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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  • Helpful Diagnostic Tool:
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Events - month view

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May 2015

CANCELED: Northeastern NY Vineyard Workshop 2 - Vineyard Pest Management, Champlain Valley

May 6, 2015
Willsboro, NY

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED
This workshop will cover essential vineyard pest management practices. We will cover major vineyard pests, IPM strategies, and resources available to help guide you. Andrew Landers, pesticide application technology specialist from Cornell, will provide information about effective pesticide application, including sprayer calibration. Bring your sprayer if you'd like to learn how to calibrate your own equipment.

Northeastern NY Vineyard Workshop 2 - Vineyard Pest Management, Upper Hudson Valley

May 7, 2015
4:30 - 7:00 PM
Schaghticoke, NY

This workshop will cover essential vineyard pest management practices. We will cover major vineyard pests, IPM strategies, and resources available to help guide you. Andrew Landers, pesticide application technology specialist from Cornell, will provide information about effective pesticide application, including sprayer calibration. Bring your sprayer if you'd like to learn how to calibrate your own equipment.

RESCHEDULED: Vineyard Pest Management, Champlain Valley - WEBINAR

May 13, 2015
Plattsburgh, NY

THIS EVENT IS RESCHEDULED (original date: Wednesday 5/6)
This webinar will cover essential vineyard pest management practices. Wayne Wilcox will cover major vineyard pests, IPM strategies, and resources available to help guide you. Andrew Landers will provide information about effective pesticide application, including sprayer calibration. 

The webinar will also be available remotely! 

CANCELED - Northeastern NY Vineyard Workshop 3 - Site Evaluation and Establishment, Champlain Valley

May 16, 2015
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Essex, NY

THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELED

This workshop will cover the basic considerations for selecting a site for your future vineyard and how to establish a new planting. Jay White of Essex, NY and Mike Spiak of The Fossil Stone Vineyard will describe their experiences selecting property, preparing land, and planning their vineyards. The Champlain Valley location will include a hands-on planting workshop.

Northeastern NY Vineyard Workshop 4 - Business Management, Upper Hudson Valley

May 20, 2015
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Saratoga County, NY

This workshop will cover the basics of business management for vineyards and wineries. Bob Weybright, CCE business and marketing specialist, will provide business planning guidance for establishing a vineyard. He will also discuss considerations for obtaining a winery license and marketing your wine. Sarah Johnston will provide information on risk management, and how to obtain insurance for your valuable investment.

Produce Wash Station Set up **CANCELLED**

May 27, 2015
10:30 am-1 pm
Palatine Bridge, NY, NY

**THIS PROGRAM IS BEING RESCHEDULED. A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED.**Join the Cornell Vegetable Program's Robert Hadad to learn how to design, build, and operate a small-scale, DIY post-harvest handling system! This great workshop will focus on the trifecta of good washing and handling—food safety, maintaining high quality and efficiency, and affordability for new and small growers. The session starts with a discussion and hands-on demonstration of how to design and set-up your wash line, tables, and packing shed, with a focus on safe and efficient product flow to separate 'dirty' field harvested produce from the washed and “clean” final product. Next, we'll look at setting up standard operating practices covering a range of methods of washing produce, including dunking, spraying, and aerating, as well as the why and how of using organic sanitizers. This session finishes with an examination of clean-up procedures and post-harvest handling considerations, including re-cooling, packing, and storage. If you want to build or upgrade your wash lines and post-harvest handling techniques and produce a safer, longer storing product, this workshop is for you!

Northeastern NY Vineyard Workshop 4 - Business Management, Champlain Valley

May 27, 2015
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Plattsburgh, NY

This workshop will cover the basics of business management for vineyards and wineries. Bob Weybright, CCE business and marketing specialist, will provide business planning guidance for establishing a vineyard. He will also discuss considerations for obtaining a winery license and marketing your wine. Sarah Johnston will provide information on risk management, and how to obtain insurance for your valuable investment.

June 2015

LOF Summer Fruit Tour -Wednesday, June 17 Featuring the Wayne County Fruit Industry

June 17, 2015
8:00 AM registration, program runs from 8:30 AM - 4 PM

Online Registration is now CLOSED - To pre-register, call Kim Hazel at 585-798-4265, ex 26.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension - Lake Ontario Summer Fruit Tour in Western NY will be held significantly earlier than usual this year due to Dr. Terence Robinson's upcoming sabbatical. It will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. We will feature tree fruit production technology and grower innovations in Wayne County. The CCE-LOF team is making plans now with Cornell University faculty, and the growers in the region for this show-and-tell day of networking with the fruit industry. At the regional tours we typically reach 250 growers from across the state.

Now accepting sponsorships for this event. Click on "Sponsorship" on the bottom of this page, then click on "View Upcoming Events for Potential Sponsorship", and then on “View Sponsorship Details” on the event. You'll have the option to pay online or via check with a mail-in registration form.

2015 Champlain Summer Orchard Tour

June 30, 2015
9:30am - 4:00pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension and the UVM Apple Program invites area growers to join us on a tour of orchards in the southern Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York. Pack a lunch and join the caravan as we share ideas with our hosts and each other.

July 2015

Grapevine Canopy Management Workshop

Event Offers DEC Credits

July 7, 2015
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Wallkill, NY

Come join Jim O'Connell berry and grape educator for Cornell Cooperative Eastern New York Commerical Horticulture Program and Ulster County, with guest speaker Hans Walter-Peterson of the Finger Lakes Grape Program for a twilight meeting at Magnanini Far Winery in Wallkill. Hans will discuss the basics of vine canopy management and its importance in pest management and fruit load.

Hard Cider Producer and Apple Grower Networking Meeting

July 8, 2015
2:00PM - 5:00PM
Interlaken, NY

Join us for the first state-wide CCE Hard Cider Producer and Apple Grower Networking Meeting.

CANCELLED 2-Day GAPs Training in Peru

July 20 - July 21, 2015
Monday 8:30AM - 5:00PM, Tuesday 8:30AM - 3:00PM
Peru, NY

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

This two-day training will walk growers through the basics of food safety during day one and will help them write a food safety plan during day two. 

This training course will result in receiving the certificate which satisfies the training requirement for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

Blueberry Variety Review Field Day

July 21, 2015
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Schuylerville, NY

Blueberry Variety Review Field Day
Byron Winney has one of the largest plantings of blueberries in the state. Look at and taste more than a dozen different varieties and learn about winter hardiness, plant form, fruiting characteristics, plant longevity and pest tolerance first hand. There is no charge for this workshop, but please help us plan and register by calling Marcie at 518-272-4210. If you have questions, give Laura a call at 518-791-5038. The workshop is a rain or shine event.

Attention Apple Growers - Your Participation is Needed in a Climate Change Online Survey

July 23 - August 31, 2015

The Department of Geography and Planning at Buffalo State is conducting a study concerning changing weather patterns and their impact on apple growers in Western and Central New York. With the help of Craig Kahlke from the CCE, key areas of interest have been identified and with your first hand observations, changes in these key areas will be able to be identified and assessed for their impact on the local apple industry. We are asking any apple grower in the region, no matter the size of your orchard, to help us collect this data by taking a short survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/orchard_survey
Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you can opt out at any time. If you have any questions regarding the research contact Mike Borrelli at borrelm01@mail.buffalostate.edu. If you have any questions regarding your rights as a participant please contact Gina Game at gameg@buffalostate.edu. Thank you for your participation, your time, effort, and experience are greatly appreciated.

The First Annual Eastern NY Equipment Demonstration Day

July 25, 2015
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Rain or Shine)
Hurley, NY

Come and see some of the most innovative cultivation tools being produced by the world's leading manufacturers in action on a variety of vegetables and field crops!
This is a great opportunity to see new cultivating technologies at work and learn
more about the tools these companies offer. Find out if these tools are right for your
operation before you purchase them. Not only will we be looking at these units for
vegetables, but also field corn and soybeans- so there is something for everyone.

Wash Station and Food Safety Workshop

July 27, 2015
10am - 2:00pm
Palatine Bridge, NY

Wash Station and Food Safety Workshop

Please come join the Eastern New York Commercial Vegetable Program and Robert Hadad from the Cornell Vegetable Program to learn about the process of designing, building, and operating a small-scale, post-harvest handling system.


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
view calendar of events

Upcoming Events

2026 Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

Event Offers DEC Credits

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

Event Offers DEC Credits

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

Event Offers DEC Credits

February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game; Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

Announcements

Now Hiring!

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program -- a full-time, hybrid role supporting commercial fruit growers through education, applied research, and industry collaboration in western New York. See more details to determine if this role is right for you.

2026 Winter Fruit School Survey Link

2026 Winter Fruit School Survey

If you attended the 2026 Winter Fruit School. Please take a moment and let us know what you liked and how you think we can improve this event.

Event Survey Link https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Otvd7ylJ106HLo

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

2026 Events:

for more details click on event title

4 Mar - Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course: Week 2 - 4:30 - 6pm, Online, Free

9 Mar - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training Day 1 - 8:15am - 12:30pm, CCE Orleans, Reserve by March 1!


11 Mar - 2026 USDA-SCRI SPARC Heat School - 11:30am - 5:40pm, Wenatchee, WA, In-person learning hub in Waterport, NY, & Virtual.

11 Mar - Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course: Week 3 - 4:30 - 6pm, Online, Free

12 Mar - 2026 Cornell Winter Fruit Webinars: Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi - 11am - 12:30pm, Online, Register Now!


16 Mar - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Exam - 8:30am, CCE Orleans, Register with DEC by March 1st!

18 Mar - Postharvest Water Management, Sanitation, and Traceability Workshop - 9am - 4pm, CCE Orleans, Register Now! 2.75 DEC Credits available in 10,1a,22,23.

18 Mar - Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course: Week 4 - 4:30 - 6pm, Online, Free

19 Mar - 2026 Cornell Winter Fruit Webinars: St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast - 11am - 12:30pm, Online, Register Now!

20 Mar - Harmonized GAP Plus+ Plan Writing Session - 7:30am Sign-in, CCE Wayne, Register Now!

24 Mar - Pesticide Applicators Review Course & Exam - Day 1 - 9am - 1pm, CCE Wayne, Register Now!

25 Mar - Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course: Week 5 - 4:30 - 6pm, Online, Free


2 Apr - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Exam - 9am, CCE Wayne, Register Now!

30 July - 2026  Cornell Fruit Field Day, Geneva.  Stay tuned for updates.


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

2026 Recordings

2025 Recordings & Materials




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:




In Memory of Robert Brown II

With Deep Sadness, We Honor the Memory of Robert Brown II: A Cherished Friend, an Influential Leader in the Western NY Apple Industry, and a Remarkable Contributor to the Core Mission of CCE (May 23, 1955 -- November 23, 2025) see details https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=976&crumb=crops|crops|apples|crop*38

NEWA weather stations moving to a new dashboard!

NEWA weather stations purchased through Rainwise (now owned by KestrelMet) are moving to a new dashboard!



NYCAMH Fit Testing Requirements

Considering NYCAMH for your respirator fit testing?

Here are some key facts and helpful tips about medical clearance:

Medical Clearance ? Fit Testing (They are not the same!)

Before you can wear a respirator or be fit tested, OSHA requires a medical evaluation under the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). This evaluation must be conducted by a licensed healthcare provider to determine if you are physically able to use a respirator safely.

read details

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

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.