Join us to dive deep on growing asparagus! Bringing together experts from the Cornell Vegetable Program, Michigan State University, OMAFA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness), and industry, featuring seed companies and a pair of experienced growers. 

Agenda:

Asparagus: What to Know Before You Grow | Elaine Roddy (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness) and Ben Werling (Michigan State University)

In this presentation, Elaine Roddy will review the basics of establishing an asparagus crop, including site considerations, soil type, fertility, and planting methods. The impacts of site characteristics (soil drainage, crop rotation, weed seed banks, etc.) will be mentioned as they relate to integrated pest management for this crop. For the second half of the talk, Ben Werling will discuss how to maintain established asparagus crops to maximize yield, focusing on soil fertility, weed control, and pest and disease management.

Asparagus Variety Overview from Industry | Fox Seeds and Walker Brothers

Brandon Yott of Fox Seeds and Scott Walker will highlight varieties from their breeding programs that are well adapted for Northeast growing conditions, including information on yield potential, male versus open pollinated varieties, and cold and disease tolerance.

NY Variety Trial Research Updates | Elizabeth Buck (Cornell Vegetable Program)

Elizabeth Buck will present on results from her on-farm asparagus variety trials, including a comparison of disease susceptibility, heavy soil tolerance, and harvest timing between cultivar. 

Grower Panel and Q&A | Paul Fenton (Fenton's Produce, Batavia, NY) and Pier-Luc Hervieux (Ferme CPL Hervieux, Lanoraie, QC)

Both growers will provide an overview of their asparagus production systems and will then focus on unique aspects of their operation and experiences. Paul will highlight his success mechanizing and improving efficiency of different production steps, particularly harvest. He will also discuss how he is able to achieve lengthened storage time for harvested spears. Pier-Luc will present on his farm's organic production practices, including his success with weed control.

Cost: $20 per farm

NYSDEC Pesticide Applicator Recertification Credits: 1.25 in categories 1A, 10, and 23

New England Pesticide Recertification Credits: 3.00 

Pesticide Credit Protocol:

• Prior to the meeting date, participants seeking NYSDEC or NH recertification credits will be required to email or text a fully legible image of their pesticide applicator ID to Elisabeth Hodgdon.
• Each employee seeking credits will need to log onto the Zoom meeting separately, and watch from their own unique device to receive credit, which must match the ID on the license emailed to Elisabeth prior to the meeting to verify their identity. If using a shared device is the only feasible option for your farm, please contact Elisabeth. 
• At the start and end of the meeting, the webinar host will enter a Qualtrics survey link into the Zoom chatbox. Growers seeking credits will need to click on the link, and then enter their full name and DEC ID number into the survey. These surveys allow us to verify grower identity, and provides the sponsor a time stamp of when growers submitted their response. This will allow the webinar hosts to ensure attendees entered the meeting room on time, and remained signed on throughout the full meeting.

Please reach out to Elisabeth Hodgdon with any questions or requests for accommodations (eh528@cornell.edu or 518-650-5323)