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. 

This two-day workshop will train fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPSs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety. (A remote attendance option is available.)

Cost: $20 per person (half day) or $30 per person (whole day)

Includes lunch for both half and full day registration. Registration options are: Half Day Morning (9:30am - 1:30pm), Half Day Afternoon (12:00pm - 4:00pm) or Full Day

Join us for a two-part workshop for vegetable growers focusing on garlic and brassica crops with additional general vegetable roundtable at the Whallonsburg Grange. Our morning session will include tips for growing great garlic from seed to postharvest, advice for managing the invasive leek moth, and discussion with a panel of experienced garlic growers. Brassica (cole) crops is the topic of our afternoon session, when pest and disease management, crop rotation, varieties, and planting dates will be discussed.

2 DEC pesticide recertification credits offered in categories 1A, 10, and 23. Must attend the whole day to receive credits. 

Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)

• Session 9: Using Financial Statements and Financial Information to Plan and Evaluate an Enterprise

February 12, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Brian Moyer, Penn State Extension will discuss 10 Common Marketing Mistakes. 

February 19, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Maria Gannett, UMass Extension Fruit and Vegetable Weed Specialist will discuss Basic Orchard Weed ID and Management.

February 26, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Anna Wallis, Senior Extension Associate, NYS Integrated Pest Management and Dr. Kerik Cox, Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, Cornell AgriTech will dig into Why Did My Scab Program Fail in 2024?. 

March 5, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Srdjan Acimovic Assistant Professor, Tree Fruit and Specialty Crop Pathologist at Virginia Tech University. This presentation will cover the biology and environmental conditions that favor bitter rot on apples; the management options and new areas of research this apple disease. 

March 12, 2025 noon - 1:30pm(link is external) Dr. Jason Londo, Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section, Cornell AgriTech and Dr. Renae Moran, Tree Fruit Specialist Professor of Pomology, University of Maine will discuss Understanding Cold Hardiness Risks in Fruit Crops. 

Thursdays: February 27 - April 3, with two additional Monday webinars on March 17 and March 24

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course, which offers eight live webinars for its 2025 offering, trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

This meeting will provide muck onion growers with a heads-up prior to the 2025 growing season: Stemphylium leaf blight in onion transplants and its effect on SLB epidemics and fungicide resistance, onion thrips topics, and information on potential use of a weekly scouting app to map onion thrips pressure in Elba. 2.0 DEC recertification credits will be offered in 1a, 10, and 23. CCA credits will be available too.

Join ENYCHP specialists and NYSIPM for an in-depth review of topics covered on the NYS DEC pesticide applicator certification exam. This two-day course includes explanation of key concepts on the core exam, test-taking tips for the core and category exam, practice questions, and Q&A with instructors. 

Processing vegetable industry members who grow, manage, or support crop production for Farm Fresh First/Nortera Foods, Seneca Foods and/or Love Beets, are encouraged to sign-up for the 2025 NYS Processing Vegetable Industry Meeting! You will:

• Network at this in-person meeting.
• Learn the results of industry-funded research.
• Have a voice in Cornell research and Extension.
• Earn 2.0 DEC pesticide applicator recertification credits
• Earn 2.0 Certified Crop Advisor Credits

Can we win the rot race? At this pre-season meeting, Oswego muck onion growers will hear the complexities of bacterial bulb rot of onion. An open discussion between growers and allied industry reps will be led by Christy Hoepting. 1.0 DEC recertification credits in categories 1a, 10 and 23 will be available.

This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.

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

Speakers: Dr. George Sundin (Michigan State University) and Brett Blaauw (University of Georgia)

Farmers and backyard gardeners are invited to learn about the essentials of growing rhubarb. This one-hour webinar hosted by Cornell AgriTech and CCE Ontario County will provide valuable insights into soil conditions, plant selection, care, and maintenance, ensuring attendees are well-prepared for the upcoming growing season.

This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.

Join us for this in depth review of the most successful cultural practices for growing challenging high value apple cultivars.

Hotel Room Block - Low Rates Expiring Soon!  Direct Booking Link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/syrdtdt-5dw-9dd06767-e6a3-4266-be8e-816ba353c1cb/ 

  Or call the hotel at 315-432-0200, and tell them the code: CORNELL IN DEPTH WORKSHOP

Online Registration is closed.  Still interested in attending?  Contact Craig Kahlke at 585-735-5448, or cjk37@cornell.edu.

The NYS Dry Bean Meeting will be paired with the annual Dry Bean Cutting Event again this year! The morning meeting will include market updates and presentations on the latest dry bean research in New York: dry bean variety breeding and trial updates, white mold control, Western bean cutworm management, and identifying management tactics for major pests in dry beans. 2.0 DEC and CCA credits will be available.

The Dry Bean Cutting will follow the meeting and showcase the canned dry beans from the 2024 Dry Bean Variety Trial. 

UPDATE 3/20/25: WEBINAR CANCELLED. Resources will be posted online soon.

Join CCE Cornell Vegetable Program's Robert Hadad and CCE Lake Ontario Fruit Program's Craig Kahlke as they give you the critical updates on The FSMA Produce Safety Rule's (PSR) new Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water (subpart E) requirements. This section of the PSR was updated in July 2024 and there are new requirements for growers to be in compliance when they receive a FSMA inspection during this season's harvest. In this free Zoom webinar, Craig and Robert will cover the requirements and pertinent background to make sure you understand and are able to implement the new section of the rule. A summary "cheat sheet" and template will be provided. In addition, there will be ample time for Q&A both pertaining to the new rule and for any other food safety questions you may have.

Webinar Cancelled.  Stay tuned for more info.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

10 am - noon

 Irona Berry Haven

1897 Alder Bend Rd, Altona, NY 12910

$10 per farm

1 DEC credit requested in categories 1A, 10, and 22

Join us at Jeffrey Guerin's berry farm for a morning of pruning demonstrations, pest and disease identification, and more. Bring your own pruners so that you can learn by doing! Dress warmly for our workshop, which will be held outdoors. In the case of severe weather on the 26th, the workshop will be held at the same time on the 27th. Light refreshments will be provided.

Join us in Chazy on March 27th for some pest management updates, and to receive some additional pesticide recertification credits for your farm's certified applicators! We will be offering 2.25 DEC recertification credits in categories 22, 10, and 1A. Light refreshments will be provided, and lunch following the meeting (sponsored by Valent) is optional.

$5 per employee

All produce farms want to grow safe food, right? Are your markets asking for food safety plans or audit certification? Do you want to understand produce safety issues? A way to do this is to learn and follow produce safety practices with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).

Join Robert Hadad, Regional Vegetable Specialist with the Cornell Vegetable Program, and Lynn Bliven, Ag & Natural Resources Issue Leader from CCE Allegany County for this full day workshop on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and leave with information to start a food safety plan for YOUR farm!

This event is a blind wine tasting for ENY grape industry members to get feedback from fellow growers and Cornell Enologists on unfinished white wines (hybrid, vinifera, etc.)

We respectfully request that only professional winemakers or commercial vineyard owners attend, as space is limited. Limit two wines per winery/vineyard.

Pre-registration is required.  For questions, please contact Jeremy Schuster at jds544@cornell.edu

Thursdays: February 27 - April 3, with two additional Monday webinars on March 17 and March 24

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course, which offers eight live webinars for its 2025 offering, trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

A one day clinic for respirator fit testing will be held in Wayne County on April 17th. Please be sure to register by April 7th, as space is limited. 

Afternoon respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 7th, save the date.

Morning respirator fit testing clinic will be held in Orleans County on May 8th, save the date.