Monday January 14

Becker Forum

Washington Update: What Can We Expect From the New Congress and the Administration?
Lynn Jacquez, CJ Lake LLC, Washington DC

New York State Labor and Health Updates and Discussion
Caylin Gwise, NYSDOL, Rochester, NY and Nancy Hagopian, NYSDOH, Albany, NY

Role of the State Monitor Advocate and Services for Finding Local Workers
Belen Ledezma, NYSDOL, Albany, NY

How Dairy Farms are Getting Workers Using H2A
Caylin Gwise, NYSDOL, Rochester, NY

Immigration Enforcement Trends and Worksite Issues
Lynn Jacquez, CJ Lake LLC, Washington DC

Financing Farm Worker Housing
Ed Urbanick, Farm Credit East, Batavia, NY

Housing Issues Grower Panel: Best Practices for Managing Employer-provided Housing
Dale Hemminger, Hemdale Farms & Greenhouses (dairy and vegetables), Clifton Springs, NY, Brett Kast, Kast Farms (fruit), Albion, NY, John Mueller, Willow Bend Farm (dairy), Clifton Springs, NY

Sexual Harassment Prevention, What You Must Know and Do as an Employer
Attorney Michael Sciotti, Barclay Damon Law Firm, Syracuse, NY

Wrap Up and Closing Remarks
Richard Stup, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Tuesday January 15

All Day

Understanding heat stress in broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts and implications for improved management
Jason Plate and Jan vander Heide, Bejo Seeds, Geneva, NY

Control of Alternaria head rot in broccoli featuring exciting results from 2018 on-farm fungicide trial
Christy Hoepting, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program

Session I

FSMA Training 1

Module 1: Introduction to Produce Safety
Betsy Bihn, Cornell

Hemp 1

Hemp Foliar Nutrition Analysis Sampling
Judson Reid & Linsey Pashow, CCE

Hemp Agronomy 101
Jeff Kostuik, Hemp Genetics International (virtual presence)

Cornell’s CBD Trial Update – Disease, insect and cultural practices impact on pests
Christine Smart, Cornell

Root Crops

Screening Table Beet Cultivars for Susceptibility to Phoma Leaf Spot and Horticultural Characteristics under NY Growing Conditions
Lori Koenick, Cornell

Growing Root Crops at Juniper Hill Farm
Adam Hainer, Juniper Hill Farm, Wadhams, NY

Fresh Market Potato Variety Round-up – 2018 Results –
Chuck Bornt, CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

Soil Health I

Cover cropping and strip till at Milk Pail Farm
Jenn Halsey Dupree and John Halsey, Milk Pail Farm, Water Mill, NY

Digging deeper to uncover hidden relationships between roots and soil health
Joseph Amsili, Soil Health Program Coordinator, Cornell

Solonaceous Crops I - Advances in breeding

What does it take to develop a new variety? How difficult is breeding for disease resistance? Is there a way to speed along variety development?
Michael Mazourek and Martha Mutschler labs, Cornell

Session II

FSMA Training 2

Module 2: Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
Laura Acuna-Maldonado, Cornell

Hemp 2

Bees and Hemp: Ecosystem Findings
Heather Grab, Cornell

Economics of Growing Industrial Hemp in New York State: Cost of Production Estimates
John Hanchar, Cornell University/NWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program

Regulations/Permitting Update
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets

On-boarding New Employees

Employee onboarding program
Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

Soil Health II

Finding success with reduced tillage in organic vegetable rotations
Ryan Maher, Cornell SFP and Haley Rylander, Cornell

State-wide survey of costs, constraints and benefits of soil health practices
Cedric Mason, NY State Soil Health Initiative, Cornell

Solonaceous Crops II - Plant Disease Update

Plant disease update for solanaceous crops
Christine Smart, Cornell

Session III

FSMA Training 3

Wildlife, Domestic Animals, and Land Use
Laura Pineda-Bermudez, Cornell

Agricultural Water – Part I: Production Water
Betsy Bihn, Cornell

Agricultural Water – Part 2: Postharvest Water
Robert Hadad, CCE

Hard Cider I

Cider Apple Diversity in the USDA Malus Germplasm Collection
Greg Peck, Cornell

Managing Apple Maturity & Post-Harvest Storage to Increase Polyphenols in Cider
Bri Ewing, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA

Hard Cider Supply Chain Survey
Lindsey Pashow, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Harvest NY

Solonaceous Crops III - Proactive Weed Control

Managing warm season broadleaf weeds in tomato, pepper and eggplant
Elizabeth Buck, CCE

Vine Crops

Cucurbit Fungicide Update – What’s Working?
Margaret McGrath, Cornell

Adding Biocontrol Products to Your Vine Crops Disease Program: Where Do They Fit In?
Steve Bogash, Marrone BioInnovations, Inc., Harrisburg, PA

Pumpkin Variety Highlights
Chuck Bornt, CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

Session IV

FSMA Training 4

Module 6: Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
Laura Acuna-Maldonado, Cornell

Module 7: How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan
Betsy Bihn, Cornell

Migrant Labor and Transitioning to H2A in Tree Fruit

Tips and tools for promoting a successful intercultural workplace
Mary Jo Dudley, Director of the Cornell Farmworker Program

The H2A process and guidance: What employers need to know
Caylin Gwise, Dept. of Labor

Weed Management - Farmer to Farmer

Weed Management Tactics
Brian Reeves, Reeves Farm, Baldwinsville, NY, John Altobelli, Altobelli Farms, Valatie, NY, Gary Mahaney, Mahaney Potato Farms, Dansville, NY, TBD, Kreher Family Farms, Clarence, NY

Hard Cider II

Updates from the Vinification & Brewing Laboratory
Chris Gerling, Cornell AgriTech

Dropping Knowledge: Using Ground-Harvested Fruit for Cider Production in Compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule Cider
Bri Ewing, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA

Grower Experiences with Mechanical Harvesters
Liz and Warner Heppner, StoneyRidge Orchard & Winery, Erin, NY

Cider Tasting for Apple Growers: Bittersharps and Bittersweets
NY Cider Association

Wednesday January 16

Session I

Greenhouse

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) for bedding plants and spring bulbs
Bill Miller, Cornell

Developing a fertilizer program for bedding plants
Neil Mattson, Cornell

Marketing

Buffalo Farm to School Project
Becky O'Connor, CCE Erie

How to sell to schools
Becky O'Connor, CCE Erie

Onions I - Pest Management

My big fat onion variety nitrogen rot project
Christy Hoepting, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program

30 years of integrated pest management against onion leaf diseases: from field to landscape
Hervé Van der Heyden, Cie de recherché Phytodata, Inc., Sherrington, Quebec, Canada and McGill University, Plant Science Departement, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Canada

Tree Fruit - Onboarding New Employees

Employee onboarding program
Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

Session II

Biopesticides I

Evaluating the performance of bioinsecticides for pest management in selected vegetable crops
Brian Nault, Cornell and Abby Seaman, NYS IPM

What do biopesticides add to your cucurbit powdery mildew program?
Amara Dunn, NYS IPM

Managing an entire season of tomato diseases using only biocontrols (plus some copper)
Steve Bogash, Marrone Bio Innovations, Newville, PA

Bitter Pit Management in ‘Honeycrisp’ Apples

Moving beyond Calcium Sprays: Integrated Bitter Pit Management in Honeycrisp
Lee Kalcsits, Washington State University, Wenatchee, WA

Prediction Model for Bitter pit in Honeycrisp Apples and Implications for Storage Management
Josef Al Shoffe, Cornell

Greenhouse

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) for bedding plants and spring bulbs
Bill Miller, Cornell

Developing a fertilizer program for bedding plants
Neil Mattson, Cornell

Onions II - Adjuvants 101

Adjuvant science 101: What every grower should know about adjuvants
Daniel Bergman, Crop Protection Services, Ankeny, Iowa

Intricacies of adjuvant use in onion production
Daniel Bergman, Crop Protection Services, Ankeny, Iowa

Woody Shrubs for Cut Flowers

Growing Woody Shrubs for Cut Flower Production
David Sanford, Plant Science Professor, Penn State University

Using Woody Shrubs on my Flower Farm
Flower Farmer, TBD

Session III

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn Insect Pests: Adapting to Changing Conditions
Shelby Fleischer, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Predicting Western Bean Cutworm Flights in New York with a New Online Tool
Dan Olmstead, NYS IPM

Digital Agriculture I

UAV’s and sensors in Precision Farming
Jan van Aardt, RIT, Rochester NY

Software Defined Farm
Hakim Weatherspoon, Cornell University

Forcing Bulbs for Cut Flower Production

How to Force Bulbs for production
Bill Miller, Cornell

Growing Bulbs; a Farmers perspective
Flower Farmer, TBD

Fresh Perspectives on IPM in Tree Fruit Production

Perspectives on Current Orchard Pest Management in New York State
Mike Biltonen, Know Your Roots, Trumansburg, NY

Regenerating Orchard IPM: Managing key apple pests with ecologically-based IPM approaches
Jaime Pinero, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

High Tunnel

Brown Leaf Mold management; high tunnel tomato varietal resistance plus 2 years of fungicide trials
Holly Lange, Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe-Biology, Smart Lab, Cornell University

Insect Management in High Tunnel Vegetables-What is legal and effective?
Judson Reid, CCE

Cold Season soil/nutrient research updates
Judson Reid, CCE

Session IV

Biopesticides II

Potential of biopesticides for integrated control of white mold in snap and dry bean
Sarah Pethybridge, Cornell

Biointensive grapes: Transitioning to biopesticides in a perennial crop
Paul Brock, Silver Thread Vineyard/Finger Lakes Community College, Geneva, NY

Understanding induced resistance – What it is and how to best use it for disease control
Greg Rogers, Certis USA, Ekton, MD

Cut Flower

Digital Agriculture II

Cornell Initiative on Digital Agriculture
Abraham Stroock, Cornell

Agricultural Innovation: Orchestrating Capabilities, Needs, and Creativity
Jim Meyers, Cornell

Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Applications and Limitations in Integrated Pest Management
Nathan Moses-Gonzalez, M3 Consulting Group

Pollinator Health in New York Agricultural Systems

Introduction to the Cornell Pollinator Program and new pollinator protection resources
Scott McArt and Maria Van Dyke, Cornell

Pesticides, pathogens and pollinator declines in New York: What do we know?
Scott McArt, Cornell

Precision Agriculture

Training New Employees and SOP’s

Employee onboarding program
Elizabeth Higgins and Ethan Grunberg, CCE

Thursday January 17

All Day

Tree Fruit - Farm Business Strategy

Strategies and challenges for using protective netting in apple orchards
Lee A. Kalcsits, Washington State University

Overview of Family Farm Business Succession Planning and Introduction to Brian Nicholson
Daniel G. Van Der Vliet, Smith Family Business Initiative, Cornell University

How our Family Farm Made the Succession Transition
Brian Nicholson, Red Jacket Orchards

Dialogue on Family Farm Succession with Audience
Daniel G. Van Der Vliet, Brian Nicholson. Moderator: Mark Wiltberger

Session I

Berries I - How to be Successful

Site Selection and Preparing your Site – Doing it right is priceless
Laura McDermott, CCE ENYCHP and Esther Kibbe, CCE Harvest NY (with support from NYSBGA)

Berry Profitability Tool – Short term savings vs. long term profits!
Miguel Gomez and Kalob Williams, Cornell

Christmas Trees I

Ready, Set, Plant!
Duane Burkey

Tree Fruit - Crop Load Management

How to Use Precision Pruning and Thinning to Maximize Crop Value of Gala
Terence Robinson, Cornell

Crop load and irrigation management for achieving high yields and quality for Honeycrisp
Lee Kalcsits, Washington State University

Weather and Climate in Agriculture I: Climate Smart Farming

Climate Smart Farming: Hands-on workshop and discussion.
Allison Chatrchyan, Danielle Eiseman, and Brian Belcher, Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions

Session II

Berries II - Overwintering

Grower to Grower Roundtable

NYSBGA Annual Meeting

Understanding strawberry leaf spot management in a covered/uncovered production
Kerik Cox, Cornell

Christmas Trees II

Introduction to commercial Christmas tree farming and the associated opportunities for enhancing annual farm revenues
Travis Drexler Springside Farm, Fabius, NY and Kendra Franke, Franke Farms LLC Walworth NY

Marketing - How do Customers View Your Business Online?

Device Ready Workshop
Eric Barrett, Ohio State Extension

Weather and Climate in Agriculture II: The Network for Environment and Weather Applications

The Network for Environment and Weather Applications: Hands-on workshop and discussion.
Dan Olmstead, NYS IPM Program, Geneva, NY

Berries III - Envision Your Future

Choose the right strawberry for your production system
Courtney Weber, Cornell

Industry Trends – New paths to profitability
Esther Kibbe, CCE Harvest NY (with support from NYSBGA)

Christmas Trees III

Christmas tree pest management: IPM through the growing season - Improving Insecticide application timing, a hands-on workshop
Elizabeth Lamb and Brian Eshenaur Cornell IPM

Session III

Session IV