Your success is our success! We host a variety of educational workshops and Field Days to give berry growers like you the tools you need to protect and improve your crops, learn the latest in farming techniques, and market your business. We also keep you up-to-date on other industry events.
NYSBGA Events
Other Events
October 28 & 29
NYS Regional Agritourism Networking Bus Tour & Education
Jamesville
The Cornell Cooperative Extension Agritourism Program Work Team, in partnership with the Stanley Warren Teaching Endowment Fund at the Cornell University Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, invites agritourism operations, agricultural service providers, and tourism promotion agencies to join them for an innovative, hands-on, and educational opportunity to grow the agritourism industry across New York State. Each session will feature a full-day chauffeured bus to five agritourism destinations as we explore their success in farm facilities, visitor profile, natural resources, and personal qualities. The first day will be capped off with a networking session and dinner. The second day will be a blend of speakers and hands-on activities and discussions. View itineraries and sign up at ccebustour.my.canva.site. For questions, contact Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu.
Various dates in 2024
2024 Agritourism Webinar Series
Virtual
Join CCE Extension educators for a series of lunchtime webinars on agritourism topics! This series is free and meets on the second Tuesday of every month from noon-1:00 p.m.
11/12 - Implementing Outdoor Recreation on the Farm
12/10 - Agritourism Accessibility
Webinar series made possible from USDA NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program. Register here.
November 20-21
Sustainable Agriculture Summit
Minneapolis
Join us learn from sustainability experts on the main stage, surface shared learnings through interactive breakout sessions, and make connections with over 900 food and ag professionals through engaging networking events. Learn more and register at sustainableagsummit.org.
November 21-22
NY Farm to School Summit
Syracuse
The Inaugural NY Farm to School Summit will take place in November, 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, and school administrators. 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. To foster NY business-to-business relationships, November 21 will feature a large trade show exclusively featuring producers of NY products, where schools and other institutions can sample products. Stay tuned for registration information here. For questions about the trade show, contact Katie Sheehan-Lopez at kms369@cornell.edu, 845-340-3990 x334.
December 9-11
Destination Chile
Chile
Join fellow blueberry industry members as we embark on a journey to explore the Chilean blueberry growing regions. There is no better time to visit and learn more about this growing region. Recently impacted by the increasing supply of other growing regions, come see how Chile is responding to the challenge.
Chile has over 18,000 hectares of highbush blueberries planted and an ongoing commitment to finding new and better varieties. You will see this firsthand and have ample opportunities to get to know fellow blueberry experts with boots on the ground in Chile. What will the Chilean blueberry industry look like five years from now? You’ve got to be there to find out!
January 23-24, 2025
Empire State Expo
This year will be a bit different from the usual full version of the Expo, according to director Brian Reeves, and may be turned into a one-day meeting, with vegetable programming on another day. Stay tuned for updates at nysvga.org/expo/information.
February 3-6
NARBA 2025 Conference
Kona, Hawai’i
The 2025 NARBA Conference will take place on February 3rd-6th in Kona on the Island of Hawai’i! We are teaming up with The North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) to host the 2025 annual meeting and conference at the OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa on the Island of Hawai’i. The 2025 Conference will offer premium opportunities to network, learn about latest advancements in research, and hear about emerging technologies in the caneberry and strawberry industries across North America. Learn more and register here.
February 4-5, 2025
Western NY Fruit Conference
Rochester
For the 2nd year in a row, we'll be having the Western NY Fruit Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Rochester! It will be another 1.5-day conference. Stay tuned for program and registration info at enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=1923.
February 6-10, 2025
NAFDMA Agritourism Convention & Expo
The premier event for anyone in the agritourism industry, including operators, owners, and managers. The conference features dozens of spectacular speakers and seminars, inspiring site visits, and fun excursions, hands-on learning opportunities, and a wide variety of industry-focused exhibitors. Connect with hundreds of your peers from all corners of the agritourism industry, including orchards, corn mazes, berry farms, retail markets, wedding venues, family fun farms and so many more! This is the annual event to attend where inspired farmers discuss and share ideas about connecting their communities with agriculture. More info and register at nafdmaconvention.com.
February 19-21, 2025
CCE ENYCHP Winter Fruit and Vegetable Conference
Save the date! Full details coming soon.
Ongoing
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America
Virtual
Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and NY FarmNet, in partnership with Rural Minds, has launched a free online course, “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America,” designed to give learners practical support strategies and resources to navigate mental health challenges in rural communities. Tailored for veterinarians, students, and agribusiness professionals, the course reviews specific mental health issues, including suicide, in rural America and provides information to mitigate them. Take the class at ecornell.cornell.edu/custom/rural-mental-health.
On demand
NAFDMA Virtual Agritourism Workshop
Helene’s Hilltop Orchard transitioned a family dairy farm into an orchard in 1979 and added a bakery in 1992. As the apples grew, so did their business. Today, the orchard is owned by Mark and Olivia Telschow. Olivia shares her knowledge of the bakery as she learned it working hands-on in the kitchen, adding the commercial bakery operation to their agritourism farm. Everything from production tips to equipment to operational checklists will be shared. Register here.
On demand
Employee Engagement Virtual Workshop
Regardless of size or seasonality, every agritourism business seeks to create a culture that attracts, nurtures, and keeps employees engaged in their operation from year to year. This Virtual Workshop highlights three farms that illustrate a level of successful employee culture that we can all take lessons from to emulate in our own operations. More info & register here.
Mondays, throughout the season
Tree Fruit Pest Management discussions
Hudson Valley Research Laboratory entomologist Peter Jentsch, friends, and guests invite you to join in discussions on Tree Fruit Pest Management from 6:00-7:00 a.m. each Monday morning through the season via Zoom. The Zoom meeting will open at 5:45 a.m. for you to link into the meeting and get your coffee. More information at https://tinyurl.com/2vebwmnu.
On demand
Pruning & Training of Berries, Kiwifruit, and Grapes
Webinar series
Join Bernadine Strik, professor of horticulture at Oregon State University, for this multicourse, on-demand series. Designed to provide all the information you need to prune and train berry crops, the series includes 4 to 8 self-paced narrated lectures totaling up to 2.5 hours on table grapes, kiwifruit, and berries—including raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Register for just one module or get a discount on the series.
On demand
Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training
Webinar series
In this free, self-paced, online course, you’ll learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and suicide, ways to effectively communicate with people under stress, and how to reduce stigma related to mental health concerns. The course, created by Extension professionals at Michigan State University, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Montana State University, and South Dakota State University, better equips farmers, their families, and the agricultural community with tools and resources to help in time of need. Register here.