Sure, your fields are deep in snow. But January isn’t downtime for farmers. Whatever your varied crops and specialties, you have this in common: you need to stay on top of disease, weed, and insect pests. Which is why you squeeze as much learning into the off-season as you can.
From the smorgasbord of winter crop schools, organized through Cornell Cooperative Extension, this example:
Oneida County Crop Congress | January 7, 2014
Learn all about it: The insect, weed, and disease pests found countywide this past year, and how to ID and manage them — and — the growing issue of pesticide resistance and how to avoid or reduce its impact on crops.
Other counties host crop congresses too. Search “Cornell Cooperative Extension crop congress 2014” and your county’s name.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County hosts this two-day extravaganza:
Long Island Agricultural Forum | January 16 – 17, 2014
Educational conference, trade show, and banquet welcomes all ag professionals. Choose among sessions as varied as labor law, potatoes, sustainable ag, floriculture, tree fruit, veggies, viticulture, livestock and poultry harvesting and marketing, nurseries, environmental landscaping and gardening, loan opportunities, biotechnology and (but of course) much more.
For a flat-out trade show with al the trimmings, check this out:
2014 Empire State Producers Expo | Jan 21 – 23, 2014 7:30am
Combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York in one comprehensive trade show and educational conference — not just for growers in New York, but for bordering states and eastern Canada too. Lots of Cornell Cooperative Extension programming.
Are you a homebody — and greenhouse grower? From the comfort of your home, these webinars on pesticide resistance:
Insect and Disease Monitoring | January 9, 2014, 2 p.m. and
Using Biological Control (I) | January 14, 2014, 2:00pm
Managing pests in enclosed structures can be tricky, but these free programs can help growers — no matter how large or small your operation. You’ll learn practical tips to better manage pests. The webinars are free; all you need is your computer. Plus — each session can be viewed independently. Did you miss one? Don’t hesitate to join in on the next.
Looking for more educational opportunities? Check out the events webpage at NYS IPM.