February 27, 2015

Take Action to Support Ag IPM

GREAT NEWS! The NY Farm Bureau has included us on their e-advocacy site—making it very easy for you and others to voice your support for restoring Agricultural IPM funding to previous levels.

Farmers have relied upon Integrated Pest Management (IPM), for decades. IPM allows farmers to target pests and diseases in an efficient, profitable, and environmentally sensitive manner by utilizing the best and latest innovations in research and extension. The IPM program received a 50% funding cut in 2010, and is now seeking a return to prior year’s budgets. Please take a moment to support this important program in the 2015-16 State Budget.

Please help! Simply go to the Farm Bureau’s Action Alert website, select the delivery method, fill in your contact information, and submit—it’s that easy.

February 9, 2015

Ahhh – lovely snow! Not so great for driving but it is pretty. Or are you cheering for Staten Island Chuck (did you know we have our own groundhog in NYS?) and his prediction for an early spring?

It’s not just dirt!? The Cornell Soil Health Program has lots of resources and can do testing for you. And the USDA has a webinar coming up on the program that can help you interpret your assessment for better soil health!

You probably have a general idea of what hardiness zone you are in but did you know that there can be variations on a relatively small scale? Check out the interactive USDA hardiness zone maps. Whee! I’m 5b! (no colder on average than –10 to –15) But there are little chunks of 5a nearby and it’s 6a near the lake!

And here’s one with the US drought index. I didn’t know it was abnormally dry here in Tompkins County. I think the recent snow might help!

Don’t worry – be hoppy! (okay – I couldn’t help myself! But did I really try?)

Beginning Hops Class

Saturday, March 7, 2015, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County, 480 North Main Street, Canandaigua, NY

Feb 11, 2015 HOPS and Barley Webinar sponsored by USDA at 1:30 p.m. EST. You can stream audio through your computer. Or you can call in to listen to the audio via your phone, U.S. & Canada Toll-Free 855-810-2136.

I don’t think the neonicitinoid conversation has hit Christmas tree growers yet, but if your customers are asking, do you know which insecticides are neonics? Mode of action class 4A – which includes acetamiprid, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiomethoxam.Did anyone get questions this Christmas? Don’t know what I am talking about?

Stay safe and warm and dry. Or if you are bored and stuck inside – start planning. (I think # 13 is in Syracuse!)

January 28, 2015

Sun! So we are all happier even with the cold. I hope you have sun where you are, too.

Want a winter hike to see more trees? The Plantations is hosting “Meet the Conifers” in Ithaca this Saturday.

The Xerces webinar on Conservation Biological Control yesterday was quite good! I learned some things – including that it is archived if you want to watch it yourself. Scroll a short way down to: Conservation Biological Control: Habitat management to control pests. Lots of practical examples – even if they are specific to Christmas trees.

One thing I learned? Construct beetle banks – raised beds planted with grasses – to encourage ground beetles that will then move into your crop to feed on bad beasts.

And speaking of bad beasts – and how to identify them. Virginia Tech has a page for identifying insects and mites (and do you remember how many legs an adult mite has – from class?) Fact sheets and scouting information. Remember that the calendars are for Virginia – a tad warmer than here.

I was told several times at the CTFANY meeting that I like bugs too much. With cute little beetle feet like these, how can you not? And someone is studying them to figure out how they can stick to surfaces and not fall off.

Beetle feet

May all your beetles be good beetles!

Have a good week!

January 22, 2015

A little sun, a little snow (well we could use a LITTLE more snow) – it’s been a pretty month so far – but lots of traveling – and talking!

Get your samples defrosted and ready for The Doctor is IN diagnostic session at the CTFANY annual winter meeting in Syracuse this Friday and Saturday! See if you can stump us – I’m easy to stump but Brian is GOOD! Lots more useful information, too.

Barking up the right tree! Basal bark sprays have some advantages for armored scale control but I need more background on them. Rich Cowles from New Hampshire created a YouTube video on how to do it! However, Safari for basal bark sprays is only labeled for hemlock woolly adelgid and elongate hemlock scale on Eastern and Carolina hemlocks in NYS – a 2(ee) label – not helpful for most Christmas tree growers. I will keep asking about how we might change this.

And more sprayer technology that helps reduce the amount of pesticide applied! Good IPM! Oregon State has a smart sprayer designed for nurseries.

Looking for labels – and MSDS sheets? It might be time to update your folder! PIMS – Pesticide Product, Ingredient and Manufacturer System (just be careful when googling – there is a PA mortuary site with the same acronym) is the best place to get labels because they have the NY labels and the 2(ee)s. In the process of finding this, I learned that MSDS’s will become SDS’s. Probably not a drastic change for any of you – but now you know!

CDMS has both labels and MSDS information

Another grower question – even if they did ask about cut flowers this time! Michigan State University has a series of resources on cover crop technology for Christmas tree growers

Come see us at the show – or send a question if you can’t be there – or just enjoy the week!

January 12, 2015

How did it get to be January 12th? I barely remember seeing the ball drop. Oh, maybe that’s because I was asleep!

Getting ready for the CTFANY meeting next week. We apparently want to be talking ALL the time – well, maybe that’s just me. Come and see what we are saying. Entomology, sad plants, beneficial insects. And meet another IPMer – Tim Weigle talks about hops.

Want apps? Most are ag – not all are applicable but its quite a list!

It’s cold out. More ways to stay inside and learn – Online IPM Academy webinars from Michigan State University. You can’t get NYS recertification credits from them but you can learn some IPM or plant pathology or entomology or . . .

Did you know that 2015 is the International Year of Soils? Get down with your dirt. Learn what the Cornell Soil Health program can do for you.

On we go – at the usual rapid rate!

Have a good week.