This course will educate growers on disease and pest management, varieties and marketing issues in open field and high tunnel vegetables. Topics such as disease resistant varieties, pest/disease, cultural management, biological controls and appropriate spray options. The meeting will include grower and buyer panels and auction updates. 1.75 DEC credits will be offered in categories 10, 1a, 23, 24.

AGENDA:
9:00am Coffee, registration, DEC sign-up, arrive any time before 10:00

10:00 Welcome, overview -- Judson Reid

10:05 Management update -- The value of maintaining volume for large scale customers and the importance of year to year consistency -- Allan Ray Hoover, FLPA Chair

10:15 High Tunnel Tomatoes -- Cover crops as a tool to reduce soil borne diseases, overwintering insect pests and soil imbalances-species and planting dates -- Judson Reid and Caitlin Tucker, Cornell Cooperative Extension

11:00 Weed Control in produce crops: a Grower's Perspective on herbicides, plasticulture and cultivation -- FLPA growers TBD

11:30 Vine crop viruses, such as CMV, WMV, PRSV and their vectors; Is Control Possible? Bonus: Why Did Downy Mildew hit Pumpkins in 2021 and effective management? -- Judson Reid, Cornell Vegetable Program

12:00pm Vendor updates

12:15 Lunch

1:15 Food Safety Modernization Act update; who is covered and what must they do? -- Caitlin Tucker, Cornell Vegetable Program

1:30 Biocontrols in high tunnel and field vegetables: a grower's experience -- Judson Reid, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Nate Savage, Sunscape Farms, Rochester, NY 

2:00 Greenhouse Flower Production: growing big, beautiful baskets for auction -- Grower Panel TBD

2:30pm Adjourn and credits

Participants seeking DEC recertification credits will be required to present Applicator License and sign roster before the beginning of the program. Only attendees who remain for the duration of the program will receive a certificate. Cornell Vegetable Program staff will supervise process and distribute certificates at the conclusion of the program.