Plattsburgh, N.Y. ; June 3, 2020.  This spring, New York apple growers are applying the results of computer modeling-based orchard management research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) to more precisely manage their orchard thinning practices with a goal of producing higher quality fruit for harvest this fall. A free recorded webinar highlighting this work is available at www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/nny-farm-videos.

In 2018, with small grant funding from the farmer-driven NNYADP, Cornell University and Cooperative Extension fruit specialists began evaluating how to best time the application of apple bloom thinning materials through use of the Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) computer modeling system at Cornell University.

In 2020, a computer application known as the Pollen Tube Growth Model is available to growers for the second year. The model considers input entered by individual growers to generate orchard application-timing graphs.

The webinar recording includes a presentation by Cornell University Assistant Professor Gregory Peck, Ph.D., on how growers can implement the model in their orchards by measuring apple blossom styles at early bloom and determining when enough bloom is open to start the model. NEWA Director Dan Olmstead offers a tutorial on how to enter orchard block, apple variety, and other grower-specific information into the model posted at https://ptgm.newa.cornell.edu.

Virginia Tech developed the Pollen Tube Growth Model and conducted validation testing in orchards in Virginia, Washington, and New York State. The model can currently be applied to seven varieties of apples: Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Red Delicious. For growers in NY, the model uses weather data provided through the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

“Precision thinning early in the current growing season is critical to reducing crop load which encourages return bloom the following season in biennial varieties including Honeycrisp and Fuji. It also allows us to being the thinning process early in difficult-to-thin varieties, for example: Gala,” says Michael Basedow, a tree fruit specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program.

More than 80 growers and educators participated in the live webinar in late March. For more information, contact Michael Basedow at mrb254@cornell.edu, 518-410-6823.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Click here to read the 2019 NNYADP Precision Orchard Management report

At left: St. Lawrence Valley Product Auction (SLVPA), North Bangor, N.Y.; center: flowers available at the SLVPA; right: one of many farms in NNY that expanded produce acreage in response to establishment of the SLVPA. Photos by Lindsay Pashow.

North Bangor, N.Y.; May 19, 2020.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted the results of a project collecting and analyzing data from the first two years of operation of the St. Lawrence Valley Produce Auction at 58 Martin Road in North Bangor, N.Y. This auction is the northernmost produce auction in New York State.

The report posted at www.nnyagdev.org provides growers with tips for selling at wholesale auction, including notes on what to plant, when to plant, and how often to replant the same crop to increase auction sales. The project also included a survey of buyers.

“We collected weekly data to track sales, price, product seasonality, and lot sizes of the wholesale commodity products sold over the two years to identify factors that growers can use to enhance their success with produce auction sales,” says project leader Lindsey Pashow, a Cornell Cooperative Extension agricultural business development and marketing specialist with Harvest New York.

The St. Lawrence Valley Produce Auction opened in 2018. Buyers purchase produce in lots of varying sizes. Sellers must accept the price brought by bidding. The auction generally operates one day each week in the spring, increasing to three days each week through the growing season to the end of October.

A survey of the St. Lawrence Valley Produce Auction buyers indicated that they value the opportunity to purchase local products, spend less on transportation by buying at auction, and the auction allows them to purchase from a variety of growers.

“Buyers were also able to realize increased profitability by paying auction prices versus wholesale-delivered prices,” Pashow adds.

Overall sales at the auction increased 38 percent from 2018 to 2019. The top five products sold at the St. Lawrence Valley Produce Auction in both years were annual and perennial flowers, tomatoes, mums, pumpkins, and beans. Growers with product early and late in the year saw higher bidding.

“To achieve the early-season higher price point, growers may choose to increase the use of season extension options such as high tunnels, low tunnels, and row covers,” Pashow notes.

For certain crops, such as beans, for which price trends are more difficult to predict, Pashow suggests multiple plantings to allow growers to have product available over a larger sales window to achieve a more sustainable average price.

As part of this NNYADP-funded project, Pashow and horticultural crop specialists made visits to farms to provide growers with educational support related to disease and pest management, plant fertility, and season extension practices.

Growers will find the results of Northern New York Agricultural Development Program research projects related to high tunnel production and fruit and vegetable production under Northern New York climate and growing conditions at www.nnyagdev.org or by contacting their local Cornell Cooperative Extension offices.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The St. Lawrence Valley Produce Auction is open for business in 2020. Find more details at https://www.facebook.com/stlawrencevalleyproduceauction.

Click here to read the New Wholesale Marketing Opportunity for NNY Growers report

May 13, 2020.  American Agriculturist Editor Chris Torres has just posted an article on the Northern New York Agricultural Dvelopment Program-funded project evaluating and demonstrating the opportunity to apply biocontrol nematodes in manure. The biocontrol nematode protocol initiated with long-term support from the NNYADP is proving successful in managing alfalfa snout beetle, corn rootworm, and some berry pests.

Click here to read the article: https://www.farmprogress.com/crop-protection/biocontrol-nematodes-thrive-manure?

  May 12, 2020.  With permission from Hay and Forage Grower, published by W. D. Hoard and Sons Company, Fort Atkinson, WI, here is a link to “Jousting with the Snout Beetle” by Editor Mike Rankin who visited the Bruce Dimock farm in Peru, N.Y. The article shows how one Northern New York farm has made good use of the alfalfa snout beetle research results made possible by long-term support from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program with funding from the New York State Legislature.

https://hayandforage.com/article-3002-Jousting-with-the-snout-beetle.html

PDF of “Jousting with the Snout Beetle” article

Canton, N.Y.; May 11, 2020.  With a grant from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, veterinarians Paul D. Virkler and Paula Ospina have begun developing e-learning modules to meet a need for dairy employee training. A report on phase one results is posted at www.nnyagdev.org.

“Initial hire and ongoing employee training is essential for dairy farm businesses. This project is developing a cloud-based way to improve dairy employee knowledge, skill-building, and consistency of performance, which, in turn, benefits cow health, productivity, and farm sustainability,” said Virkler, DVM, a veterinarian with Quality Milk Production Services in Canton, N.Y.

“This initial project with on-farm participants provided excellent input for building employee-friendly e-learning modules that will engage dairy employees and enhance their knowledge, skills, and competency,” said Ospina, DVM, PhD, and dairy consultant.

Virkler and Ospina worked with 10 cooperating dairy farms throughout Northern New York to pilot test module development with a focus on milker knowledge and skill, the efficient functioning of milking equipment, and cow health in terms of teat and udder hygiene.

A baseline survey identified areas of dairy parlor performance that could be enhanced to improve milk quality and reduce the risk of mastitis. Based on that survey, 100 percent of the participating farms identified and shared one or more of the top three priority areas that involved milker performance, reinforcing the need for more milker training and better training resources.

The baseline survey further identified the need to encourage farms to make time for evaluating milking equipment and ensuring that it is maintained in proper working order.

“Four farms had a major equipment issue to correct prior to our evaluating of milker performance. In one instance, the lack of a functional unit alignment device was limiting the milkers’ ability to perform their job well,” Virkler pointed out.

E-learning modules with videos, photos, and text in English and Spanish were developed to demonstrate the seven steps of a proper milking routine.

“We used a story line of a milker needing help so users could relate through their own parlor experience,” Ospina explained.

On-farm training sessions introduced employees to the training software format and each individual milker was asked three random questions about the milking procedure to assess pre-training knowledge level. Post-training evaluation showed a positive impact compared to the baseline assessment of teat end cleanliness after milking prep across the 10 farms.

“Post-training we saw a 20 percent improvement in the average cleanliness when milkers better understood why they need to wipe the teat ends. To continue this work regarding optimal cleanliness levels, we are evaluating how to enhance video or graphics in the next edition of the e-learning module and whether in-person training on the specific technique is required,” Virkler explained.

“For the next phase, we will be addressing literacy challenges, the lack of internet familiarity by employees, limited or farm-restricted internet and wireless access in rural communities, and how to encourage farm scheduling for employee training,” said Ospina.

As part of phase 2 of the NNYADP E-Learning Training Systems for Milk Quality and Parlor Performance project in 2020, Virkler and Ospina are developing an e-learning module focused on the basic functions of milking equipment and how that relates to teat end health, flow rates, and mastitis prevention.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Click here to read the 2019 E-learning Training Systems for Milk Quality and Parlor Performance