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

Enrollee Login

Password:

Log In To Access:

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

Pests

Pests and diseases cause a major financial burden to fruit growers.  Provided below are links and information on management strategies for insects, diseases, and weeds; pest ID and biology; and new crop protectants, biological controls, pesticide regulations and safety. 


What's Wrong with My Crop?

A diagnosis and educational service
available only to our enrollees.


PESTS CATEGORIES


Disease Management in Stone Fruit and Strawberries

Last Modified: October 23, 2024

Review of disease management in stone fruit and berries during a wet season. 


Agriculturally Significant Fruit Fly Resources & Quick Guides - SWD & ECFF

Last Modified: May 22, 2024

Now available guides and links for European cherry fruit fly (ECFF) & spotted wing drosophila (SWD).


2023 Western NY Fruit Conference Materials

Last Modified: March 8, 2023

Conference presentations can be found in pdf format here, pending publication permission from author.


Past Webinar Recording Links

Last Modified: March 28, 2022

Check here for Lake Ontario Fruit Program hosted and/or promoted educational webinars that have been recorded and received permission for open publication.


NEWA 3.0 Workshop

Last Modified: March 8, 2022

The new NEWA 3.0 system is online (https://newa.cornell.edu/), and 2022 will be the first year when you will not be able to use the old version. If you have not yet looked at the new website, or if you have looked at it but weren't sure how to best use it, the "NEWA 3.0 Tutorial Online Workshop" is perfect for you.


Pawpaws in New York

Last Modified: October 27, 2021

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.


Managing Fire Blight in 2021

Last Modified: May 3, 2021

2020 fire blight season recap and a 2021 season out look, including forecasting and guidelines for management.


Spring Meeting Resources for 2021

Last Modified: April 27, 2021
Spring Meeting Resources for 2021

Resources from the 2021 spring meetings in recorded webinar, and video format will be linked here as they become available. 


Winter pruning to manage fire blight (while continuing to grow the trees)

Last Modified: February 23, 2021

Winter pruning is always an important time to begin your fire blight management program for the season, and this year especially much so. Winter canker removal could make the difference for you between starting spring 2021 with "normal" fire blight pressure, versus potentially giving yourself a handicap by keeping around lingering bacteria from last year's difficult season.

Here we discuss some reminders of how and when to prune for fire blight management, and some tips for how to continue to grow the trees in areas with more severe damage.


Lake Ontario Fruit Webinar Recording & Video Links

Last Modified: July 10, 2020

Check Out Details for Links to recent LOF webinar recordings & video series.


LOF Fruit Bites

Last Modified: July 10, 2020

See details to check out quick "how to" videos on a variety of fruit and orchard topics.


LOF Summer Fruit Series Webinar Videos

Last Modified: June 30, 2020

Find the recording videos and pdfs of presentations from the Summer Fruit Series webinars.


Agricultural related podcasts by Cornell CALS, CCE, & ENYCH

Last Modified: June 18, 2020

Check out these podcasts.


Bloom Pesticides for Pollinator Health

Last Modified: May 21, 2020
Bloom Pesticides for Pollinator Health

Pdf now available.


How to Take a Photo for Crop Diagnostics

Elizabeth Buck, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

Last Modified: May 14, 2020
How to Take a Photo for Crop Diagnostics

Capturing diagnostically useful images is not as simple as snapping a picture of cute children or animals.

With the current push to work remotely, using pictures to quickly address production questions has a lot of appeal and utility. I love the idea of using grower-captured photos to hasten the trouble-shooting process, especially since it isn't always possible to make prompt farm visits. But in practice it can be quite tough to work out a problem using photos because of poor image quality. High quality diagnostic photos absolutely can allow us (and other ag professionals) to make pretty confident IDs and assessments of what is going wrong. 


Asian Giant Hornet

Last Modified: May 13, 2020

Link to details about the recent "invasion".


Spring Meeting Resources

Last Modified: May 11, 2020
Spring Meeting Resources

Resources from the 2020 spring meetings in pdf.  The recorded webinar in video format will be linked here as they become available. 


2020 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School

Last Modified: February 17, 2020

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.


Empire State Producers EXPO proceeding link

Last Modified: March 5, 2019

Links to proceedings and resources listed in presentations from the EXPO can be found here.


Organizations Offering Respirator Fit Testing

Last Modified: March 8, 2018

Partial list of organizations offering respirator fit testing compiled by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)
When inquiring, ask these organizations about their fee structure, whether or not they will come to you, and if they can test the brand and model of your mask(s). Note that this list is evolving and may change over time.

2018 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit Schools

Last Modified: February 16, 2018

Presentations from the 2018 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit Schools. 

Spray Mixing Instructions Considering Tree Row Volume - TRV

Mario Miranda Sazo, Cultural Practices
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: May 16, 2017

Spray Mixing Instructions Considering Tree Row Volume - TRV
Terence Robinson, Poliana Francescatto, Cornell University
Win Cowgill, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University

2017 CCE LOF Winter Fruit Schools

Last Modified: February 8, 2017

Presentations from the 2017 CCE LOF Winter Fruit Schools.

DEC Registered Pesticides for New York

Last Modified: January 30, 2017

This the the link to access the the NYDEC pesticide registrations.  Access labels here.  

Bureau of Pest Management - Information Portal - http://www.dec.ny.gov/nyspad/products?13

Update on Special Permit Training 2017

Last Modified: January 27, 2017
Update on Special Permit Training 2017

Discussions are in process between CCE and DEC to obtain approval for Special Permit training in 2017. Please stay tuned for the latest updates, and (we hope) the eventual announcement of training dates and registration information. Regarding possible dates, please contact us if you foresee a repetition of last spring's delays in the approval of H2A applications, as we will take these delays into consideration in setting dates.

For more information please click on Details below.

What Herbicides control which weeds ?

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: March 29, 2016

This guide is used to identify the most effective herbicides to target specific weeds in tree fruit.  First identify the weed, or weeds, then find those weeds across the top of the spreadsheet.  For each weed, make a list of herbicides that are effective on the label.  Then you will need to double check the label to determine 1) if the tree fruit crop is labeled, 2) if the tree age is appropriate for use,3) what rate is needed for specific weeds and any soil limitations that might impact those rates.  You can go to the Bureau of Pest Management - Information Portal to find the labels to determine specific application requirements including the rates, timing, any adjuvants necessary, and any precautions to ensure crop safety. 

2016 Lake Ontario Winter Fruit School

Last Modified: February 9, 2016

Presentations from the 2016 Lake Ontario Fruit Program Winter Fruit School.

Black Stem Borer Trap Data

Last Modified: January 22, 2016

Black stem borer traps are set all over the state of NY.  See trap data here.

Revisions in EPA WPS comment period open until Dec. 23, 2015

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: November 13, 2015

EPA is finalizing changes to the WPS. The WPS is a regulation primarily intended to reduce the risks of injury or illness resulting from agricultural workers' and handlers' use and contact with pesticides on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. The rule primarily seeks to protect workers (those who perform hand-labor tasks in pesticide-treated crops, such as harvesting, thinning, pruning) and handlers (those who mix, load and apply pesticides). The rule does not cover persons working with livestock. The existing regulation has provisions requiring employers to provide workers and handlers with pesticide safety training, posting and notification of treated areas, and information on entry restrictions, as well as PPE for workers who enter treated areas after pesticide application to perform crop-related tasks and handlers who mix, load, and apply pesticides. The full content if you want to review and comment can be found at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0184-2510.
A summary chart of major cahnges between the new revisions and the current standard can be found here. 
http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/comparison-chart-wps.pdf

Apple IPM for Beginners

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: September 17, 2015
Apple IPM for Beginners

Pest management can be a complex system in perennial crops such as apples and other tree fruits.  "Apple IPM (Integrated Pest managment) for Beginners" is an excellent guide for new growers who want to grow apples, or want to be more familiar with managing pests in apple plantings.  Even growers who have been farming all their lives may know someone coming into the business that can learn from this guide and improve the quality of apples produced.  This 42-page guide will help new apple growers protect apple orchards from pests, in fact sheet format. This series of fact sheets is available in printed color format (see order form below), or in .pdfs https://blogs.cornell.edu/treefruit/ipm/apple-ipm-for-beginners/  It will help you address the major apple pests, but does not guarantee perfect fruit. These fact sheets and scouting guides are a compromise between the most accurate, complex information researchers have to offer and the amount of information a beginner can take in. Read the first four chapters carefully to start this new venture. Then follow the Scouting Calendar as apple stage of growth advances week-by-week. "Apple IPM for Beginners" was partially funded by Federal Smith Lever Funds. Additional full color printed copies can be ordered from CCE-Lake Ontario Fruit Program.


Apple IPM

Anna Wallis, Tree Fruit and Grape Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture

Last Modified: April 24, 2015

How can you use IPM (Integrated Pest Management) to control pests in your orchard?  These presentations provide a broad overview of IPM Theory, orchard insect and disease pests, and resources available to guide your decision making, such as the NEWA weather system.  

These PPT presentations were given at the Apple IPM Training sessions on April 21 & 22, 2015.  

2015 Winter Fruit School

Last Modified: February 25, 2015
2015 Winter Fruit School

Presentations from the 2015 Lake Ontario Fruit Program Winter Fruit School.

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Last Modified: June 3, 2014

Spotted Wing Drosophila has become an issue in berry crops around NYS.  More information on trapping and monitoring this pest are included in the following PDFs.


New fungicides labeled for use in tree fruit - all Special Local Needs Labels

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: April 9, 2014

The new class of fungicides, SDHI's, are now registered for use in tree fruit.  Fontelis was registered last season, and Luna Tranquility and Merivon were registered this spring.  They are all registered in NY as "Restricted Use" fungicides.  Due to the special restrictions for use in NY, they also are Special Local Need registrations.  In order to apply these materials you must have a copy of the label and the SLN label in your possession.  You can access these SLN and label to study or print at these links. 

Plum Pox Virus Update

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: March 25, 2014
Plum Pox Virus Update

Department of Agriculture and Markets has released an update on the status of Plum Pox Virus (PPV) in Niagara, Orleans, and Wayne Counties. 

Animals in Fruit Crops

Last Modified: January 8, 2014
Animals in Fruit Crops

Orchards and other fruit crops are great habitat for many animals for food, and shelter.  Deer, voles, rabbits, wild turkeys, and beavers, have caused damage to trees, bushes and fruit resulting in serious economic losses. Animals also pose a challenge for growers who participate in Food Safety audits to prevent contamination of fruit at harvest time. Growers must take steps to manage animals in fruit crops.  P. D. Curtis prepares and updates the Wildlife Damage Management Chapter in the Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for tree Fruit and also for Berries.  

New and Unusual

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: November 25, 2013
New and Unusual

2013 highlights of new and unusual pests detected in the orchard.

New pest detected! Is this the beginning of something bigger?

Last Modified: November 19, 2013
New pest detected!  Is this the beginning of something bigger?

An old pest resurfaces as a new problem in Western New York.

Managing Codling Moth In Apples

Deborah Breth, Integrated Pest Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Last Modified: June 6, 2013

All steps required to manage codling moth in apples and prevent economical damage, including mating disruption.   

Spotted Winged Drosophila found locally and throughout New York and New England

Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture

Last Modified: August 7, 2012
Spotted Winged Drosophila found locally and throughout New York and New England

In light of these findings, blueberry, summer and fall raspberry and day-neutral strawberry growers are urged to be vigilant about this pest.  


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

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

Electric Weeding in Organic Perennial Crops

January 14, 2025

Join us for a free webinar on electric weeding in organic perennial crops.

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

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!

Announcements

Fire blight management survey

Understanding your perspective on fire blight management systems.

Your input on fire blight management systems is crucial for guiding future research efforts - please help us out by completing a quick survey at https://opinion.wsu.edu/AppleManagement/

Hearing your views and experience from the field will be very valuable in making our research and recommendations realistic and actionable. PLUS you will receive an electronic gift card for $25. The survey will only take 20 min of your time.

Your opinions are important to us, even if you did not have issues with fire blight control and antibiotic resistance in your orchard.


Business Updates



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:

6 Dec - Lake Ontario Fruit Program Advisory Committee Meeting - 10am -2pm, Gates Public Library, register now 

11 Dec - Labor Roadshow VIII - Hudson Valley Community College, $75, Register Now

13 Dec - Labor Roadshow VIII - Jordan Hall, Cornell AgriTech, $75, Register Now

17 Dec - Labor Roadshow VIII additional topics - Webinar, 12pm - 2pm, $75, Register now


18 Dec - Labor Roadshow VIII additional topics - Webinar, 12pm - 2pm,  $75, Register now

2025 Events:



16 Jan - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm

17 Jan - 27 Feb - Ag Supervisory Leadership Course 104 - Register Now

23 Jan - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm

30 Jan - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm

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


13 Feb - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm

20 Feb - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm

27 Feb - Farm Grant Literacy Workshop - Webinar, 12pm
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:




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.