Greetings from the North Country! I started the week off by starting a small survey project. Through every field meeting I’ve participated in, I’ve noticed that growers are always quick to ask about problems with their plants, yet they rarely ever ask about soil health issues. The idea is to go around to a few growers, collect a small sample, and ask them to guess the pH. So far, most growers are incredibly close. Most are only off by 0.2 or 0.3. Though this doesn’t really indicate a larger need for soil health measures to be taken, I noticed that a few newer farmers were unsure what I was talking about. Most of these farmers were fairly new to growing and didn’t come from a scientific background.

Discussing Magnesium deficiency at a grower field meeting

It’s so strange to me that this summer has gone by so quickly. I’ve learned so much than I ever anticipated. Coming from a background of animal agriculture, I worried about how I would fit into an internship that seemed to focus on horticultural production. However, I found that studying horticulture is just as interesting as animal agriculture to me. I’m extremely excited to continue what I’ve learned this summer with classes back at Cornell in the fall.

Top of Mt. Philo with my incredible boss, Amy Ivy

I feel like I have to thank some people for helping me this summer. First of all, my boss, Amy Ivy, has been amazing at making me feel at home in Clinton and Essex counties as well as teaching me so much about horticulture and entomology. Other thanks to Professor Steve Reiners, who has been available to help me at every step. I would also like to thank Masa Seto for allowing me to help him with his research of the leek moth (and for the hike through AuSable Chasm!). Finally, I want to thank everyone at the Clinton County Cornell Cooperative Extension office for being so welcoming and kind!