2022 Cornell NYS Tree Fruit Conference
CCE-LOF are excited to bring you another winter tree fruit conference in concert with our counterparts in Eastern NY, CCE-ENYCHP. While we held out hope as long as we could for a live event, we had to stay virtual, but we feel this program is very strong and will allow more attendees the flexibility to attend from their own homes/offices. We listened to your feedback from our conference last winter and we've made modifications. The conference will be 2 days instead of three, with more time for breaks. Each day will have 2 morning and 2 afternoon sessions, ranging from 95-120 minutes. In addition, most of the sessions are structured around ideas we've received from our stakeholders over the past year though advisory meetings, email and phone communications, and farm visits. There are 3 DEC credit-eligible sessions currently being applied for, and all should be eligible for CCA credits. We're excited to bring you high-caliber speakers, many from outside NY. An overview of the sessions are below. As with last year, our virtual conference replaces the two Lake Ontario Winter Fruit Schools, the winter ENYCHP Fruit and Vegetable Conference (tree fruit portion) and the fruit section of the Empire Producer's Expo. Last year, the cumulative attendance of our virtual conference was over 335 for the largest sessions.
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Thank You to Our Sponsors! (PDF; 604KB)
Event Details

Date
January 27, 2022
Time
TBA
Location
Online
Cost
Early Bird CCE -ENYCHP or CCE-LOFP Enrollee : $85.00
register by 20 January
CCE-ENYCHP or CCE-LOFP Enrollee : $95.00
register 21 - 26 January
Early Bird Non-Enrollee : $95.00
register by 20 January
Non-Enrollee : $105.00
register 21 - 26 January
Host
CCE-ENYCHP & CCE-LOFP
Craig Kahlke
585-735-5448
email Craig Kahlke
Event Registration
Day 1
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Session I - Business Session I: Apple Industry Outlook and Regulatory Updates - Chaired by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- U.S. Apple Outlook, Chris Gerlach, Director of Industry Analytics, US Apple.
- US Apple Advocacy Update, Diane Kurrle, Senior Vice President, US Apple.
- Regulatory Update for New York State, Jim Bittner, New York State Horticultural Society
- Apple Crop Insurance Policy 2023 Changes, John Fitzpatrick, Crop Growers.
Session 2 - Business Session II: New Technologies and Profitability in Orchard Systems, Chaired by Mark Wiltberger, CCE-LOF
- Analyzing Profitability of Your Orchards, Mark Wiltberger, Cornell University.
- Adopting New Technologies for Your Farm: Evaluating Orchard Management Systems, Mark Wiltberger, Cornell University.
- Retail Trends - Steve Lutz, Category Partners
Session 3 - Climate Change, Postharvest, and Marketing, Chaired by Craig Kahlke, CCE-LOF
- Featuring an introduction by Dr. Jason Londo, new Cornell Assistant Professor, his position will focus on Physiology of Fruit Crop Adaptation to Climate Change.
- A summary of several years of research on dynamic controlled atmosphere by Dr. Chris Watkins, Cornell.
- A New York Apple Association marketing update by Cynthia Haskins, ED of NYAA.
Session 4 - Integrated Pest Management I, Chaired by Janet van Zoeren, CCE-LOF - 1.25 NYS DEC credits
- A Brown marmorated stink bug update by Dr. Greg Krawczyk, Penn State University.
- Life history of native solitary bees by Maria van Dyke, Cornell University.
- An introduction by new Cornell Tree Fruit Entomologist, Dr. Monique Rivera, who will be housed at Cornell Agritech in Geneva.
- A presentation of how applied stress impacts tree growth in virus-infected apple trees by Dan Donahue, CCE-ENYCHP.
- A talk on fire blight susceptibility and resistance genes in apple by Dr. Ricky Tegtmeier, Graduate Student, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, with the Khan lab at Cornell AgriTech.


Event Details

Date
January 28, 2022
Time
TBA
Location
Online
Host
CCE-ENYCHP & CCE-LOFP
Craig Kahlke
585-735-5448
email Craig Kahlke
Event Registration
Day 2
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact Dan Donahue djd13@cornell.edu
Session 5 - Integrated Pest Management II, Chaired by Dan Donahue, CCE-ENYCHP - 1.5 NYS DEC credits
- A presentation of apple scab management with snow cover by Dr. Juliet Carroll, of NYSIPM.
- A fire blight grower panel, featuring growers from across all of NY's commercial apple growing regions and an introduction by Dr. Kerik Cox of Cornell University. Panelists confirmed include Mark Russell & Rich Breslawski (Western NY), Andy Vega (Hudson Valley), Jessie Mulberry (Champlain Valley), and Jim Eve (Western NY and Champlain valley).
- Bitter rot management by Dr. Kari Peter of Penn State University.
Session 6 - Maintaining High Quality Orchard Soils, Chaired by Mike Basedow, CCE-ENYCHP - 1.25 NYS DEC credits
- Mike Basedow and Janet van Zoeren will discuss their commercial field trials on pre-emergent herbicide timings and their herbicide trunk deposition studies.
- Dr. Greg Peck (Cornell) Dr. Mark Williams (Virginia Tech), and Dr. Hazem Sharaf (Virginia Tech) will discuss how mulch and composts can be used as alternative soil fertility amendments for apple orchards, and how these inputs affect the microbial communities in the soil.
- Dr. Deborah Aller of Cornell's Soil Health Lab will present on the use of wood chip mulch in Long island apple orchards.
- Tianna Dupont, Tree Fruit Extension Specialist, Washington State University will discuss soil health in Washington orchards.
Session 7 - Managing Apple Crop Load and Tree Fruit Nutrition for Improved Tree Growth, Mineral Uptake, Fruit Quality, Color Enhancement, and Storability, Chaired by Mike Basedow, CCE-ENYCHP
- Dr. Terence Robinson of Cornell will lead off this first of two thematically linked sessions to talk about precision crop load management as it relates to improving fruit quality, color development, and storability.
- Dr. Luis Gonzalez Nieto, PostDoc in the Robinson lab, will follow with a summary of their research on rain-exclusion studies and their effect on stem water potential, fruit size/weight, and color on Gala.
- Dr. Emily Lavely, of Michigan State University Extension, will present on soil physical and moisture conditions and their impacts on root growth and nutrient uptake. Dr. Lailiang Cheng of Cornell will round out this session with a talk on the influence of nitrogen management for improved fruit quality and color development.
Session 8 - The Use of Reflective Fabrics and Pneumatic Defoliation to Improve Fruit Color in High Value Apple Varieties in NY State, Chaired by Mario Miranda Sazo, CCE-LOF
- Dr. Robinson will lead this second thematic session and final of the conference discussing the importance of diffuse scattering and factors that influence light interception, distribution, and reflection from the ground.
- Dr. Nieto will present a summary of their research on the use of ground cover materials to increase fruit color on Honeycrisp, NY1, NY2, and Evercrisp.
- Dr. Lee Kalcsits from Washington State University will present on the use of reflective materials and the pneumatic defoliation to increase red fruit color in WA state.
- The 2 final sessions will come together with a statewide grower panel on their experiences with fabrics and pneumatic
defoliation machines in New York State. Growers confirmed include Rusty Lamb (Hudson Valley) and Chris Whipple, Jimmy Zingler, Brett Kast, and Kyle Wafler (all representing WNY region).



Upcoming Events
Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025

January 17, 2025
January 31, 2025
February 14, 2025
February 28, 2025
March 14, 2025
: Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
Week 1: Digging Into Pruning and Soil Health
Week 2: Cider Apples - Mechanized Harvesting and Patulin Food Safety
Week 3: The Value of "Eco-Friendly" Marketing - OMRI, Red Tomato, EcoApple, NYS Grown and Certified
Week 4: Biopesticides and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for Berries
Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day - Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management
Remote Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
February 17 - February 18, 2025
REMOTE Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
Monday, Feb. 17 and Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
8 am - 12:30 PM
Held remotely via Zoom (online)
Registration: $10 per person, open to NY state participants only
Includes printed course manual ($60 value), certificate of course completion ($35 value) and online food safety resources.
All produce growers are encouraged to attend this course to learn more about food safety practices recommended for all farms. This course contains NEW information contained in the finalized Subpart E rule on agricultural water. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires 'At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.' If you've already earned your PSA certificate, retaking this course is a great way to refresh your memory and learn about the new water requirements!
After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course.
From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
January 7, 2025
January 14, 2025
January 21, 2025
January 28, 2025
February 4, 2025
February 11, 2025
February 18, 2025
February 25, 2025
March 4, 2025
: From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
Do you need a business plan for your farm? Do you have an idea for a new venture, but aren't sure if it will work? This program is for you!
This course is designed for existing farm businesses or those planning to undertake a new farm business venture. Students will work with their farm's data, and the goal of the class is for participants to have a draft of a written business plan for a specific business venture.
During the course, you will learn to:
- Assess whether or not a business idea is a good fit for you.
- Develop a marketing strategy to make a profit
- Use financial tools to evaluate if your business has the potential to be profitable
This online course meets from January 7-March 4, 2025. All course content is available online so you can work on it at your own pace. There will be weekly webinars where you can meet other students and interact directly with the instructor on the content. These webinars will be recorded.