Best Practices for Onboarding Seasonal Workers is a 1.5-hour, on-line program that reviews best practices for bringing on (aka onboarding) a group of seasonal workers.  This program will go over the onboarding planning guide for seasonal farm employees and discuss the key things you should have in place in 2021 when your seasonal employees arrive.  

When you enroll in this program you will also receive a hard copy of the planning guide by mail, have access to additional resources and information and an on-line community of other farms that are also working on their 2021 onboarding plans. 

Best Practices for Onboarding Seasonal Workers is a 1.5-hour, on-line program that reviews best practices for bringing on (aka onboarding) a group of seasonal workers.  This program will go over the onboarding planning guide for seasonal farm employees and discuss the key things you should have in place in 2021 when your seasonal employees arrive.  

When you enroll in this program you will also receive a hard copy of the planning guide by mail, have access to additional resources and information and an on-line community of other farms that are also working on their 2021 onboarding plans. 

Best Practices for Onboarding Seasonal Workers is a 1.5-hour, on-line program that reviews best practices for bringing on (aka onboarding) a group of seasonal workers.  This program will go over the onboarding planning guide for seasonal farm employees and discuss the key things you should have in place in 2021 when your seasonal employees arrive.  

When you enroll in this program you will also receive a hard copy of the planning guide by mail, have access to additional resources and information and an on-line community of other farms that are also working on their 2021 onboarding plans. 

Best Practices for Onboarding Seasonal Workers is a 1.5-hour, on-line program that reviews best practices for bringing on (aka onboarding) a group of seasonal workers.  This program will go over the onboarding planning guide for seasonal farm employees and discuss the key things you should have in place in 2021 when your seasonal employees arrive.  

When you enroll in this program you will also receive a hard copy of the planning guide by mail, have access to additional resources and information and an on-line community of other farms that are also working on their 2021 onboarding plans. 

Thinking about becoming a certified pesticide applicator in New York? This online program will cover the basics of who needs a pesticide license, license types, examination procedures, and important information to know for the test. We will incorporate interactive practice questions and activities within the program to test participant knowledge in preparation for the exam.

CCE Ag Business Educators are offering online farm financial management education programs this winter!

On January 12, from 12:30-1:30, Join CCE CAAHP Ag Business Educator, Dayton Maxwell, for a one hour program on how to effectively apply for and use credit in your farm business.  Dayton was a former Farm Credit East loan officer and now serves as the Farm Business Management specialist for the Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program.  

This program is the first of three Farm Business Management Tuesdays planned for this winter.

There's still time to register for NOFA-NY's Virtual Winter Conference! One registration gives you access to more than 90 workshops presented by farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and advocates to learn from.

CCE Ag Business Educators are offering online farm financial management education programs this winter!

On January 19, from 12:30-1:30, Join CCE CNY Dairy and Field Crops Ag Business Educator, Nicole Tommell and Gabe Gurley of NY FarmNet, for a one hour program on managing your input costs in your farm business.   Managing your costs is a key aspect of being profitable.  

This program is the second of three Farm Business Management Tuesdays planned for this winter.

CCE Ag Business Educators are offering online farm financial management education programs this winter!

On January 26, from 12:30-1:30, Join CCE ENYCH Ag Business Educator, Elizabeth Higgins, for a one hour program on cash flow management and the annual operating cycle. Lack of cash is one of the primary reasons why small businesses fail.  Put together the knowledge you learned in the first two sessions to think about how to use various tools and strategies like loans, lines of credit, managing timing of payments, budgeting and forecasting, and timing of major purchases to better manage your farm's cash flow.

This program is the third of three Farm Business Management Tuesdays planned for this winter.

Interested in learning more about the GAPs certification process? Do you need help writing your farm food safety plan?

Join CCE educators for a day-long workshop on Day 1 delving into what is required to pass a GAPs audit, including worker hygiene, wash/pack sanitation, water quality, record keeping, and more. On the second day, we will split into small groups on Zoom to discuss the different parts of a farm food safety plan required for GAPs, some schools and other buyers, and recommended for FSMA. Educators will be accompanied by NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets representatives on Day 2 to help address questions on audits from participants. Participants will work on their plans concurrently within their groups and will have ample opportunity to ask questions and seek advice. 

If you are considering applying for a Value Added Producer Grant. How do you fill out the application? How do you make your application as appealing as possible to the person who will review it? These three sessions will outline the process of writing and submitting a successful Value Added Producer Grant.

The Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University, UVM Extension Ag Engineering, and CCE Orange County, CCE Dutchess County, and CCE ENYCHP are hosting a workshop on Cleaning and Sanitizing on Produce Farms and in Packing Facilities. This remote 3.5 hour webinar will provide:

• A brief review of microbial risks in produce farms and packing facilities
• Conducting a Sanitation Operational Assessment
• Presentations focused on the: o Basics of wet and dry cleaning and sanitizing o Value and importance of sanitation SOPs
• A hands-on exercise writing a sanitation SOP

While yields of stone fruits planted to traditional orchard systems have been lagging behind our modern apple plantings in the northeast, research is actively being conducted to utilize improved rootstocks and modern, narrow training systems to increase productivity and reduce labor costs in peach and cherry systems. 

In this webinar, we will be joined by Dr. Jim Schupp, Dr. Greg Lang, and Dr. Terence Robinson, as they discuss improved strategies for growing peaches and cherries in the northeast.

Thinking about becoming a certified pesticide applicator in New York?  This online program will cover the basics of who needs a pesticide license, license types, examination procedures, and important information to know for the test.  We will incorporate interactive practice questions and activities within the program to test participant knowledge in preparation for the exam.

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Many New England growers are cultivating saffron as a component of their diversified farming program. They are selling their saffron for $25-50 per gram! Want to learn more about this high value crop? Come to our FREE Saffron Demonstration Event coordinated by the University of Vermont (UVM) North American Center for Saffron Research & Development. It will take place in Vermont but anyone from anywhere is welcome to attend if they are willing to drive to it. This is one of several demonstration events we will hold over the year at different Vermont grower locations. Each event will feature different key topics coordinated with the saffron production cycle. 

Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie, assistant professor of Weed Ecology and Management for Specialty Crops at Cornell University, will be holding two field meetings in Eastern New York on Palmer Amaranth management in July. More information and registration details are available here: https://files.ctctusercontent.com/50bc2eb5701/95a6adb3-c71f-4bac-8223-43f4c893d55b.pdf?rdr=true

An organized discussion of the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly of using cover crops and reduced tillage systems.

• When and how to terminate cover crops for corn planting 
• Planting Green 
• Strip-till / No-till / Reduced-till… 
• Coulters / Row Cleaners / Closing Wheels / Seed Firmers…

Rulf's Orchard, 531 Bear Swamp Road, Peru, NY 

Many berry topics will be discussed including growing Juneberries (Amelanchier, not strawberries), using entomopathogenic nematodes to control strawberry root pests, low tunnel production in June bearing strawberries, SWD monitoring and management. 2.5 DEC pesticide recertification credits available in categories 1A, 10, 22, and 23. Contact Elisabeth Hodgdon (eh528@cornell.edu or 518-650-5323) or Laura McDermott (lgm4@cornell.edu or 518-746-2562) with questions.

Due to predictions of extreme weather tomorrow evening, Wednesday, September 15th, the Exclusion Netting Workshop at the Berry Patch, Stephentown, NY has been postponed until Tuesday, October 5th, 4-6pm.  If you already registered for the Berry Patch session, there is no need to re-register.

The western NY site at Albers Acres in Kennedy, NY will still hold the workshop tomorrow night, Sept 15.

If you have any questions about eastern NY meeting - please call Laura McDermott, 518-791-5038, or email lgm4@cornell.edu.

2021 season review of SWD management techniques

Join us at either The Berry Patch in Stephentown (Oct 5) or Abers Acres in Kennedy (Sept 15) for a two-hour review of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) management techniques.  We'll cover the basics of SWD monitoring of adult and larvae populations and also discuss implementing a pesticide program.

The program will focus on what has been learned about designing an exclusion netting support system that provides long term control of SWD and maximum utility for berry farmers.

Exclusion netting is being used on field blueberries where it controls SWD while also excluding birds and moderating impacts of hail and heavy rain.  Raspberries and strawberries also benefit from exclusion netting on  the sides of high tunnels.   

1.5 DEC credits available in categories 1A, 10, and 22

Farmers and next generation farmers will receive an opportunity to develop and design a succession plan with sessions led by experts across the field. Attendees will learn through scenario-based learning how to relate real-life experiences to the farm transition process. This webinar series will utilize a "flipped classroom" which requires that attendees complete pre-work prior to each session. This could include watching videos, visiting websites, or completing a handout/worksheet. This pre-work should not take more than 15-20 mins each week, but will enrich your experience during each of the weekly webinars.

Farmers and next generation farmers will receive an opportunity to develop and design a succession plan with sessions led by experts across the field. Attendees will learn through scenario-based learning how to relate real-life experiences to the farm transition process. This webinar series will utilize a "flipped classroom" which requires that attendees complete pre-work prior to each session. This could include watching videos, visiting websites, or completing a handout/worksheet. This pre-work should not take more than 15-20 mins each week, but will enrich your experience during each of the weekly webinars.

Managing Performance: Understand motivation. Harness the power of performance feedback and coaching. Build clear and effective workplace communications. Set safety expectations. Conduct effective performance improvements. Materials will release November 10, 2021 and live weekly Zoom discussions will be held from 3 to 4 PM EDT each Tuesday from November 16 through December 21. Participation in the live sessions is highly encouraged and provides a valued opportunity for peer to peer learning and networking.

Planning for CCE-ENYCHP educational and research programming for 2022.  Our goal is industry input, focus on the wholesale side, only a minimal CCE report is planned.

Planning for CCE-ENYCHP educational and research programming for 2022.  Our goal is industry input, focus on the wholesale side, only a minimal CCE report is planned.

Planning for CCE-ENYCHP educational and research programming for 2022.  Our goal is industry input, focus on the agrotourism side, only a minimal CCE report is planned.

Farmers and next generation farmers will receive an opportunity to develop and design a succession plan with sessions led by experts across the field. Attendees will learn through scenario-based learning how to relate real-life experiences to the farm transition process. This webinar series will utilize a "flipped classroom" which requires that attendees complete pre-work prior to each session. This could include watching videos, visiting websites, or completing a handout/worksheet. This pre-work should not take more than 15-20 mins each week, but will enrich your experience during each of the weekly webinars.

FEDERAL LABOR STANDARDS IN AGRICULTURE - Learn about the key federal laws and regulations for agriucltural employers

Live Webinar Presentation by USDOL Wage and Hour Staff on Key Federal Labor Programs that agricultural employers need to understand. This webinar will not be recorded, but handouts and fact sheets from the meeting will be available.  

Session1   10:00am to 11:30am - Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) and Child Labor Laws as they pertain to Agriculture.
BREAK      11:30am to 12:30pm - Lunch/Break
Session 2  12:30pm to 2:15pm - Migrant and Seasonal Workers Protection Act and OSHA Field Sanitation
Session 3   2:15pm to 4:00pm - H2A

Planning for CCE-ENYCHP educational and research programming for 2022.  Our goal is industry input, focus is on retail oriented growers in the Capital Region and Mohawk Valley.  Only a minimal CCE report is planned.

Farmers and next generation farmers will receive an opportunity to develop and design a succession plan with sessions led by experts across the field. Attendees will learn through scenario-based learning how to relate real-life experiences to the farm transition process. This webinar series will utilize a "flipped classroom" which requires that attendees complete pre-work prior to each session. This could include watching videos, visiting websites, or completing a handout/worksheet. This pre-work should not take more than 15-20 mins each week, but will enrich your experience during each of the weekly webinars.

The inflationary economy is upon us! The huge influx of money into the US economy following the COVID-19 pandemic has manufactured high prices and in turn increased operating costs for farm business thus forcing many businesses into net operating loss situations. Other farms are facing high labor costs or chronic labor shortages.  Some farms have taken on debt loads that make these increased costs unaffordable.  Depending on the stage in the business lifecycle, it may make sense to change enterprises or exit the farming business entirely. 

Join CCE ENYCH Ag Business Educator, Elizabeth Higgins, and CAAHP Ag Business Educator, Dayton Maxwell, for a one-hour program to learn about the financial aspects of changing or exiting a farm business. 

Planning for CCE-ENYCHP educational and research programming for 2022.  Our goal is industry input, focus on the wholesale side, only a minimal CCE report is planned.