Vineyards on a cold winter morning near Lake Erie
2022 Winter Grower Conference Series
One Stop Shopping for Research-based Information and Pesticide Recertification Credits!
PORTLAND, NEW YORK (January 24, 2022) -- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is pleased to announce their annual Winter Grape Growers’ Conference. As always, the conference series will be full of information on the latest research-based tools that can be taken home and applied to your vineyard.
This year the conference will be presented in a series made up of two virtual days from 9 AM-12 PM, January 19, 2022 and February 16, 2022 and one in-person day on March 16, 2022, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. Please be aware that if the in-person conference gets shut down due to COVID restrictions, then it will be held virtually on the same day. Regional grape growers and industry stakeholders come to the LERGP Growers Conference in March of each year to hear the research-based information being developed by Cornell and Penn State faculty and extension staff, as well as other speakers from across the country, but many are also looking for those elusive pesticide recertification credits required by the NYS DEC and PDA.
The first event was virtual and was held on Wednesday, January 19th. Guest speakers for this event were Dr. Terry Bates talking about recent research at the Cornell AgriTech lab in Portland, and the myEV tool; and Kevin Martin discussing moving from bins to bulk harvesting. The February and March meetings both offer DEC and PDA recertification credits and have an excellent speaker line up!
The February 16th Virtual Conference Agenda includes a presentation from Dr. Lynn M Sosnoskie, Assistant Professor for Weed Ecology and Management for Specialty Crops in Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Sciences - Horticulture Section. Lynn’s presentation will be from 9-10 AM on how uncontrolled weed growth can significantly impact vineyard growth and development. Herbicides are important tools for managing unwanted vegetation but there are concerns about the evolution of herbicide resistant weeds, crop injury potential, and changing public perception about pesticide use. Novel weed control technology could reduce herbicide needs in perennial crops; this talk will describe novel research being conducted in New York investigating vision-guided spray technology and electrical weeders.
The second part of February’s meeting from 10AM to noon will be the 2022 Pest Management Spray Schedule – What’s Your Plan? Our colleagues, Bryan Hed, Research Technologist (Plant Pathology), Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center, Penn State; and Andy Muza, Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Extension Team & Penn State Extension - Erie County, PA will be holding this spray program course that is intended to be interactive so that growers will have the ability to ask questions concerning specific pest problems or potential problems in the 2022 season. We have applied for DEC and PDA pesticide recertification credits for this course and have been approved for 3 DEC recertification credits!
Topics that will be addressed include: timing of spray applications at critical growth stages; pesticide options, efficacy; and resistance management.
The March meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, from 8:00AM to 4:30PM at the Williams Center on the SUNY Fredonia Campus. 280 Central Ave. Fredonia NY. Doors will open at 8:00AM so registrants can interact with vendors, get some coffee, and greet fellow growers. Classes begin at 8:15AM. Lunch is included.
The agenda includes:
Cost to attend both of the remaining meetings is $100 (additional attendees from the same farm are $35 each).Register today at https://lergp.cce.cornell.edu/event_preregistration_new.php?id=519 for the LERGP 2022 Winter Conference Series!! Here’s to great pesticide education coming your way! Registered attendees looking for pesticide recertification credits can receive a total of 6 DEC credits for their attendance and attentiveness to both, February and March, Conference Series Sessions!
The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is a cooperative effort between Cornell and Penn State Universities; the participating Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus Counties in New York and Erie County in Pennsylvania; and participating industry partners National Grape Cooperative (Welch’s), Constellation Brands and Walkers Fruit Basket. The LERGP extension team provides research-based educational programming for commercial grape growers throughout the year at venues across the Lake Erie grape belt. For more information on LERGP, call 716-792-2800 or visit our website at http://lergp.cce.cornell.edu/
Photo Caption: Vineyards on a cold winter morning near Lake Erie
The Lake Erie Regional Grape 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.
Contact
Jennifer Russo
Team Leader, Viticulturalist
jjr268@cornell.edu
716-792-2800 ext 204
Last updated January 24, 2022