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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Events - month view

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November 2019

Tarping for Reduced Tillage Workshop

November 2 - November 19, 2019

Tarping for Reduced Tillage Workshop
Are you a vegetable farmer already using tarps? Or are you wondering if and how tarps could work best on your farm?

The Cornell Small Farms Program is excited to announce a series of workshops on tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale vegetable systems, to be held in Maine and New York this fall. The Reduced Tillage (RT) project of the Cornell Small Farms Program supports farmers in adopting scale-appropriate RT practices that can lead to healthy, productive soils and greater profitability. Through the evaluation of novel tools and methods using systems-based field research and on-farm trials, the project helps farmers learn about the approaches that can work for their farm. This work is accomplished in collaboration with the University of Maine, and with support from Northeast SARE.

2019 WNY Master Class for Bilingual Orchard Crew Members

November 9 - December 13, 2019
TBA

WNY Master Class Schedule

Winter Greens High Tunnel Tour

November 13, 2019
9:30am - 4:00pm
Willsboro, NY

Winter Greens High Tunnel Tour
Join us for a tour of overwintered high tunnel greens. Our first stop will be the Willsboro Research Farm, where we will visit our spinach nitrogen fertility experiment, discuss research results, and view a sous vide hot water seed treatment demonstration. Following an early lunch, we will carpool across the lake via the ferry to the Intervale Community Farm in Burlington, Vermont. The Intervale has been providing organic vegetables to the greater Burlington area for 30 years and has a 600 member CSA. Farm manager Andy Jones will discuss their evolving winter greens production practices, including variety selection, soil fertility, irrigation, and food safety practices. After touring their high tunnels and new wash/pack shed, we will return to Willsboro.

Learn About Using the H-2A Program on Small Farms

November 18, 2019
1:30pm - 4:00pm
Schenectady, NY

Learn About Using the H-2A Program on Small Farms
Are you worried about labor next season on your farm?
Are you wondering if the H-2A program will make sense on your farm?

The H-2A program allows US employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the US to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Join us to learn about how to use the H-2A program on small farms. Learn from US DOL H-2A staff and a CSA vegetable farmer, with experience using H-2A, about what it takes to use the program.

Labor Road Show III

November 18 - November 22, 2019
8:30am-4pm

Labor Road Show III
All New York farm employers are affected by new laws that take effect beginning January 1, 2020! New York Labor Road Show III is your opportunity to learn about the changes and position your business for compliance and success in a very different environment.

Farm Transition Planning - Preserving Your Legacy: Workshop November 19 in Monroe County

November 19, 2019
8:30am-12:30pm
East Rochester, NY

Agriculture is a vital piece of the New York State economy. Our farmers continue to provide jobs and fresh, locally-grown food while helping preserve our land on approximately 7 million acres - nearly a quarter of the state's area. As an economic sector, agriculture contributes over $2.4 billion to the state's gross domestic product and, despite challenges such as fluctuating prices, seasonality, climate or labor issues that are so characteristic to this industry, our farms remain strong.

Press Conference for Harvest Connection

November 20, 2019
11:00am
Troy, NY

Please join us for refreshments in the cozy farm store at 11am to hear more about he Harvest Connection app by Cornell Cooperative Extension Rensselaer County.

November Last Monday Grant Webinar for Fruit and Vegetable Growers

November 25, 2019
4:00 pm

Are you curious about what grants are available to help your farm business?

To help disseminate information on grants on a consistent basis, ENYCH is offering a "current grants" webinar on the last Monday of every month at 4:00pm

Each month's webinar focuses on 1 grant.  The November webinar topic is TBD.

December 2019

(Program Cancelled) Understanding Farm Taxes and the Schedule F for Beginners

December 4, 2019
Cancelled
Cobleskill, NY

We have cancelled the tax program due to low pre-enrollment.

Reduced Tillage on Muck Soils: Results from Two Years of Squash Trials

Event Offers DEC Credits

December 5, 2019
10:15am-1:00pm
Pine Island, NY

Reduced Tillage on Muck Soils: Results from Two Years of Squash Trials
ENYCH Vegetable Specialists Ethan Grundberg and Chuck Bornt will discuss results from two years of trialing different cover crop and tillage combinations on muck soil to suppress weeds and harvest cleaner squash.

A complimentary catered lunch will be provided after the program.

Effective Management of Farm Employees: Two-Day Master Class December 9-10 in Orleans County

December 9 - December 10, 2019
10am-4pm
Albion, NY

The Effective Management of Farm Employees Master Class is for you if you are a new farm owner or farm manager or you want to improve your skills in HR management. This program will give you the skills you need to effectively hire, train and supervise your farm's employees. The class will be conducted at the Orleans County CCE office on December 9th & 10th.

2019 Lake Ontario Fruit Advisory Meeting

December 12, 2019
tentatively 9:30am-3:30pm
Spencerport, NY

Please join us for our annual winter advisory meeting where you can spend time with the Lake Ontario Fruit Program team reviewing the team's educational programs and most importantly providing us feedback. Advisory meetings are important for the team to ensure that our programs and research are aligned with the industry's needs.

December Second- to - Last Monday Grant Webinar for Fruit and Vegetable Growers

December 23, 2019
4:00 pm

Are you curious about what grants are available to help your farm business?

To help disseminate information on grants on a consistent basis, ENYCH is offering a "current grants" webinar on the last Monday of every month at 4:00pm.  The December webinar will take place on Dec 23 - the second to last Monday, because of the winter holidays.

Each month's webinar focuses on 1 grant.  The December webinar topic is TBD.

January 2020

Introduction to Winter Growing Webinar

January 2, 2020
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Webinar

Join vegetable specialists Elisabeth Hodgdon (ENYCHP) and Judson Reid (Cornell Vegetable Program) for a webinar on winter vegetable production in high tunnels.

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course - Albion

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 9, 2020
8am registration/refreshments, program begins promptly at 8:30am - 5:30pm, lunch provided
Orlean County Cooperative Extension
Albion, NY

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course - Albion

Who Should Attend

Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.'
8am registration/refreshments, program begins promptly at 8:30am, lunch is provided, meeting adjourns at 5:30pm. Note the reduced registration thanks to grant funds from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets and the Niagara County Farm to School Program!

Apple IPM :: Basics for Orchard Employees

January 10, 2020
1:00pm - 3:30pm
CCE Saratoga County
Ballston Spa, NY

Have farm employees that need recertification credits? We will be covering 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.

We will also discuss IPM tactics for managing apple scab, fire blight, obliquebanded leafroller, apple maggot, and some common weeds in the orchard.

2020 Empire State Producers Expo, Berry Sessions

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 13 - January 16, 2020
All Day - Jan 14-16, Becker Forum is Jan 13, PSA Grower Training Course is Jan 14
OnCenter
Syracuse, NY

This annual show combines the major fruit, flower and vegetable associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York producers, as well as neighboring states and Eastern Canada. In years past over 100 presentations were given by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.

2020 Empire State Producers Expo, Becker Forum, PSA Grower Training Course

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 13 - January 16, 2020
All Day - Jan 14-16, Becker Forum is Jan 13, PSA Grower Training Course is Jan 14
OnCenter
Syracuse, NY

This annual show combines the major fruit, flower and vegetable associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York producers, as well as neighboring states and Eastern Canada. In years past over 100 presentations were given by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.

Apple IPM Intensive Workshop - A Certificate Program - At the 2020 Empire Producer's Expo

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 15 - January 16, 2020
Wednesday 2pm - 5pm, Thursday 9am - 12pm (see agenda for details)
OnCenter
Syracuse, NY

See details for detailed time and topic agenda. 

Precision Pruning for Apple Crop Load Management

January 30, 2020
1:30pm - 3:00pm
CCE Clinton County
Plattsburgh, NY

Crop load management begins well ahead of petal fall!

Join Mike Basedow as he reviews preliminary results from the 2019 Champlain Valley precision pruning trials and offers some suggestions on how commercial orchards can incorporate these principles into their own pruning program heading into the 2020 growing season.

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

2024 Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings

Event Offers DEC Credits

April 25, 2024 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings 1 of 4
Newark, NY

Join specialists Janet Van Zoeren, Anya Osatuke, and Anna Wallis for a conversation about fruit and berry phenology and pest management, at a new location each month.


Event Offers DEC Credits

May 30, 2024 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings 2 of 4
Lockport, NY

Join specialists Janet Van Zoeren, Anya Osatuke, and Anna Wallis for a conversation about fruit and berry phenology and pest management, at a new location each month.


Event Offers DEC Credits

June 27, 2024 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings 3 of 4
Penn Yan, NY

Join specialists Janet Van Zoeren, Anya Osatuke, and Anna Wallis for a conversation about fruit and berry phenology and pest management, at a new location each month.


Event Offers DEC Credits

July 25, 2024 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings 4 of 4
Mexico, NY

Join specialists Janet Van Zoeren, Anya Osatuke, and Anna Wallis for a conversation about fruit and berry phenology and pest management, at a new location each month.

2nd Annual WNY Fruit Grower Tour

August 13, 2024

We are excited to announce the second annual Western New York Fruit Grower Tour, the premier fruit tour of the northeast brought to you by Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program and Lake Ontario Ag Consulting, LLC!  Located in Orleans County, this orchard field day will highlight new and existing products, chemistries, practices, technologies & equipment that shape the orchard industry today. The Western NY Fruit Grower Tour will again combine two past orchard tour events, the LOF Summer Fruit Tour and the Wayne County Fruit Grower Tour, giving industry members the opportunity to conveniently showcase their product offerings to ONE unified group at ONE time and place!

Save the Date - Western NY Fruit Conference - February 4-5, 2025

Event Offers DEC Credits

February 4 - February 5, 2025 : Western NY Fruit Conference
Rochester, NY

For the 2nd year in a row, we'll be having the Western NY Fruit Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Rochester!  It will be another 1 1/2 day conference. Stay tuned for program and registration info as we get closer.

Announcements

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


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

2024 Events:

15 Apr - Virtual Orchard IPM Scout Training - 2-4pm - Zoom

17 Apr - Final Special Permit Training - 1pm-5pm - Irondequoit Library, Register by 8am April 16th

22 Apr - Statewide Virtual Pink Meeting - 3pm-4:30pm - Zoom

13 Aug - 2nd Annual WNY Fruit Grower Tour - Orleans County

Feb 4-5, 2025 - Western NY Fruit Conference - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Rochester



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


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



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


PACMAN Details and Resources, Meeting Recording Links below:




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.