Spring Meeting Resources

Resources from the 2020 spring meetings in pdf, recorded webinar, and video format will be linked here as they become available.
For Upcoming Meeting in this series please check https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=1429
Pruning Honeycrisp for Annual Production Video - Precision pruning is a strategy to reduce the flower bud number per tree to a pre-defined flower bud number through pruning. This video explains how to manage Honeycrisp flower bud load with an optimum of 1.8 flower buds (left after pruning) relative to final fruit number. Honeycrisp growers should use flower bud counts before and after pruning to precisely leave an optimum number of flower buds to guarantee annual production (and reduce biennial bearing) every year. The video also shows how to dissect and identify a Honeycrisp floral bud from a vegetative bud. This video focuses on Honeycrisp, however it contains basic pruning techniques that can be applied to all tall spindle orchards.
Spring Pink Meeting Videos held on May 11: Recording on YouTube is separated into 6 individual videos based on the topics below. See related slides in pdf file below.
Topics/Speakers:
- Counting flower buds/readjusting bud load via pruning at pink, and blossom thinning considerations - T. Robinson and M. Miranda Sazo (live from a Honeycrisp orchard at VanDeWalle Fruit Farm in Wayne County)
- Foliar sprays/ground applications/protocol for Peel SAP analysis of Honeycrisp - L. Cheng and M. Miranda Sazo
- Early 2020 Season Disease Update - K. Cox
- Spring insect management priorities - A. Agnello
- Factors to consider to optimize pollination this spring - J. van Zoeren
- Questions and answers
Spring Bloom Meeting Video held on May 21: Recording on YouTube. See related slides in pdf file below.
- Dr. Terence Robinson will be providing recommendations for bloom thinning in biennial varieties (plus Gala), with up-to-date information based on assessments of freeze damage across the region.
- This meeting is being sponsored by Andrew Dulude at OESCO INC. PO Box 540, 8 Ashfield Road (Rte 116), Conway, Ma. 01341 (413)369-4335 (w), (800)634-5557 (Toll free), adulude@oescoinc.com
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Recommendations Meeting Part 1 held on May 27. See related slides in pdf file below.
- Presentation/Recommendations from Dr. Terence Robinson, Cornell University
- Additional Info from Mario Miranda Sazo, CCE-LOF
- Q & A
- This meeting is sponsored by VALENT USA & VALENT BIOSCIENCES
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Recommendations Meeting Part 2 Videos held on May 29. See related slides in pdf files below.
Welcome - Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management, CCE-LOF
Pest Management/Pollination Updates - Intros by Janet van Zoeren, IPM Specialist, CCE-LOF
- Insect Update by Art Agnello, Cornell AgriTech
- Diseases Updates by Awais Khan and Kerik Cox, Cornell AgriTech
- IPM Update by Julie Carroll, Cornell Agritech
- Pollination Update by Maria van Dyke, Cornell University
Labor/Crop/Business Management "COVID-19" Updates - Intros by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- Additional Pest Management Q&A
- Labor Update - Paul Baker, Executive Director, New York State Horticultural Society and Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- COVID-19 Updates- Important Info for your Farm with the Re-opening (NY Forward) and Beyond by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- US Crop Update - Matt Wells, US Apple Sales
- Additional Labor/COVID-19/Crop Update
Thinning Recommendations & Conclusion
- Additional Thinning Questions as a Follow up to May 27 Webinar and Recommendations in Fruit Facts- Mario Miranda Sazo
- This meeting is sponsored by VALENT USA & VALENT BIOSCIENCES
Spring 10-13mm Thinning Spray Recommendation Meeting held on June 5: A recording of the webinar is avialable on YouTube. A pdf of the ppt slides from webinar are available below.
- Thinning Recommendations by Terence Robinson
- Questions & Answers by Terence Robinson & Mario Miranda Sazo
PDFs linked that contain slides from presentations provided in Spring Meeting Series Webinars below:
- Table containing minimum temperatures registered for days in April & May as of May 10, 2020. Hours below the minimum critical temperatures before apples experience cold damage. See pdf below.
- Slides presented by speakers during the Spring Pink Meeting webinar.
- Bloom Pesticides for Pollinator Health
- Slides presented by speakers during the Spring Bloom Meeting webinar.
- Slides presented by speakers during the Spring Petal Fall Thinning Recommendations Meeting Part 1
Minimum Temperatures registered as of 10 May 2020 (pdf; 151KB)
- Minimum temperatures registered on April 16-17 & May 5,9,&10
Spring Pink Meeting Powerpoint Slides (pdf; 6958KB)
Spring Bloom Meeting Slides (pdf; 1621KB)
Bloom Pesticides for Pollinator Health (pdf; 588KB)
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Recommendations Meeting Part 1 (pdf; 2503KB)
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Meeting Part 2 - Pollination Update (pdf; 1232KB)
- by Maria van Dyke
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Meeting Part 2 - Petal Fall Disease Update (pdf; 1645KB)
- by Kerik Cox
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Meeting Part 2 - Insect Update (pdf; 6092KB)
- by Art Agnello
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Meeting Part 2 - Apple Disease Research Update (pdf; 1007KB)
- by Awais Kahn
Spring Petal Fall Thinning Meeting Part 2 - IPM Update (pdf; 679KB)
- by Juliet Carroll
Spring 10-13mm Thinning Spray Recommends (pdf; 2166KB)
Upcoming Events
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Training & Food Safety Plan-Writing Workshop
February 2 - February 3, 2023
Newark, NY
Goals of this workshop:
- Understand how GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) impact produce safety, and how you can improve practices on your farm to reduce the risk of microbial contamination
- Learn the difference between a FSMA Inspection and a GAPs audit, and learn what is needed to have a USDA GAP/GHP audit and the 2 types (Basic & Harmonized)
- Begin writing a farm food safety plan that complies with a USDA GAP/GHP Audit
This workshop is targeted at Mott's growers who need to have a successful GAP audit for the 2023 harvest. However, all farms and organizations are invited to attend.
We will have several breaks, including a lunch break, scattered throughout the day, but feel free to step away whenever you need to. Lunch and snacks provided. Note: All times are approximate. Time spent on each topic varies depending on audience and questions/discussion. There will be time for questions at the end of each section and a final opportunity for questions when we close for the day.
Instructors Confirmed: Craig Kahlke (CCE-LOF), Robert Hadad (CCE-CVP), Caroline Boutard-Hunt (CCE-Yates), Judy Wright (CCE-Seneca), and Representatives from NYS Dept. of Ag & Mkts.
How Profitable Will My New Orchard Investment Be? 1-day, hands-on skills class
February 7, 2023
Highland, NY
The Eastern NY Commercial Hort Team and the Lake Ontario Fruit Team are offering a 1-day, hands-on course at 5 locations in NYS in January and February for tree fruit farms on using farm financial information and other resources to make decisions about long-term investments or changes to their business. We will apply the techniques covered in the 8-part webinar series in December to scenarios using sample financial data from fruit farms in NYS.
Apple Leafcurling Midge IPM - Webinar

February 16, 2023
In recent years, the apple leafcurling midge (ALCM) has become an increasingly problematic pest in many orchards across the northeast.