NYS IPM Program YouTube Channel


PACMAN Details and Resources, Meeting Recording Links below:




Business Updates



Scaffolds podcast

Many of you probably read Art Agnello's statewide tree fruit updates and recommendations newsletter, "Scaffolds". Dr. Monique Rivera is bringing it back, but in a new audio version. Episode one was recorded this week, and is now available for free online at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scaffolds


NYS Tree Decline Survey

Your answers could help find the solution to tree decline in the orchard.

Food Safety Virtual Office Hours

Cornell Institute of Food Safety "Virtual Office Hours", Tuesdays Noon to 1pm https://cals.cornell.edu/institute-for-food-safety/resources/virtual-office-hours

Past recorded virtual office hours can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJs5b7KUuvfcquH3ZtQHo5dSmF2m5MdQ


Pollinator Resouces

Now available Pollinator Resource Links


Meeting Recordings Now Available

Did you miss the recent meeting?  Check and see if we recorded it and added it to our website or Lake Ontario Fruit Program YouTube Channel.

Honeycrisp Meetup recordings available here.

Why are my trees growing so poorly? recording available here.

Additional Recorded Webinars listing with recording and resource link are available at



New Publication on Growing Pawpaws

Are you a fan of pawpaws? These custardy fruits can be hard to come across, so this guide provides information on how to grow your own pawpaw from seed, and how to care for grafted seedlings. Pdf on growing now available.​ https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=799&crumb=crops|crops|unusual_fruit|crop*50

New Weed Management Technology Survey

Want to move away from herbicide reliance? Are you using novel technologies to manage weeds? We want to know about it to inform our weed science research. A team of weed scientists from University of California Davis, Oregon State University, and Cornell University are asking berry, tree fruit, tree nut, and vine crop growers to take 5 to 10 minutes and answer this short and anonymous survey. Weed Technology Survey link: https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEpfAijoP7puQDP

For more information on this survey please visit http://blogs.cornell.edu/swd1/2020/12/02/new-weed-management-technology/


Pollinator Webinar Series - Summer 2020

The Pollinator Webinar Series presented by Penn State cover bee health and pollination services.



Bloom Pesticides for Pollinator Health

A reference table created by Janet van Zoeren and Anna Wallis, is now available at https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=711&crumb=pests|pests.