Join Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, and the CCE-Eastern NY Horticulture Team on April 4th for a remote GAPs training. Instructors will walk growers thru how to conduct a risk assessment on their farm utilizing the seven areas of farm food safety. Participants will gain hands-on experience in creating a traceability system for their farm, as well as learn about packing house design with food safety principles guiding placement of equipment and suggested materials. Students will also learn about how to train their employees related to food safety and understand what they will need to implement on their farm in order to pass a third-party food safety audit, such as GAPs.

Dr. Betsy Lamb, NYS IPM, will be presenting about integrated pest management in greenhouses and about the use of biologicals to control greenhouse pests. Chris Stoltzfus will provide a tour of the greenhouses and discuss their best practices for transplant production. 

NYCAMH will be offering respirator fit testing clinics across the state this year.  For more information, contact NYCAMH at 800-343-7527 or fittest@bassett.org.

Special Permit Training (SPT) for 2022 will be offered again this year in a virtual format. It will be the responsibility of the Supervisor/Certified Pesticide Applicator(s) on each farm to administer the pre-recorded training modules and written exam to their Special Permit trainees.   

Hands-on tunnel production meeting centered on early tomato and flower basket production. Topics include biological and IPM aphid control, tomato fertility management, cultural practices for raising flower baskets, and other IPM topics. Guest speakers are Betsy Lamb of the NYS IPM Program and Jeff Werner. Free to attend! 

Microgreens represent a rapidly growing segment of the food industry. They require only a small production area. Compared to other crops they mature fast and can be harvested soon after seeding. They can be grown year-round and provide farmers with income out of season. In this virtual workshop hosted by CCE Monroe County, speakers from the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, Johnny's Selected Seeds, the University of Rochester, and SCORE will share their expertise on the subject.

NYCAMH will be offering respirator fit testing clinics across the state this year.  For more information, contact NYCAMH at 800-343-7527 or fittest@bassett.org.

Expect many pest management updates and a tour of herbicide demonstrations at this year's Muck Onion Grower Twilight Meeting! 2.25 DEC recertification credits will be available (categories 1A, 10 and 23). CCA credits will also be available. This meeting is being organized by Oswego County Vegetable Growers and Improvement Association and CCE Cornell Vegetable Program.

Supervisors are critical to the success of farm businesses. They have a major impact both on employees' daily work experiences and on the production performance of the business. The  agricultural Supervisory Leadership certificate helps farm supervisors and managers learn and apply human resource management practices and leadership skills that foster rewarding workplaces and drive business results. Confident managers who thoughtfully apply leadership and management skills improve employee performance, develop teams, reduce employee turnover, and increase employee engagement. The courses within the certificate program will offer extensive practice and engagement activities to build confidence and skill sets.

Join Dr. Margaret McGrath, Vegetable Plant Pathologist, Cornell University, to hear the latest disease management considerations for pumpkins and vine crops including Cucurbit Powdery Mildew and Cucurbit Downy Mildew. Learn from Dr. McGrath what fungicides are working and which ones are not and get the latest developments on disease progression from across the region. 

This produce walk will feature peer-to-peer learning. All attendees should wear long pants. Free to attend. 2.0 DEC credits in categories 1a, 10, and 23.

University of New Hampshire Extension Field Specialist Emeritus, George Hamilton will demonstrate the importance of and best techniques to calibrate air blast sprayers. Proper calibration will ensure effective, efficient, economical and legal spraying.  Inadequate spray coverage is usually the cause of poor spray efficacy and additional spray applications. Overuse of some sprays results in unhealthy residues and can lead to fines.

Calibration should be done several times each season, or when you incorporate any new equipment or repairs - from the tractor to the nozzle.  Join us for a refresher or send new employees for training.  This workshop is open for any grower that relies on an airblast sprayer to deliver plant protectants to fruit or vegetable crops.