Two workshops planned for April will cover blueberry and bramble pruning techniques and provide updates on scouting for potential insect pests of berries.

Tuesday, April 12, 1 p.m.—2:30 p.m.

The Berry Patch at Stonewall Hill Farm, 15370 NY Route 22, Stephentown

Owner Dale Riggs does an excellent job pruning blueberries to encourage berry size and overall yield. She also grows several kinds of brambles in high tunnels with great success. She has a Friday strawberry cultivator, which has proved to be invaluable on her farm. Join us to learn about pruning, pest control and high tunnel production.

Thursday, April 14, 1 p.m.—2:30 p.m.

Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, 5092 Scotch Ridge Rd., Duanesburg

Owner Charles Holub grows many types of berries for direct market. We’ll prune blueberries and brambles but also take a look at currants and gooseberries. We’ll calibrate a backpack sprayer and learn to scout for Brown Marmorated Stink bug and Spotted Winged Drosophila.

There is a nominal fee of $10 per farm which can be paid at the workshop, but you MUST pre-register by April 11. Bring employees that help with pruning or pest management and get pesticide credits while you learn. Both meetings offer 2.5 DEC pesticide recertification credits in categories 1a, 22 and 10.  

Register by contacting Marcie at 272-4210 Extension 111 or email mmp74@cornell.edu.

The American Farmland Trust has released a new publication to assist New York towns and counties plan for agriculture.

The release of Planning for Agriculture in New York: A Toolkit for Towns and Counties will be accompanied by a series of free online seminars. The next webinar is scheduled for April 20. Webinars are also archived on the Trust’s website.

The new publication features case studies of more than 80 towns and counties “that have taken proactive actions to keep farming viable in their communities and protect farmland.” Areas in Albany, Saratoga and Washington counties are among the case studies.

The publication also includes checklists for supporting farms at the town and county level in New York as well as explanations of a dozen tools towns and counties can use to  support local farms including comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances and laws and agricultural economic development.

To learn more download Planning for Agriculture in New York: A Toolkit for Towns and Counties for free.

Visit the American Farmland Trust’s Publications & Webinars page to see a list of upcoming free webinars.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will present four free classes in the coming weeks at the Canajoharie Library.

Classes include Soil and Site Selection for Your Garden, Composting, Container Gardening and Planning Your Garden.

All classes will begin at 6 p.m. For more information and to register call 673-2314.

April 12 Soil and Site Selection for Your Garden – Learn the basics of soil, locating gardens, types of vegetable gardens and best plants for beginning gardens. Presented by Master Gardner Jay Ephraim. Soil testing will be available for $2. (Download instructions for taking soil sample.)

April 20 Composting – Learn the basics, necessary tools, various approaches and techniques and overall benefits of backyard composting. Presented by CCEFM Master Gardeners John Deitch and Joe Bartone.

April 27 Container Gardening – Learn about container and plant selection, arrangement and care. Presented by CCEFM Master Gardeners Jean Sweet and Mary Ann Charon

May 3 Planning Your Garden – Learn about planting gardens including spacing, pre-planting preparation and putting plants in the ground. Presented by CCEFM Master Gardeners Melanie Gessinger and Ed Radle.

Today, March 15, is National Agriculture Day. Actually, all week, March 13-19, is National Ag Week.

 “A few generations ago, most Americans were directly involved in—or had relatives or friends involved in—agricultural-related endeavors. Today, that is no longer the case,” the Agriculture Council of America says. Yet, Americans still need to understand the value that agriculture provides to us all in our daily lives.

In New York State, dairy is the leading agricultural product. 2009 saw its dairy industry produce $1.7 billion worth of milk, the United State Department of Agriculture says. New York ranks third in the nation in dairy production.

According to the Cornell Horticulture Department, New York ranks fifth in the nation for planted acres of fresh market and processing vegetable.

The below video on reduce tillage for vegetables was shot at the Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo held in Syracuse in late January. The video was recently posted on the Cornell Horticulture blog.

This video runs about an hour and 20 minutes.

Increasingly, tomato growers are grafting to decrease susceptibility to root diseases and to increase fruit production through increased plant vigor. Grafting involves splicing the fruit-producing shoot (called the ‘scion’) of a variety which possess a desired fruit quality, such as flavor, to the rootstock of a different variety desired for disease resistance or vigor.

Grafting is a common practice in all types of vegetable production in Asia, notably in open field grown melons, eggplants, cucumbers and tomatoes. In the U.S., vegetable grafting is mostly utilized in hydroponic and greenhouse production. Currently, there is a great deal of interest in this technique for High Tunnel production and, to a lesser extent, open field production. Grafting may prove to be an important tool in managing soil borne root diseases in conventional and especially organic production and for those growing heirloom tomato varieties that lack genetic disease resistance.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital District Vegetable and Small Fruit Program will hold a tomato grafting workshop on Friday, March 18 the Hudson Valley Lab in Highland with instructor by Judson Reid of the Cornell Vegetable Team. Reid has extensive experience in the science and art of grafting tomatoes and he will be here to share it with you. This workshop is for those of you who have been grafting with mixed success and also for those who have never grafted but want to find out more about it. The workshop includes a hands on portion where we will be practicing grafting tomato seedlings, which will be provided for you. The cost of the workshop is $15 per pre-registered person and $20 per person at the door. Space is limited to 30 participants, so registration will be on a first come first serve basis. For more information or to register please call Teresa Rusinek at 845 340-3990. 1.25 DEC Pesticide Recertification Credits available for categories, 1a, 10, 23 and 24. The workshop runs from 1 to 3 p.m.

Click below to download the registration form.

Dairy farming has never been so difficult; volatile milk prices, escalating feed and fuel prices, environmental issues, and more conservative lending. All this adds up to a stressful situation that needs to be managed now more than ever. Strategies designed to manage risk and find a margin of profitability are needed to be successful in dairy farming today.

The Managing the Margin workshop will provide producers with tools to identify breakeven prices, develop marketing plans and make other risk management decisions appropriate to their operation. The goal is to be able to secure profitable margins. John Berry, an Agricultural Marketing Educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension developed this program and is offering his expertise around the state to conduct it with support from NYS Agriculture and Markets. 

This program will be offered in the Northern Catskills - Central Leatherstocking Region at two locations on two different dates, both running from 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. with breaks and lunch provided. One is this Friday, March 11 at Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie County, 173 South Grand St., Cobleskill, across from the Fairgrounds. A fee of $15 covers materials and lunch. Registration is required. Call Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie County at 518-234-4303 / 518-296-8310 or email Schoharie@cornell.edu.

The second date and location is Friday, March 25 at the Holiday Inn on State Route 23 near Southside, Oneonta. A fee of $20 covers materials and lunch. Please register early as space is limited. Register by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension Delaware County at 607-865-6531. 

The Central New York Dairy and Field Crop Team has four field crop pest management meetings scheduled to provide updates on weed, insect and disease control.

Meeting dates include:

Monday, Feb. 28 at the Herkimer County Extension office

Tuesday, March 1 at the Otsego County Extension office

Wednesday, March 2 at the Chenango County Extension office

Thursday, March 3 Schoharie County Extension office

Registration is $10 and is due by Feb. 25. DEC pesticide credit is available. For questions call 315-866-7920. Download more information and a registration form below.  

Two speakers will give a presentation regarding value-added processing on the farm this Thursday, Feb. 17.

Presented by the Montgomery County Agriculture Economic Development Project, the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District, Cornell University and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Value Added Processing on the Farm will cover making a to-do list before getting started, small scale dairy processing, processing basics, business planning and marketing. Time for discussion and questions is also on the agenda.

The speakers are Robert D. Ralyea, a senior Extension associate with Cornell University’s Department of Food Science, and Bill Fredericks with the state Department of Agriculture & Markets Bureau of Milk Control.

The presentation begins at 10 a.m. and runs to 1 p.m. in room 111 in the Annex Building, 20 Park St. in Fonda.

To learn more download the flyer below.

The North American Strawberry Growers’ Association is sponsoring a winter webinar series Feb. 18 – March 25.

Co-hosted by the Cornell University Department of Horticulture and Cornell Cooperative Extension, the webinars will focus on day neutral strawberries and identification and management of emerging pests.

Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis for the first 100 participants. To register visit the North American Strawberry Growers’ website. Participation is free. All you need is a home or office computer and high speed internet access.

Webinars topics:

Feb. 18, 2011 - Strawberry Physiology & Day Neutral Strawberry Varieties

Feb. 25, 2011 - Growing Systems and Fertility/Fertigation

March 4, 2011 – Diseases and Insect and Mite Management for Day Neutral Strawberries

March 11, 2011 - Brown Marmorated Stinkbug and Fusarium and Charcoal Crown Rots