Farmers may be reimbursed for their labor costs in harvesting and packing produce, as well as packaging materials, when produce is donated to food banks. A new initiative, Glean NY, hopes to increase the donation of food from the farm, including produce that might not otherwise have been harvested, produce culled from packing lines and storage, and more.

Glean NY is a partnership of New York State’s eight regional food banks, Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York Farm Bureau, and farmers.

Occasionally, farms have produce that cannot be sold due to cosmetic blemishes, lack of market, or similar conditions. Food-safe produce can be donated to food banks. Donations do not have to be washed, sorted, graded, or packaged as for retail.

In many cases, the food banks’ trucks can pickup produce at the farm. In some regions, food banks have produce crates that can be dropped off at the farm; otherwise farm crates can be returned to the farm.

New York State’s food banks provide food for over 3 million people annually. Food is distributed through more than 5,000 local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other programs.

New York farmers donated more than 8.5 million pounds of produce, meat, milk, eggs, and other items to food banks in 2012, according to the American Farm Bureau Harvest for All project.

To make a donation, or for more information, call your regional food bank, or call the Food Bank Association of New York State at (518) 433-4505.

On the web: www.gleanny.org

Ms. Maney earned a B.S in Horticulture from Oregon State University and Masters in Public Horticulture Administration from the University of Delaware through the Longwood Graduate Program as well as a Certificate in Museum Management.  She served previously as the CEO of the Corning YMCA, Executive Director of the 171 Cedar Arts Center, and Director of Education at Longwood Gardens, recognized as the premier public garden in the country.  Ms. Maney also worked for the Landmark Society of Western New York in Rochester and was the first Landscape Curator for the George Eastman House.

Susan Maney grew up on a farm in Seneca Castle and will be returning to Monroe County where her father and other family members live.  Ms. Maney stated, “I look forward

to working with all our stakeholders and constituents to strengthen and grow all of the core programs of Monroe County Cooperative Extension, including those in agriculture, nutrition and youth development. I am especially thrilled to be returning to my horticultural roots in Rochester.”

Genetically Engineered Foods”

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

3:15p.m. Jordan Hall Auditorium, NYSAES

Coffee 3:00p.m.

Hosted by Tony Shelton (ams5@cornell.edu)

GardenScape Professionals Association donation supports the Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County horticulture program.  In recognition of the horticulture education CCEMC offers nursery landscape businesses in the region, president Jeff Hathorn presented a check for $1750 to Cooperative Extension.

Horticulture Program Leader Walt Nelson thanks GardenScape Professionals on behalf of CCE.  The donation enables Cooperative extension to build on its existing education for area green industry businesses including the winter horticulture school, diagnostic lab services and field days.

“A more knowledgeable business translates to better client services,” according to Hathorn. “Our Association is please to support Cooperative Extension and its educational outreach.”

These online courses are only a few of the many offered this Fall, Winter, and Spring by the Cornell Small Farms Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension, on topics ranging from financial recordkeeping to raising poultry. Visit http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses to register or to learn more!

Markets & Profits – Exploring the Feasibility of Your Farming Ideas (BF 102)

Nov. 8 – Dec. 13, 2012. Webinars will be every Thurs. evening at 7pm EST except on Thanksgiving, Thurs. Nov 22.

 Marketing Planning – Pricing, Positioning, and Guerilla Marketing Tactics (BF 201)

Tues. Nov 13 – Tues. Dec. 18, with webinars each Tues. night at 7pm EST

Berry Production: Getting Started with Production and Marketing (BF 122)

This is a 5-week course from Mon. Nov 19 – Mon. Dec 17, with webinars each Mon. night from 7-8:30pm EST

Impatiens infected with downy mildew first exhibit yellowing leaves, similar to what looks like a nitrogen nutrient deficiency.   The infected leaves appear white on the underside that is a layer of spores that can travel through the air, infecting other impatiens plantings.  The leaves eventually fall, leaving pale green stems that melt away.  Practically, there is no landscape treatment, according to Brian Eshenaur, Cornell IPM Plant pathologist.  Container grown plants where the foliage is kept dry may delay infection.

As a systemic disease, it infects the entire plant and flower growers also find it very difficult to manage.  Bill Chase, owner of Chase Greenhouses in Rush is encouraging his customers to select other annual flowers such as coleus, marigolds, petunias, fibrous begonias or New Guinea impatiens, (which are not susceptible to the disease).  Chase plans to reduce the numbers of impatiens he offers for sale next year.

‘Impatiens are popular shade garden annuals’ says Walt Nelson, horticulturist with Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County.  ‘Movement of cuttings across our Nation is making it difficult to combat the disease.’  He believes some growers will not offer impatiens next year rather than disappoint customers with disease prone plants.

Gardeners are advised by Nelson not planting impatiens in an area where impatiens were killed by the mildew, as the disease survives the winter in soil and will re-infect impatiens in that site.  Hopefully future varieties will have disease resistance resulting from current plant breeding work.  It will be several years before resistant varieties are available.  Until then gardeners should celebrate diversity and plan on planting different annual flowers next spring.

The 2012 NYS Dry Bean Field Meeting will be held Tuesday, September 18th, from 5:00 – 8:15 pm, at Bob and Dan Duyssen’s Farm* in Stafford. Promising new varieties, some with disease resistance, management of dry bean insect pests, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)/ food safety will be discussed at the meeting. DEC and CCA credits will be available. Supper will follow for those who pre-register (Carol MacNeil – 585-313-8796).

First on the agenda is the Cornell dry bean variety/breeding line trial in a field on Westacott Rd, just west of Duyssen’s buildings. Eric Sandsted and Don Halseth will describe the performance of the black, and light and dark red kidney, varieties and lines in the trial. Phil Griffiths, bean breeder, will discuss and show his white mold resistant red kidneys. Duyssen’s have strip trials of a few promising black and light red kidney lines nearby to view. Eight WNY growers have the lines, and there will be time to discuss how they look on different farms. There will be an opportunity to take a first-hand look at the dry bean varieties and lines.

Leafhopper populations were very high this year. Brian Nault, Cornell entomologist, will explain why, what Cruiser can and can’t do, and how to decide whether to spray. Keith Waldron, NYS IPM Program, and Carol MacNeil, Cornell Vegetable Program, will report on the growing Western bean cutworm (WBC) population. This new pest, migrating to NY from the High Plains, feeds on pods and the beans inside. It has caused economic damage in Michigan. WBC moth catches in a trap in Attica reached high levels this year. There will be a brief update on food safety as it relates to dry beans, and the Good Ag Practices (GAPs) program.

The September 18th Dry Bean Field Meeting will be held at Bob and Dan Duyssen Farm*, 6620 Westacott Rd, Stafford. Pre-register for supper by 9/12 by calling Carol MacNeil at 585-313-8796. Cost is $5 for those currently enrolled in the Cornell Vegetable Program and receiving Veg Edge Weekly, and $10 for all others. Thanks to King Cole Bean and NY Bean for sponsoring!
For the full agenda go to: http://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/pdf/event/pdf38_pdf.pdf
For sponsor info go to: http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/sponsor_event.php?event_id=38
In case of bad weather and possibility of cancellation, or for special needs, call Carol MacNeil at 585-313-8796.
*Directions: From Route 5 between LeRoy and Batavia, turn south at the Red Osier Restaurant onto Roanoke Rd. At the second intersection turn left onto Westacott Rd. Duyssen’s and the Cornell variety trial are ahead on the right.
Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Please pre-register for dinner by Friday, August 17^th by calling Carol MacNeil at 585-313-8796.  DEC and CCA credits will be available.  Cost – $5 for current CVP enrollees (1 per enrollment); $10 for others.  Visit the Cornell Vegetable Program website for information on sponsor opportunities and the full meeting agenda at http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=28.

Don Halseth, Cornell potato specialist, established a large trial and will be evaluating the maturity, yield and marketability of white, red and some specialty varieties.  Growers will get to hear what he’s learned so far.  They’ll also have an opportunity to describe how the varieties they’re growing are performing and what they would like to see in new varieties.  Brian Nault, Cornell entomologist, is interested in hearing about growers’ experiences with different insecticides for Colorado potato beetle, and will share a plan for rotating insecticides in different classes to slow the development of resistance.  This can be a practical and successful strategy, but you need to know what insecticides are closely related.  Join us to get the full story!  Did you know that the black dot disease can also attack potato stems causing early dying?  This increasingly serious disease may be causing greater losses than you thought.  Tom Zitter, Cornell plant pathologist, will describe the symptoms and how you can protect your crop.  Finally, learn about the new late blight management tool that assists growers in making more timely fungicide spray applications.  Potato and tomato growers and consultants in the Cornell Vegetable Program (CVP) area are now using the Late Blight Decision Support System (DSS), which provides farm specific forecasts of when fungicide protection will be needed, based on pin point weather forecasts, the susceptibility of the grower’s varieties to late blight, and what fungicide is being used.  The DSS email/text Alerts are a popular way for growers to get their updates.  Carol MacNeil, Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist, and cooperating growers will describe how the system’s working this year.

Thanks to Stanton Ag Service for sponsoring!

Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities