Harvest of fall crops is in full swing on farms across the region this week. Consider these tips from vegetable specialists Chuck Bornt (ENYCHP) and Julie Kikkert (CVP) for identifying issues impacting storage and ensuring quality for the winter.
Reminders and Tips for Harvesting Sweet and Irish Potatoes for Storage
Chuck Bornt, Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program
The temperatures are getting cooler so harvesting of both sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes for storage is already underway, but it’s still good to remind ourselves of a few things to make sure we put the best quality product in storage to sell later on. Remember, sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes have almost nothing in common in regards to storing but some similarities how they can be handled during harvest and storage! The table below is a quick summary of harvesting and handling Irish and sweet potatoes.
Detecting Carrot Root Decay at Harvest
Julie Kikkert, Cornell Cooperative Extension Cornell Vegetable Program
Harvest may be the time when decay of carrot roots is first detected. Affected roots can continue to degrade and it is important to avoid long term storage. Keep notes of problems observed this fall and plan for a minimum three-year rotation out of susceptible crops in future years. Grains are the preferred rotational crop. For assistance with disease identification, contact your local vegetable specialist.
Cavity Spot
Symptoms are irregularly shaped and sunken brown lesions that run across the tap root. Roots may become infected at an early stage, but symptoms become visible only after a considerable time. Susceptibility increases as the carrot matures and older carrots can become symptomatic quickly. The disease is thought to be associated with high soil moisture either early or late in the growing season, as well as with high nitrogen levels.
Crater Rot
Crater rot can be common in New York when conditions are warm and moist, especially when carrots are grown in short rotations with other susceptible hosts. Infections begin on the tap root, often where lateral roots emerge. The lesions enlarge and develop into brown and black sunken cankers. The lesions may penetrate several millimeters into the taproot, which distinguishes them from cavity spot lesions which are much shallower. Foliar blight and crown rot are the same disease expressed on the plant in different locations. Crown rot can result from infections on either the crown or on the main root. Early symptoms are horizontal dark brown lesions, which can later develop into black sunken cankers that may penetrate several millimeters into the taproot and petioles. Tops may die in patches in the field. Infections can occur early in the season but may not be detected until much later. The fungus easily spreads from plant to plant and thus, high plant densities and narrow row spacing will increase the severity of the disease, especially under moist conditions. Excessive hilling under moist conditions will also increase disease.
Black Spot Disease
First reported in the United States in 2015 in carrots grown in Essex County, NY, the disease is now widespread in New York. In roots, lesions first appear as small, dark spots on the surface. Later, circular dark brown to black lesions develop and may coalesce to cover large areas or the entire root. The pathogen is believed to only affect carrots.
Cottony Rot/White Mold
This disease more commonly shows up in storage, however, it can be found in crops in the field. Cottony rot is characterized by a cotton-like, white growth on the lower plant parts and roots. The fungus mounds up and turns black into the characteristic overwintering structures called sclerotia. The pathogen has a wide host range including snap beans, dry beans, soybeans, cabbage, lettuce and sunflower.
Soft/Wet Rot
Bacterial soft/wet rots most commonly occur in storage but may be found in the field under very wet fall conditions. The pathogenic bacteria are widespread in soil and enter the root after there has been previous damage from root cracking, insects, or fungal infections. The tissues disintegrate quickly and turn into a soft, slimy mass.
Upcoming Events
Soil Health Workshop for Vegetable Growers
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Whallonsburg Grange (1610 Route 22, Essex, NY)
Join us for presentations, discussions, and hands-on demonstrations focusing on soil health concepts and best management practices for vegetable growers. Topics include tarping, maintaining soil health in high tunnels, cover cropping, reduced tillage, compost microbiology, and more. 1.75 DEC pesticide recertification credits available in categories 1A, 10, and 23.
Register by Oct. 27th at https://enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=1821
For more information or to request accommodations, contact Elisabeth Hodgdon (eh528@cornell.edu or 518-650-5323).
Back again this November: Cornell Ag Supervisory Leadership Certificate Course: Organizing Work for High-Quality Results REGISTER HERE
Organizing Work for High-Quality Results teaches farm supervisors how to develop clear expectations and delegate effectively. Learn how to implement a quality management system on your farm, create your own standard operating procedures, and develop processes to streamline work and improve results. This course is appropriate for both new and experienced farm supervisors and managers, as well as those preparing to become supervisors. All participants will learn leadership concepts and practice skills that will improve their ability to build a positive workplace and get results through leading others. Course topics include: setting clear expectations, effective delegation, quality management systems, workplace organization, and aligning HR management with social responsibility expectations. Materials release November 8, 2023, and live weekly Zoom discussions will be held from 3 to 4 PM ET each Tuesday from November 14 through December 19. Continuing education credits will be offered.
Liderazgo en Supervisión Agrícola ¡Nuevo curso virtual! Transición a supervisor en español: Register Here
New online course! Transition to Supervisor in Spanish
¡El Liderazgo de Supervisión Agrícola ahora ofrecerá el curso completo de “Transición a supervisor” en ESPAÑOL y todo virtual! Aprenderá estos temas: cómo desarrollar relaciones laborales efectivas, habilidades esenciales de la comunicación, cómo ser el líder de un grupo multicultural, y cómo construir mejores relaciones de trabajo para tener un equipo efectivo de trabajo. ¡La inscripción está disponible!
Los materiales del curso estarán disponibles el 18 de octubre de 2023 y sessiones de Zoom se llevarán a cabo todos los martes de 13:00-14:00 horas, del 24 de octubre al 21 de noviembre.
Agricultural Supervisory Leadership will now offer the complete “Transition to Supervisor” course in SPANISH and all virtual! You will learn these topics: how to develop effective working relationships, essential communication skills, how to be the leader of a multicultural group, and how to build better working relationships to have an effective work team. Registration is open!
Course materials will be available on October 18, 2023, and weekly Zoom sessions will take place every Tuesday from 1-2 PM ET from October 24 to November 21.
Perspectives on the Opportunities and Impacts of Solar Installation in Agricultural Areas (5-part webinar series)
A collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension, Pennsylvania, and Farm Bureaus of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York this series of webinars explores the continued push for development of solar energy projects in agricultural areas of the Northeast. This five part series will address the topic from multiple perspectives and help to identify the opportunities and challenges as well as currently known best practices for integrating the need for renewable energy with other economic and social factors.
Session #1: Video – Impacts of Large-Scale Solar on Rural Communities – A Research Perspective
Research into this topic is still relatively new; however, initial studies offer some insight into how the perceptions, impacts and opportunities around solar and land use. This session will explore current finding on key issues in rural communities, decision making metrics being developed through this research and how communities can integrate these metrics. Additionally, the potential tradeoffs between energy and agriculture and emerging opportunities in agrivoltaics will be discussed.
Session #2: Solar and Agriculture – A Company’s Perspective on the Challenges and Pathways to Successful Integration of Both
Thursday, October 12th 12 pm – 1:15 pm
Developers of large-scale solar facilities are interested in optimizing the use of the land within the project footprint and continue to work to understand the opportunities and challenges of agrivoltaics, or dual use, setups. The session will also explore the key aspects of the decision-making process developers use for site selection and how they weigh these factors against impacts on land use, particularly when the location contains soil types identified as prime for agriculture production.
Moderator: Jeff Williams, NY Farm Bureau JWilliams@nyfb.org
Panelist:
- Marguerite Wells, Invenergy MWells@invenergyllc.com;
- Josh Bennett/Kevin Campbell, EDF Josh Bennett: Bennett@edf-re.com Kevin Campbell: Kevin.Campbell@edf-re.com
- Iain Ward, Solar Agricultural Services iain@solaragservices.com
Session #3: A Farmer’s Perspective on Solar
Thursday, October 26th 12 pm – 1:15 pm
Farmers who have looked closely at solar electricity production on their land will discuss their experiences with developers, and their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of solar for agriculture. Discussion will include differences in the scale of solar projects, how solar might impact farmers in varied circumstances, and ideas for optimizing the benefits of a nd mitigating the challenges of solar for agriculture.
Session #4: A Community Perspective on Solar
Thursday, November 9th 12 pm – 1:15 pm
Expanding out beyond the impacts to individual landowners, solar develop can have broader opportunities and challenges for the rural, agricultural based communities that host them. This session will offer observations and ideas for the community level on best practices for successfully integrating solar as a land use. When it is a competing land use and when it can be a complementary land use.
Session #5: Question and Answer
Wednesday, November 22nd 12 pm – 1:15 pm
A Q&A to cover any and all of the previously presented material in Sessions 1-4 featuring the speakers from this series.
Information Session on Controlled Environment Crop Insurance Program – October 10, 2023
USDA has a new crop insurance program designed for agricultural producers who use controlled environments in their operations. It’s tailored to producers who grow plants in fully enclosed controlled environments, including urban, specialty crop, and organic producers. It provides coverage against plant diseases subject to destruction orders. USDA’s Risk Management Agency will be hosting a virtual informational session for interested producers and public on October 10th.
For more information on the program click here.
For details on the information sessions click here
Save the dates for the following conferences this winter:
NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Jan. 20 – 21, 2024
Marriott Syracuse Downtown, Syracuse, NY
https://nofany.org/upcoming-events/
Empire State Producers Expo
Oncenter, Syracuse, NY
Jan. 22 – 24, 2024
https://nysvga.org/expo/information/
Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program Fruit & Vegetable Conference
Feb. 21 – 22, 2024
The Desmond Conference Center, Albany, NY