BF 223: Tree Fruit Production

an online course from the Cornell Small Farms Program

January 18 – Feb 22, 2017, with webinars each Wednesday evening from 6:30-8pm Eastern time.

Apples, pears, plums, and more! All are important components of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. This course trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management.

Join Anna Wallis, Regional Fruit Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program and Dr. Terence Bradshaw, Research Assistant Professor and Tree Fruit & Viticulture Specialist at the University of Vermont in this six week course, which covers basics of tree fruit production, harvesting, and marketing.

Content will include site selection and management, rootstock and cultivar selection, orchard systems, pest management, nutrient management, and harvest considerations for commercial orchards tailored to the northeast U.S.

The course is for beginning tree fruit growers, or experienced growers seeking a refresher on basic concepts in orchard management. The topics covered will be specific to orchard systems. Individuals looking for general farm business management and marketing can find this content covered in other courses, including BF101: Starting at Square One and BF202: Business Planning.

For more information and registration:

www.nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/tree-fruit-production-bf-223/

Hello:

As the New Year swings into gear, it’s time to plan for the 2017 VT Tree Fruit Growers Association and UVM Apple Program annual educational meeting. This year, the meeting will be held on February 16 at the American Legion Hall in Middlebury, VT. Attached you’ll find the meeting program and registration form. As we did last year, all registrations will be handled by VTFGA treasurer Ginny Brees, and payment will be by check only in order to reduce transaction costs.

We have a full program this year, and for the regular attendees from past years, it’s important to note that we will be starting a bit earlier than previously, with registration starting at 8:30 and the first talk at 9:00. We will welcome a diverse slate of guest speakers who will discuss critical issues identified during the 2016 growing season, including: Cornell entomologist Peter Jentsch, discussing insect pest management in orchards; Cornell plant pathologist Dr. Srdjan Acimovic who will cover disease, especially fire blight, management; and Trevor Hardy from Brookdale Fruit Farm who will discuss orchard irrigation systems (and the need for them). We’ll also have important updates on changes in the EPA Worker Protection Standard which were implemented on the first of this year, and a recap of the 2016 growing season by myself. Finally, I am especially excited to welcome Chair of the University of Florida Department of Horticulture Dr. Kevin Folta, who will discuss best strategies for science communication from farmers to consumers and the public.

Any registration questions should be sent to Ginny Brees at: dandgbrees; questions about the agenda should come to me.

I look forward to seeing everyone on February 16 and until then, happy pruning!

-Terry

p.s.: I have added a few emails from orchards that may not be on my mailing list; if you received this and would like to join the UVM Apple Program mailing list, please contact me; if you believe you received this in error, please delete, I won’t be re-sending to these addresses again.

VTFGA 2017 Membership & Meeting Registration.pdf
BrochureVTFGA121st2017.pdf