An upside of last year’s dry growing season is that we had no reports in New York of late blight, the devastating disease of tomato and potato. But 2017 is shaping up to be a very different season. We had our first late blight report in Erie County July 10th — and another one from…Continue Reading Got late blight in your garden? Here’s what to do.
It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week all over the U.S.
It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week — now. Pay it heed. Invasive species, it turns out, are a huge deal in the US, in New York. Everywhere, in fact. Coping with invasive insects, pathogens and the like have cost, in the US as a whole, upward of … OK, I’m hedging already. Is it $40 billion…Continue Reading It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week all over the U.S.
It’s Pollinator Week. Read All About It.
When we think about bees, we mostly think about honeybees … a European native brought here by the very first colonists. Now honeybees are struggling, hammered by a constellation of 20-plus diseases and parasites — not to mention a range of insecticides and fungicides. About 450 species of wild bees also populate our fields and…Continue Reading It’s Pollinator Week. Read All About It.
Invasives are pests! Learn more at our July IPM conference.
We tend to default to bugs — to insects — when we think about pests. But plant diseases and weeds are pests too. And all threaten our fields and farms, our forests and streams, our homes and workplaces. Pests provide no end of challenges — especially pests that come from afar. Among IPM’s strengths? Researching…Continue Reading Invasives are pests! Learn more at our July IPM conference.
The Monarchs Are Coming, Ready or Not.
Gorgeous in flight and gloriously colored, monarch butterflies are the glimmering icon of wild nature. As an endangered species, they’re also iconic of all we have to lose in a changing world. And now it’s begun — the remaining monarchs’ first leg of an epic, multigenerational voyage from overwintering sites in Mexico. But are they…Continue Reading The Monarchs Are Coming, Ready or Not.
Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
For farmers everywhere, but perhaps most of all for organic farmers, every day has to be Earth Day. And since what matters for farmers matters for us all, every day is Earth Day for you, me, everyone. Take farmer Lou Lego. He earned an Excellence in IPM award earlier this year for his inspired, inventive…Continue Reading Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
We’re planning a statewide conference covering the A to Z of invasive plants, pathogens and pests that plague our farms, our forests, our homes — us. We’ve got a superb lineup of speakers — along with a wide array of take-home IPM messages from educators at tables in the lobby and two adjacent classrooms. Join…Continue Reading Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
Hundreds of on-farm research trials later, a NYS IPM award for Christy Hoepting
Christy Hoepting grew up on a small farm north of Toronto, Ontario. Enrolling at the University of Guelph, a top-tier ag school, was a natural fit. And though she focused on onion production while earning her master’s degree, she never dreamed she’d make a career of it. But then her advisor told her that a…Continue Reading Hundreds of on-farm research trials later, a NYS IPM award for Christy Hoepting
Climate, Weather, Data: Crops and Landscapes
With all the talk about climate change you might wonder how it will affect food production, pests, and even landscapes—and what you can do about it. From the Valentine’s Day massacre winter freeze to plant life gasping for water, changing weather patterns have affected our crops all over the Northeast. Learn how gathering information on…Continue Reading Climate, Weather, Data: Crops and Landscapes
Hiring Now: Four New NYS IPM Posts
The New York State IPM Program seeks four new staff to amplify our IPM outreach and research for farms and communities around New York. Here are the positions (three of them new) we seek to fill: Biocontrol Specialist (Extension Associate) Alternative Weed Management Specialist (Extension Associate) Coordinator for the Network for Environment and Weather Applications…Continue Reading Hiring Now: Four New NYS IPM Posts