Vegetable Field Day

Sustainable & Organic Vegetable Field Day

Tour fresh market vegetable research trials and learn about pest management options

Portland, NEW YORK (August 16, 2017) Fresh market conventional and organic growers of all levels of expertise are invited to tour research sites and ask questions of Cornell Cooperative Extension Specialists and Cornell Faculty on vegetable production and pest management at the 2nd annual Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Pest Management Field Day on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. This exciting event will take place at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland, NY. Additionally, industry representatives will be available to meet with growers to answer questions on their products. 3 DEC credits are available for this field day.

Extension Vegetable Specialists, Darcy Telenko, Judson Reid, and Robert Hadad along with Cornell Faculty Christine Smart, Stephen Reiners, Thomas Björkman and John Wallace, and NEWA Coordinator Dan Olmstead will be leading research site tours and answering questions on the following topics:

  • Come meet the new Cornell Associate Professor John Wallace and learn about his plans for weed management research in vegetables
  • 2017 vegetable disease update and tour of organic weed and disease
  • management trial

  • Insect management and specialty crop vegetable variety demonstration
  • Update on NEWA
  • Sulfur fertility in vegetable crops
  • Using cover crops for soil health
  • Northeast Broccoli Project updates
  • Season extension
  • Sweet corn variety trial and tasting
  • Research trials will be on display throughout the day. Darcy Telenko will lead a tour of fresh market vegetable research. Plots include: demonstration of organic disease management options in tomato and cucumber; sweet corn variety trial; pumpkin variety trial for powdery mildew resistance; and a cover crop demonstration.

    Darcy Telenko and John Wallace will review weed management options in vegetables and herbicide best use practices. Both organic and conventional weed management tools will be discussed including the use of a stale seedbed technique with either herbicide or flame-weeder burn- down treatment. Growers will be able to view the different weed management tools, look at the economics of utilizing each system, and ask questions. Topics will also include how to scout after herbicide application to confirm usefulness.

    Christine Smart and Darcy Telenko will discuss the major vegetable diseases in New York, what symptoms we are looking for, and conventional and organic management tools available including resistant varieties, fungicides and new biopesticides. Research trials will be showcasing varieties with host resistance and organic programs using disease forecasting. They will discuss use of disease forecast warning systems (USABlight and Cucurbit Downy Mildew PIPE) and Dan Olmstead, NYS IPM, will discuss NEWA (Network for Environmental and Weather Application) and how growers can use the forecasting models for pest management in various crops.

    Robert Hadad will lead the group on a walk in the vegetables to learn and practice skills necessary to identify insect the pests; checking for management issues that may improve or decrease insect control; and control options. Several varieties of a diverse assortment of vegetable crops will be on display for growers to view.

    Correct crop fertility has wide reaching impacts on yield, and more is often not better. Excessive fertility can promote weed growth and insect pressure, while insufficient nutrition leaves crops more susceptible to stresses like disease. Dr. Stephen Reiners will direct his discussion on the importance in sulfur to maintain healthy vegetable crops.

    Cover crops have become an important tool for improving soil health. Thomas Björkman will discuss several cover crop options and talk about the benefits of use cover crops and how to incorporate them into a vegetable rotation. Growers will be encouraged to discuss their experiences with cover crops. In addition, Dr. Bjorkman will give an update the Northeast Broccoli Project and variety evaluation.

    Judson Reid will discuss best management practices and options for season extension in vegetables. He will review health, fertility and pest management requirements for successful production.

    A key component of this event is the support provided by industry organizations. Field Day sponsors – BASF, Gowan, and Marrone Bio Innovations along with others – are recognized as an integral part of this dynamic event. Industry representatives will be onsite with displays and available to talk about some of their new products.

    COST & REGISTRATION: $25.00 Cornell Vegetable Program enrollees/ $35.00 non-enrollees, includes dinner and handouts, if pre-registered by August 23.

    Pre-register on line at: https://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/event_preregistration.php?event=794.

    Walk-ins are welcome ($35 each) but dinner and handouts cannot be guaranteed unless you have pre-registered. For more information and special accommodations, contact Darcy Telenko 716-697-4965 or email dep10@cornell.edu.

    About Cornell Cooperative Extension - Cornell Vegetable Program

    The Cornell Vegetable Program is one of the premier regional agricultural Cornell Cooperative Extension programs in New York, serving a large multi-county region in the western and central part of the state. The team's Vegetable Specialists work together with Cornell faculty and extension educators statewide to address the issues that impact the industry. The Cornell Vegetable Program provides educational programs and information to growers, processors and agri-business professionals, arming them with the knowledge to profitably produce and market safe and healthful vegetable crops, contributing to the viability of farms and the economic wellbeing of New York State. Specifically, our program focuses on food safety, variety evaluation, market development, pest management, and cultural practices.

    The Cornell Vegetable Program is supported, in part, by thirteen county Cornell Cooperative Extension associations of New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Seneca, Wayne and Yates Counties.

    The Cornell Vegetable Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

    Last updated August 16, 2017