Save the Date for the First Annual NYS Farm to School Summit!

By Katie Sheehan-Lopez, MPH, Regional Farm to School Coordinator, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Harvest NY

The Inaugural NY Farm to School Summit will take place in Syracuse, NY on November 21st and 22nd, 2024 with optional pre-summit field trips on November 20. The Summit will have sessions for all farm to school stakeholders including farmers and producers, food service directors, educators, school administrators, and more! The sessions will be wide-ranging and suitable for stakeholders just starting out in their Farm to School journeys, or those who have been working in the field for many years.  

Trade Floor 

To foster NY business-to-business relationships, Thursday, November 21 will feature a large trade show exclusively featuring: 

• Producers of NY products, where schools and other institutions can sample products. 

• Support service organizations designed to support Farm to School program development.  

If you are interested in joining us on the trade show floor as vendor, check below for pricing tiers and stay tuned for information on registration.  In the meantime, if you have questions about the trade show, please contact me directly at kms369@cornell.edu or 845-340-3990 x334. 

Call for Workshop Proposals 

We are also seeking proposals for high-quality educational workshops that allow for information sharing and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for all Farm to School stakeholders including farmers and producers, food service directors, educators, school administrators, and more. Workshops should be tangible, practical, and give attendees a call to action. They should also align with the summit theme: It Takes a Village: Cultivating Community in Farm to School. Please feel free to submit multiple proposals.  If you have a great program you would like to share, find more information here.  Proposals are due May 1.   

Sponsorship 

Sponsorship opportunities will also be available.  More information will be coming soon. 

This Summit is made possible thanks to USDA Federal Formula Funds and the NYS Education Department. Summit planning and development is being guided by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the following organizations:  American Farmland Trust, Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY, Julie Raway, NY Agriculture in the Classroom, NY Farm Bureau, NY School Nutrition Association, NYC Mayors Office of Urban Agriculture, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, NYS Education Department, Our Core 

This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.   

2024 Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference

This year's conference will have sessions devoted to tree fruit, vegetables, grapes, small fruit, agritourism, and cut flowers. Topics Topics include winter protection for strawberries, soil-borne disease management, SWD and other pests, fungicides, and updates on spraying.  There will also be a trade show both days, so you can see the newest products from your favorite vendors.

Wednesday, February 21

Small fruit session 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Tree fruit session 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Grape session, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Agritourism session, 1:20 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

 

Thursday, February 22

Tree fruit sessions, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Vegetable sessions, 9:15 a.m.-3:40 p.m.

Cut flower session, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Agritourism session, 1:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Register for the conference here.

More details:

DEC pesticide recertification credits will be available for multiple sessions. Attendance throughout the entire session is required for DEC credits.

Trade show vendors will be set up in the Fort Orange Courtyard and the King Street Courtyard. Over 20 exhibitors will be present to visit with growers from 8:00am until 5:30pm on February 21 and 8:00am until 2:00pm on February 22.

Lunch. A hot buffet lunch will be available in the Fort Orange Ballroom. Lunch is included with your conference registration.

Lodging. Individual guests may call the hotel directly to book rooms at the discounted rate using the local number provided below. Reservations must be received no later than Monday February 12, 2024, to get the discounted rate. When requesting a room, guests may refer to the Group Code: FRU. Call 518-869- 8100 directly to make your reservation.

Additional hotels in the area include:

• The Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Albany Shaker Rd. | 518-464-6666

• Red Roof Inn, 188 Wolf Rd. | 518-459-1971

• Best Western Albany Airport Inn, 200 Wolf Rd. | 518-458-1000

January 23 Berry Sessions at the 2024 Empire State Growers Expo

The Empire State Growers Expo, January 23-24, will have a full day of berry programming on January 23. Moderated by Laura McDermott of CCE ENYCHP and Anya Osatuke of CCE HNY, the Berry Sessions will be held in-person at the On Center in Syracuse. 1.5 DEC credits will be available for each session.

Session 1 – Brambles – 9:00– 10:30 a.m.

• 9:00 Courtney Weber of Cornell will provide an update on new raspberry and blackberry varieties. Disease
  resistance and horticultural characteristics that are important to insect management will
  be included.

• 9:30 Novel Approaches to Cane Berry Production. Dr. Pritts will explain some of the newer production practices being used across the country. These practices will help growers better manage disease and insect pests, while also improving productivity. The focus of the talk will be on pruning and trellising
  practices that improve airflow and sunlight.

• 10:00 Growing Blackberries in NY – Is it Worth Trying? Tim Stanton of Feura Farm in Feura Bush, NY, presents his experience in working with blackberries for the first time. By employing a version of the rotating cross-arm trellis, along with cultivar choices, he has been able to reliably produce blackberries on his farm.

• 10:30 Adjourn

Session 2 – Blueberry – 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

• 11:00 Fruitworm Review – Maggots, Fruit Flies and Worms. Anna Wallis, NYS IPM and Cornell, will review fruit worm life cycles and management strategies for controlling these families of blueberry pests.

• 11:30 TracCloud – Improving Berry Pesticide Management. Juliet Carroll, NYS IPM and Cornell, and the original designer of TracBerry, will introduce and guide growers through the updated version of this pesticide tracking software.

• 12:00 Blueberry Disease Management Review – Kerik Cox of Cornell will discuss the major diseases for NYS blueberry plantings and explain control strategies. Diseases likely to be covered include cane blights, fruit rots and viruses.

• 12:30 pm Adjourn

Session 3 – Strawberry – 2:00– 3:30 p.m.

• 2:00 Strawberry Research Update – Anya Osatuke, CCE Harvest, NY, and Laura McDermot, CCE ENYCHP, will update growers on recent research results focused on 1) Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation, an organic soil fumigation method; 2) new approaches to winterizing strawberries in the northeast; 3) using low tunnels with June bearing strawberries to reduce pesticide applications; 4) organic fungicide materials for strawberry disease control.

• 2:45 Preventing & Managing Strawberry Anthracnose Resistance – Scot Cosseboom, Cornell, will discuss ongoing research looking at managing fungicide resistance in anthracnose disease on June bearing and day neutral strawberries.

• 3:30 Adjourn

Visit the Expo website for more information.

Register for the Expo here.

Soil Health for Vegetable Growers Workshop

Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern New York Horticultural Program is hosting a soil health workshop on November 1. Here are the details:

Wednesday, November 1 from 9:30 am - 2:30pm

Whallonsburg Grange, 1610 Route 22, Essex, NY

Cost: $30 per person

Join us for presentations, discussions, and hands-on demonstrations focusing on soil health concepts and best management practices for vegetable growers. Topics include tarping, maintaining soil health in high tunnels, cover cropping, reduced tillage, compost microbiology, and more.

1.75 DEC pesticide recertification credits are available in categories 1A, 10, and 23. Register by October 27. For more information or to request accommodations, contact Elisabeth Hodgdon, eh528@cornell.edu or (518) 650-5323. Register for the workshop here.

Agenda

9:30 am: Welcome & introductions, coffee & refreshments

9:45 am: Soil health concepts and the effects of soil type, cropping system, and management on soil health (Joseph Amsili, Cornell Soil Health Initiative)

10:15 am: Explore the intricate world of the soil food web (John Culpepper and Jennifer Perry, Compost for Good)

11:00 am: Tarping research updates (Crystal Stewart-Courtens, CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program and Philia Farm)

11:30 am: Cover cropping in reduced tillage systems (Jean-Paul Courtens, Philia Farm)

 12:00 pm: Grower panel and discussion: How we maintain soil health using tarps, reduced tillage, and other practices (Lissa Goldstein, Wild Work Farm; Adam Reed, Tangleroot Farm; TBD)

 12:30: Lunch

 1:00 pm: Maintaining soil health in high tunnels (Jud Reid, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program and Harvest NY)

 1:45 pm: Tying together soil health and climate change resiliency (Kitty O’Neil, CCE North Country Regional Ag Team)

 2:15 pm: Overview of services offered by the Essex County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (Alice Halloran, ECS&WCD and Myra Lawyer, LCBP)

This workshop is sponsored by the Northern NY Agricultural Development Program and the New York Farm Viability Institute.

Take Part in the 2023 CCE ENYCHP Fruit & Vegetable Conference

After three years of virtual programming, the CCE ENYCHP Fruit & Vegetable Conference is back in person in Albany, February 22 and 23. Get ready for two full days of informative sessions, many of which will offer DEC credits, and a trade show.  After Wednesday sessions, enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and networking with vendors, conference attendees, and your peers at the attend the Trade Show Social. 

Register by February 12 to save money and ensure your room booking at a reduced rate. Click here for more information and to register.

Here’s this year’s agenda:

2023 CCE ENYCHP Fruit & Vegetable Conference

February 22-23, 2023

The Desmond Hotel & Conference Center
660 Albany Shaker Rd., Albany

Tuesday, February 21, 2023: Pre-Conference Produce Safety Grower Training Course, 8:15am-5:00pm 

Wednesday, February 22, 2023: 

• Tree Fruit Sessions, 9:00am–4:00pm

• Small Fruit Sessions, 9:00 am-3:30pm

• Vegetable Sessions, 9:00 am–4:00pm

• Join us after the sessions for our Trade Show Social, held in the Fort Orange Courtyard

Thursday, February 23, 2023

• Tree Fruit Session, 8:30am-12:00pm

• Vegetable Sessions, 9:00am-3:00pm

• Grape Session, 9:00am–12:00pm

Conference costs: Pre-conference Food Safety training is $65/person.  Regular conference registration starts at $80/person/day for ENYCHP contributors. Discounts for multiday and multiple attendees from same farm are available. Walk-in registration is $130 per person per day. Register by February 15 for the best rates! 

Lodging:  Group rate of $149 per night per room at The Desmond. The deadline for this reduced room rate is February 12th. 

Events You Need to Attend This Winter

A note from NYSBGA Executive Secretary Jim Bittner, on events you should attend this winter.

If you’ve got employees, you need to take part in the Becker Forum

If you have employees, plan to attend the Becker Forum in Syracuse on February 8. We have at least 8 farms in NYS that have petitions before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) that will require their workers to be represented by a union. Don’t think this cannot happen to you. The group includes large and small farms, H2A and domestic workers, from Long Island to Western NY. Wineries, fruit, vegetable, and nursery operations are all part of the petitions. The two attorneys that are representing most of the farms will be presenting at the Becker Forum. Someone from PERB should be there, too. You need to be at this meeting to learn how to protect your farm and employees.

The Becker Forum will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Oncenter Syracuse. Register here.

Help us lobby for important funding

On February 15, the board of directors of the NYBGA plans on spending the day meeting with state legislators and lobbying for state funding for berry research and extension programs in NYS. This is a very unique and eye-opening experience. Please consider joining us; you do not need to be a board member to help. If you’re available to take part for a few hours, contact me: 716-778-7330, jim@singerfarms.com.

Another important upcoming event is the NY Farm Bureau lobby day in Albany. On the evening of February 27, there will be a reception that attended by a lot of NYS legislators and their staff. It will also include tastings of NY-grown food, and good conversation. 

The next day, February 28, Farm Bureau members will be visiting with legislators and their  staff in their offices.  I strongly suggest you reach out to your county farm bureau and offer to help represent NYS agriculture at these two events. 

Join Us for the 2022 Berry Session at the Empire State Producers EXPO

The Empire State Producers EXPO, January 11-13, is right around the corner. Due to the surge in covid cases, the 2022 Berry Session have been moved online. This session is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, and will run from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A mix of researchers, growers, and business owners will share their findings over the course of four sessions.

Visit the Producers EXPO website to see registration and pricing information. To register for the Berry Sessions only, fill out the form and pay via PayPal ($55) here.

8:45–10:15 a.m.

The first Berry Session of the day focuses on containerized berry production. Dr. Neil Mattson (Cornell University) will go over the trends in commercially-grown greenhouse strawberries, and their applicability to Northeastern farms. Senior Extension Associate Kathy Demchak (Penn State University) will review her research on container-growing strawberries and caneberries.  

10:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

The second Berry Session reviews blueberry production. Researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture will present on the latest breeding efforts, and Dr. Thierry Bescanon (Rutgers University) will discuss the best approaches to manage weeds in blueberry plantings. Liz Machoff (Empire Drip Supply, and the NYSBGA board president) will explain the principles of water acidification in drip irrigation. The session will close with a meeting hosted by the New York State Berry Growers Association.  

1:30–2:15 p.m.

The third Berry Session is dedicated to the economics and sustainability of berry crop production. Business owner David Duda (Dudas Blues, and an NYSBGA board member) will discuss the role of value-added products in his business. Dr. Kris Park (Cornell University) will review a New York State pricing survey of berry growers, and provide economic insights. Dr. Heather Grab (Cornell University) will share her findings on balancing pollinator care and weed management in strawberries.  

2:45–4:00 p.m

The fourth Berry Session explores lesser-known berries and nut crops that are suitable for the Northeast. Ph.D. Candidate Samantha Bosco (Cornell University) will share her knowledge of nuts as a crop and food source. Dr. Iago Hale (University of New Hampshire) will discuss the characteristics of hardy kiwifruit when grown as a commercial crop. Coming down from Northern NY, Dr. Mike Davis will present on juneberries, and grower Duane Smith will provide a summary of his experience growing honeyberries.

View the rest of the EXPO sessions below.