COVID-19 Testing of Farm Employees Begins in Wayne County
Position Open, Business Management Specialist
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Now that workers are arriving for the apple harvest, growers in Wayne County are using the state program for free, on-farm COVID-19 testing of farmworkers. Here is a video and collection of photos from on-farm testing at Teeple Farms on September 1st, 2020. In the video, Frank Teeple explains why he chose to get his workers tested early for COVID-19.
Frank Teeple shares his reasons for testing workers early:
Photos from on-farm testing at Teeple Farms on September 1st, 2020:
Finger Lakes Community Health sets up the testing site at the old Empire Farm.
Finger Lakes Community health staff prepare to begin testing.
Workers wait in line to be tested. Approximately seventy employees were tested in about two hours.
Workers get registered and tested.
Frank Teeple gets tested.
Workers get registered and tested.
Duke Mitchell and Frank Teeple converse after getting tested.
Frank Teeple decided to get the workers tested now right after they arrived from Mexico. "If we find that somebody's sick right now, we have time to deal with that, and get them healthy so they're ready to pick in the peak of our season."
Links to register for On-Farm Testing:
- Registration link for the free NYS Covid-19 testing program available to farms in Wayne and Orleans Counties, click here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/78fd67f98e104d1c95f533cb8ac9c200
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
Cornell Statewide Pink Meeting
April 21, 2026
Join us for a statewide pink zoom meeting covering key topics including crop load, frost risk, disease, and insect management, followed by Q&A; the session will be recorded and shared on both programs' YouTube channels.
2026 Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings
April 30, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 1
Webster, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
May 28, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 2
Oswego, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
June 25, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 3
Medina, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
February 27, 2026 : Session 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons from 2025 - The first meetup will be conducted live on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:30pm (PST)/1:30pm (EST). The webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by two SPARC scientists, followed by a packer/grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. The program is free of charge.
June 11, 2026 : Session 2
Details to follow.
June 18, 2026
Details to follow.
June 25, 2026 : Session 4
Details to follow.