Harvest/Storage
HARVEST/STORAGE CATEGORIES
Relevant Event
Advisory Committee Meeting - Program & Project Updates
February 26, 2025
Spencerport, NY
2025 Western New York Fruit Conference Presentations
SPARC - Strengthening Pear and Apple Resilience to Climate
Extreme temperature events—both heat and cold—have resulted in recent annual insurable losses exceeding $80 million for the U.S. apple and pear industry. We are working to better understand the physiological responses of apple and pear trees to extreme temperatures and seeking to identify the genetic control of those responses, to help growers choose the best varieties to grow. Click "read details" to learn more and support this effort by completing the survey (available in English & Spanish).
The Use of PGR's Near Harvest in 2024
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Precision Apple Crop Load MANagement - PACMAN
PACMAN Research and Extension teams are entering their forth year of the USDA/NIFA/SCRI funded research and Extension project titled "Precision Crop Load Management for Apples". See what they have learned about vision based technologies and potential management implications
2024 Western NY Fruit Conference Materials
Presentations can be found in pdf format here after the conference, pending publication permission from author.
Local Fruit Industry Employment Opportunities
The Lake Ontario Fruit Program would like to offer this space on our website to help the local fruit industry bring future employers and employees together. If you are looking for a local fruit industry job click on more details to see what is available.
Subscribe Now for Harvest Maturity Reports!
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Now is the time to renew your subscriptions to the Harvest Maturity Reports if you have not done so. Your $75 subscription (if in the Lake Ontario Fruit Program partner counties of Niagara, Monroe, Orleans, Oswego and Wayne) gets you critical information on a weekly basis during apple harvest. Fruit samples are collected early in the week from across the region and sampled for internal ethylene concentration, firmness, starch/iodine, and total soluble solids. Results are summarized and recommendations for harvest windows of major apple and pear varieties are either faxed or emailed to subscribers late in the week. Satellite subscribers outside of the four county regions can receive reports as well, for $100.
Lake Ontario Fruit Webinar Recording & Video Links
LOF Fruit Bites
See details to check out quick "how to" videos on a variety of fruit and orchard topics.
2020 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School
This all day event provided 2 near-identical programs available on the West and East sides of Rochester on consecutive days. We are featured 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. Pdfs for most of the presentations are now available.
Storage Workshop Key Takeaways
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Mike Basedow and Dan Donahue, CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture
We both attended Chris Watkin's Cornell Storage Workshop in Ithaca on August 8th, 2019, and thought we would share the main takeaways. We've included some recent recommendations for Honeycrisp, Gala, NY-1, NY-2, Mac, Cortland, and Empire, along with a quick comparison of utilizing dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage and 1-MCP.
Reflective Ground Cover For Coloring Apples At Harvest: Could Yield Revenue
Position Open, Business Management Specialist
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Reflective ground cover has been used in fruit-growing regions for a number of years now. The Lake Ontario Fruit Team conducted a field trial in 2018 of reflective ground cover at two Wayne County farms. The infographic contains information about reflective groundcovers including the quality and economic benefits found in the study and additional information on types of groundcovers and suppliers.
Empire State Producers EXPO proceeding link
Links to proceedings and resources listed in presentations from the EXPO can be found here.
New CCE LOF Videos
Produce Donations for Hurricane Relief
NYS Fruit & Vegetable growers are getting together some loads of "hard" crops (apples, onions, cabbage, winter squash and anything else you think will last a week at room temperature) to send down to TX and, likely, Florida. Feeding America is handling transportation. You will all receive a record of donation.
Dates are weekly to help donations be delivered to where they can be most efficiently used over the next month while emergency feeding continues. More locations can be considered if we can get the pallet count to fill a truck at that locations.
Please see the attached PDF for more details and contact Maire Ulrich ASAP if you are interested in donating! (Maire: 845-742-4342/ e-mail mru2@cornell.edu/ office 845-344-1234 )
Predicted CA Cutoff Model for McIntosh
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
MAF Sizer/Grader for Sale
Mario Miranda Sazo, Cultural Practices
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
MAF Pomone 2-lane Optiscan 2000 fruit sizer/grader with Orphea software and CCD camerafrom the Terence Robinson research program at the NYSAES in Geneva, NY. Manufactured in 1994 and purchased in 1996 as a prior demonstration machine and used to grade bushel sized samples of apples, pears, and peaches for quality comparison and research purposes. Unit is 32 feet long. Currently operating one-lane due to lack of parts. As is. Buyer incurs removal cost and labor. Must be removed by July 28th. Price reduced to $5,000. For more information contact Peter Herzeelle
ph373@cornell.edu, 315-781-2602.
Platform Payback Tool
This financial tool will assist growers in determining the annual savings by investing in a platform for pruning, hand thinning and harvest. Platforms eliminate the use of ladders and create a consistent work flow that improves labor productivity for labor intensive tasks in orchard systems.
Apple Harvest Preparation Checklist
Matthew Wells, Production Economics & Business Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Utilize this pre-harvest checklist to ensure you have a successful harvest. You can modify the checklist to suit your specific business.
Predicting Harvest Date Windows for Apples
For highest returns many factors need to be considered for harvesting fruit. Harvest date has a major impact on apple quality after storage. The following pdf can be used to determine the best harvest window for apples.
Apple Harvesting, Handling, and Storage
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
NYRAES-112, This publication is the proceedings from the Harvesting, Handling, and Storage Workshop, held on August 14, 1997 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Ten papers are included: "Management of Gala, Braeburn, and Fuji for Quality"; "Effect of Retainª on Storability of Apple Fruit"; "Retain™ Experiences with McIntosh and Jonagold in New York"; "Current Issues Facing Washington State Fruit Growers"; "Calibration and Use of Penetrometers, Refractometers, Gas Monitoring Equipment, and Thermometers"; "Review of Cooling Needs for Rapid CA Storage"; "Recent Research and Changing Options for Controlling Postharvest Decays of Apples"; "Do I Sell My Fruit for Fresh or Processing Markets? A Spreadsheet-Based Analysis"; "Update on Calcium and DPA Research"; and "Fresh and Minimally Processed Produce and Food Safety."(1997)
Produce Handling for Direct Marketing
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
NRAES-51, Successful direct marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables depends on providing quality items in a clean and customer-friendly environment. This publication is valuable for growers who sell seasonal produce at local farmers' markets or roadside markets. It describes postharvest physiology, food safety, produce handling from harvest to storage, refrigerated storage, produce displays, and specific handling and display recommendations for over forty types of fruits and vegetables. Eleven tables and eight figures are included. (1992)
Successful direct marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables depends on providing quality items in a clean and customer-friendly environment. Produce Handling for Direct Marketing, NRAES-51, is an invaluable guide for the grower who sells seasonal produce at local farmers' markets or roadside markets.
The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
The information contained in this preliminary version of HB-66 has been assembled from information prepared by nearly 100 authors from around the world. The version posted here is a revised copy of a Draft made available online in November 2002 for author and public review and comment.
Blueberry Harvest & Postharvest Handling 2012
Blueberries are one of the toughest of the small fruit we harvest in the Northeast, so they are more forgiving in their handling. However, proper harvest and postharvest handling techniques will make for a higher quality product that has an extended storage and shelf life. Since nearly all of the blueberry plantings in our region are harvested by hand for the fresh market, training pickers becomes extremely important.
Bramble Harvest & Postharvest Handling 2012
Brambles (raspberries and blackberries) are the most delicate of the small fruit we harvest in the Northeast, so special care must be taken in their handling. Since nearly all of the bramble operations in our region are harvested by hand for the fresh market, training pickers becomes extremely important.
Forced-Air Cooling to Improve Berry Quality & Shelf-Life
Berries are an extremely perishable crop, mainly due their brittle nature and high respiration rates. This is especially true of raspberries and strawberries, while blueberries, currants, and gooseberries are somewhat hardier. For every one hour delay in cooling of fruit after harvest, it is estimated that your produce will lose one day of shelf-life.
Extending Shelf-Life, Marketing Window, & Quality of Sweet Cherries in New York
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Craig J. Kahlke1, Olga I. Padilla-Zakour2, Herbert J. Cooley2, and Terence L. Robinson3
1. Lake Ontario Fruit Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Lockport, NY. 2. Dept. of Food Science and Technology, NY State Ag. Exp. Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY. 3. Dept. of Hort. Sciences, NY State Ag. Exp. Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY
The results of 6 years of trials in New York with the use of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) are summarized. Some varieties, such as Hudson and Sam, had excellent eating quality after 6 weeks of storage in MAP liners. Many others had acceptable eating quality at 4-5 weeks. Still others had good eating quality in the same time frame, but some lost stems at an accelerated rate after about 3.5 weeks. Trials on over 20 varieties are summarized in Table 2.
Still more trials need to be performed by individual growers, using their preferred varieties and cultural practices. It takes relatively few cherries (50-100 pounds) and just a few dollars in MAP liners to conduct a trial.
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
January 7, 2025 : Session 1: The 30,000-foot view, what are you trying to accomplish? What resources do you have?
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 1: The 30,000-foot view, what are you trying to accomplish? What resources do you have?
January 14, 2025 : Session 2: Introduction to Project Management
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 2: Introduction to Project Management
January 21, 2025 : Session 3: How Business Planning Becomes a Business Plan
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
- Session 3: How Business Planning Becomes a Business Plan
January 28, 2025 : Session 4: Your Market and Your Competition
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
Session 4: Your Market and Your Competition
February 4, 2025 : Session 5: Revenue and Product Mix to Achieve Your Goals
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
- Session 5: Revenue and Product Mix to Achieve Your Goals
February 11, 2025 : Session 6: Marketing Plan and Evaluation of Marketing Efforts
Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm (Bonnie Nelsen)
- Session 6: Marketing Plan and Evaluation of Marketing Efforts
February 18, 2025 : Session 7: The Basics of Financial Statements
Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
- Session 7: The Basics of Financial Statements
February 25, 2025 : Session 8: Enhancing Confidence in Your Numbers
Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
- Session 8: Enhancing Confidence in Your Numbers
March 4, 2025 : Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise
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
Advisory Committee Meeting - Program & Project Updates
February 26, 2025
Spencerport, NY
Please join us for our advisory meeting, join the team as they share their current and future projects and programming. Please pre-register by noon on February 24th.
Farm Grant Literacy Workshop
January 16, 2025 : Session 1: Understanding Farm Grant Opportunities
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
January 23, 2025 : Session 2: Identifying Farm Grant Opportunities
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
January 30, 2025 : Session 3: How To Read and Interpret Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
February 13, 2025 : Session 4: Panelists - Rescheduled
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
February 20, 2025 : Session 5: Panelists
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
February 27, 2025 : Session 6: Panelists
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!
March 6, 2025 : Session 4: Panelists - Rescheduled
GRANT MONEY FOR YOUR FARM? IT'S POSSIBLE! THIS WORKSHOP WILL SHOW YOU HOW!