Building Strong Trellises for Your New Plantings
Mike Basedow, Tree Fruit Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Over the last month, I have seen and heard reports of trellis failures throughout the Champlain Valley. Unfortunately, our heavy crop loads and wet soils have created a perfect storm situation for trellis failure.
If you would like to beef up your support systems for your future plantings, but aren't quite sure where to make improvements, I recommend reviewing the Trellis Panel Discussion we held at our 2021 Winter Fruit Meeting. This panel includes Kelly Snide (Chazy Orchards), Rusty Lamb (Yonder Fruit Farms), Ted Furber (Cherry Lawn Fruit Farms), and Robert Brown III (Orchard Dale Fruit Co.).
The economic info during the discussion contains 2021 prices, so these are no doubt out of date. However, the construction principles remain sound advice.
You can find the recording on the ENYCHP YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OrfrffJm5Q&t=6s

Upcoming Events
Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
March 6, 2026 : Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
Swede midge is an invasive fly that causes serious economic losses to brassica crops. Due to its small size and hidden feeding habits, swede midge is often called an "invisible pest" and damage may be misdiagnosed. In this webinar, we will review the swede midge life cycle and crop damage symptoms, current management recommendations, new research findings, and highlights from on-farm case studies with a focus on organic management.
New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People (Hudson Valley)
March 10, 2026 : New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People
Millbrook, NY
Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start? Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills? This one-day workshop is for you!
SPARC WSU Tree Fruit Heat School
March 11, 2026
As part of our multi-state SPARC SCRI project on mitigating orchard heat and cold stress, the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School will focus on understanding and managing heat-related challenges in apple and pear production. The program brings together research-based insights and applied discussions on sunburn physiology and mitigation, red color development in apples and pears, and the impacts of heat on postharvest storage and fruit quality. Each session will include an expert presentation, followed by a panel discussion with panelists from across the US.
