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.
(pdf; 96KB)
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
WSU Tree Fruit Heat School - In Person Learning Hub - Location Change - Albion, NY
March 11, 2026
Albion, NY
***NOTE IN PERSON LEARNING HUB LOCATION CHANGE - ALBION, NY*** Attend the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School at an in-person regional learning hub in Albion, NY, covering heat-related challenges in apple and pear production—or join virtually on your own.
2026 Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game; Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption