Courses for instruction on Diversified Farm Management at UVM Summer 2014

March 18, 2014- This series includes my course on Sustainable Orchard and Vineyard Management. -TB

UVM Educational Farm Expands Learning Opportunities for Students
Catamount Farm to provide dynamic environment for wide range of students

By Erica Houskeeper

A new farming education endeavor at the University of Vermont will give students the opportunity to learn about sustainable farm practices, contribute to the local food system and help support research needs of the university.

Catamount Educational Farm in South Burlington will offer an extensive hands-on farm experience for post-traditional, undergraduate and high school students. Produce grown at the farm will be sold to select outlets within the UVM community, including University Dining Services, and be available at the UVM farm stand and through a CSA.

Catamount Educational Farm is located at the UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center (HREC) on land that has been owned by the university for more than 60 years. After three successful years of the UVM Farmer Training Program managing three acres of vegetables at the HREC, UVM Continuing and Distance Education and the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences created the Catamount Educational Farm by designating 13 acres for specialty crop production and academic programs.

“The establishment of Catamount Farm will allow UVM to provide a dedicated, hands-on learning environment for students seeking diverse farming and management skills on a well-managed, productive farm,” said HREC Director Terence Bradshaw. “Since its purchase in 1952, the mission and vision for the ‘Hort Farm’ has been to provide research, education and outreach. Catamount Farm fulfills that mission and effectively moves UVM’s local food system efforts to the next level.”

Catamount Educational Farm consists of five acres of diverse vegetables and eight acres of apples and grapes. The farm will continue to be home to the UVM Farmer Training Program for post-traditional students, as well as offer new courses such as the Catamount Farm Summer Experience for undergraduate students and the Introduction to Sustainable Vegetable Farming for high school students.

“Catamount Farm will provide a dynamic environment for immersive, experiential and relevant programs,” said Susie Walsh Daloz, who develops sustainable farm programming for UVM. “The expanded farm also allows us to reach a wide range of students, who now have the incredible opportunity to study sustainable farming while producing food for the UVM community.”

Students will be integral to carrying out all activities of the farm, providing them with real and diverse sustainable farm management skills.

“What’s unique and valuable at Catamount Farm is that production and education will go hand-in-hand,” said Laura Williams, manager of Catamount Farm. “Catamount Farm is so much more than a demonstration farm, and that’s what makes us remarkably different.”

For more information about Catamount Educational Farm, visit learn.uvm.edu/catamountfarm.

Input Needed on Proposed EPA Worker Protection Standard Changes

March 18, 2014- On February 20, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed changes to the agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) to increase protections from pesticide exposure for the nation’s 2 million agricultural workers and their families. This is an important milestone for the farm workers who plant, tend, and harvest the food that we put on our tables each day.

You can view the proposed changes and how to comment on them at this link: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety/workers/proposed/index.html. Wherever you stand on the issue, this is an important potential change in current policty that could have significant implications for your farm.

-Terry

proposed-wps-factsheet.pdf

Under Trellis Management Grape Webinar April 4

March 18, 2014- This webinar may be of interest to some. -TB

Friday April 4, 2014 at 9am a discussion of Under Trellis Management with Dr. Justine Vanden Heuvel from Cornell University and Dr. Tony Wolf from Virginia Tech.

Please see attached meeting announcement for more information.

This meeting will be hosted through WebEx. WebEx is an online meeting venue that allows us to host live meetings and share presentations. It is similar to the Adobe Connect meetings that we had last year. A few days before the webcast I will send out a link to connect to the meeting for people who registered. To register please contact me, lt68.

Information on WebEx:

WebEx will automatically set up Meeting Manager for Windows the first time you join a meeting. To save time, you can set up prior to the meeting by clicking this link:
https://cornell.webex.com/cornell/meetingcenter/mcsetup.php

***Please note that there may have been a WebEx upgrade since your last webinar, so even if you have participated in a WebEx webinar before, I recommend you click the above link. If Java is enabled on your browser, the updates will occur automatically, but if Java is not enabled, you may need to download and run an installer to update.

Special note to Firefox and Chrome users:

The latest versions of Google Chrome and Firefox, which were recently released, will require the WebEx plug-in to be manually enabled in order for WebEx to work. The WebEx meeting will not successfully launch (users will stay on the “Join Meeting” page) until the plug-in has been enabled.

Cisco is currently working on setting up a way to join meetings that won’t require plug-ins, but until an alternative becomes available, users will need to enable the plug-in.

For instructions on how to enable the plug-in, please see: https://support.webex.com/webex/meetings/en_US/chrome-firefox-join-faq.htm

For further assistance:
1. Go to https://cornelluniversity.webex.com/cornelluniversity/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click “Support”.

All webinars will be recorded and available for subsequent viewing on our website at http://ccesuffolk.org The recording should be available within a couple of days of the webinar.

Please note that you need to have a high speed internet connection such as LAN, DSL, satellite, or cable to access the webinar. Dial-up access through telephone modems will not work.

I will log in approximately 30 minutes before the start of the webinar. If you are having difficulties connecting, you can try contacting me (631.727.3595) up to 10 minutes prior to the start of the webinar. After that, I will likely not have time to assist you.

Thanks for signing up! We hope you enjoy the webinar.

Please email me, Libby Tarlton, lt8. with any concerns or suggestions.

Under trellis mgt webcast-April 4 2014.docx

2014 New England Tree Fruit Guide is Available Now

March 17, 2014

The 2014 New England Tree Fruit Management Guide is available for order now. This guide represents the work of IPM professionals throughout New England, and is our primary resource for IPM and general production information available to growers. If you think your old guide will cut it, it won’t. There have been numerous changes in product registrations and recommendation in recent years, and an up-to-date guide is your best investment in helping to keep your management program up-to-date.

Guides are $40 each, delivered. We are not set up to accept credit cards, so interested growers can print this email out and send a check for $40 payable to “University of Vermont” (nothing else goes on the to: line) to:

Sarah Kingsley-Richards
UVM Plant & Soil Science Dept
63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

Please give your:

Name: _________________________

Orchard Name: _________________________

Mailing Address: __________________________

CORRECTION re: 2014 Pesticide Certification Review and Exam

CORRECTION: for current VT Pesticide Applicators License holders, this review is good for TWO recertification credits, not six as I mentioned earlier. Sorry for the confusion.

-TB

2014 Initial Certification Meeting, a review of the Core Pesticide Manual followed by the Pesticide Applicators exam

Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, VT
April 8 ; 9am-4pm
Pre-register by March 28; $20 registration fee

For more information, please visit: http://pss.uvm.edu/pesp/cert.html or contact Sarah Kingsley-Richards, sarah.kingsley@uvm.edu, (802)656-0475.

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This program will provide training and review of Vermont Pesticide regulations and the information covered in the Pesticide Applicator Training Manual that is necessary to understand and to pass the VT pesticide certification license exam.

The Core exam will be given after this training in the afternoon from 2-4pm. (No category exams will be given but can be scheduled with VAA for a later date.)

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Audience: Nursery employees, landscapers, school custodial staff, farmers, garden center employees, pest control operators, government or municipal employees, university employees, or anyone wishing a Vermont Pesticide Applicator license.

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Sponsored by Vermont Agency of Agriculture and UVM Extension with financial support from USDA Risk Management Agency

2014 Pesticide Certification Review and Exam

Spring really is coming -be ready when it finally gets here! All fruit growers, whether retail, wholesale, organic, or IPM, should hold a current Vermont Pesticide Applicator’s License to purchase and safely use pest management materials on your farms. This meeting provides initial training and an opportunity to take the initial certification exam all in one step.

For currently licensed applicators, this is a great refresher course, and offers six recertification credits.

Announcing:

2014 Initial Certification Meeting, a review of the Core Pesticide Manual followed by the Pesticide Applicators exam

Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, VT
April 8 ; 9am-4pm
Pre-register by March 28; $20 registration fee

For more information, please visit: http://pss.uvm.edu/pesp/cert.html or contact Sarah Kingsley-Richards, sarah.kingsley@uvm.edu, (802)656-0475.

—
This program will provide training and review of Vermont Pesticide regulations and the information covered in the Pesticide Applicator Training Manual that is necessary to understand and to pass the VT pesticide certification license exam.

The Core exam will be given after this training in the afternoon from 2-4pm. (No category exams will be given but can be scheduled with VAA for a later date.)

—
Audience: Nursery employees, landscapers, school custodial staff, farmers, garden center employees, pest control operators, government or municipal employees, university employees, or anyone wishing a Vermont Pesticide Applicator license.

—
Sponsored by Vermont Agency of Agriculture and UVM Extension with financial support from USDA Risk Management Agency

UVM/Vermont Tree Fruit Listserv Questions

March 12, 2014

I have had some questions about signing up for the UVM/Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association Listserv. This interactive mailing list is offered to VTFGA members to facilitate cooperation, networking, and marketing activities between fellow growers.

This is important: to sign up for the list, you need to start with a blank email to listserv. That means deleting anything in the subject line, your signature file, and any attached graphics first in your usual template first. Then add “sub vttreefruit John Doe” (no quotes, and use your real name please, aliased subscribers will be asked to change their name or risk being removed from the list) in the body of the message. That should be the only thing in the message.

Instructions on listserv function and etiquette can are attached.

Thanks,

Terry

vttreefruit_listserveinstructions.pdf

NY-PA Grape Pest Management Guidelines now available

March 10, 2014 –

The 2014 New York and Pennsylvania Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes are now available at:

http://store.cornell.edu/p-186477-2014-new-york-and-pennsylvania-pest-management-guidelines-for-grapes.aspx

These will not be made available in an electronic format as has been done in previous years. The guidelines are
the best place to get IPM information for grapes in a single source, and every grape grower should have an
up-to-date copy. When I receive IPM-related calls, this will be my main resource, and I will reference it to
interested growers who should be looking at the same copy I have. Yes, there are quite a few differences when
applying the guide to cold climate (and generally less disease-susceptible) cultivars, but the material activity tables alone are worth the price.

New Organic Fire Blight Publication Released for Apple and Pear Growers Facing Sunset of Antibiotic Oxytetracycline

March 7, 2014 –

As Organic Rules Shift for Fire Blight Control, The Organic Center Releases Essential Suggestions for Apple and Pear Growers

Organic-Approved Antibiotics Sunsetting – Report Aims to Help Growers Keep Certification

WASHINGTON, DC (March 4, 2014) – With approved antibiotics for fire blight control expiring for organic apple and pear growers
this fall, The Organic Center has released an essential report featuring existing practices and emerging research to help growers control fire blight while maintaining organic certification.

“Grower Lessons and Emerging Research for Developing an Integrated Non-Antibiotic Fire Blight Control Program in Organic Fruit” –
available here – collects critical knowledge from U.S. apple and pear growers who already practice fire blight prevention without
the commonly-used antibiotic oxytetracycline that the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will begin sunsetting in Oct. 2014.

Funded by The Organic Center, the 28-page report arrives as up to 70 percent of growers in a surveyed region said they may
transition from organic to conventional management in face of NOSB’s changes if proven alternative organic fire blight control methods are not available.

Organic Growers Exposed, Supply at Risk as Standards Phase Out Antibiotics

Unlike some fruit pathogens, fire blight doesn’t just damage or destroy a season’s fruit – it can kill the entire tree under
severe conditions. It is caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora, spreads easily among trees and orchards, and can infect at different points in the growing season.

For decades, the primary control of fire blight in U.S. organic production has been the antibiotics streptomycin and
oxytetracycline. But, NOSB has approved a proposal for phasing out their use beginning this Oct. Dr. Ken Johnson, Oregon State
University, is leading a three-state USDA-OREI project on non-antibiotic control of fire blight in organic orchards to be completed in 2015.

“The interim year between approved antibiotics sunsetting and release of the OREI project findings leaves growers with minimal
guidance and experience for non-antibiotic fire blight control,” said Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The
Organic Center. “It’s unfortunate timing, as organic apple and pear demand are at all-time highs. If U.S. production declines,
organic apple and pear prices could spike, or imports from South America – where the disease is not present – could greatly increase.”

Organic Center Encourages Testing Alternatives Now

“Grower Lessons and Emerging Research” encourages organic apple and pear growers to begin testing alternatives now with integrated
non-antibiotic fire blight control options that have proven successful for some organic growers.

The report is based on field experiences from organic growers who have already developed various approaches to non-antibiotic fire
blight control – particularly exporters to Europe, which does not allow antibiotics – along with preliminary results from a range of research trials on new materials and strategies.

The study suggests successful non-antibiotic fire blight control combines orchard management practices with an integrated systems
approach for prevention. The report features suggestions for fungal control, insect control, bloom thinning, spray coverage, tree
training, soil and foliar nutrients, and cultivar and root stock selection. And, it provides detailed considerations for each
stage of apple and pear production. Some of the research is now validating the grower practices, such as the fire blight control from lime sulfur blossom thinning sprays.

Shade added once Oregon State’s findings are available in 2015, growers can combine the university’s recommendations with The
Organic Center’s report to give them the benefit of the latest research as well as field-proven strategies.

The study’s co-authors are Harold Ostenson, a Washington-based tree fruit consultant, and David Granatstein, Sustainable
Agriculture Specialist for the Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

About The Organic Center

Established in 2002 and based in Washington DC, The Organic Center is a nonprofit organization that is a trusted source of
information for scientific research about organic food and farming. We cover up-to-date studies on sustainable agriculture and
health, and collaborate with academic and governmental institutions to fill gaps in our knowledge.

# # #

Webinar– How to Sell Domestic Food to the USDA

March 7, 2014 –

Hi:

This might be of interest to some:

How to Sell Domestic Foods to the USDA
Thursday, March 20, 2014
2:00 – 3:00 Eastern Time

On Thursday March 20, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will present a free interactive webinar, “How to Sell Domestic Foods to the USDA.”

Each year, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) buys nearly $2 billion and 2 billion pounds of frozen, processed, and fresh
fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Otherwise known as “USDA Foods.” These healthy, American grown and processed
products help feed millions of school children and are also distributed to food banks, disaster areas, and wherever else they are needed.
AMS proudly buys “USDA Foods” from a diverse pool of companies, both large and small. For this webinar, we will be placing special
emphasis on contracting information for small, socially disadvantaged, women-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned businesses,
as well as those in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB Zones). Note: The small business size standard for federal
contractors in “USDA Foods” procurement is 500 employees or less (except for shell eggs, which is $12.5 million in annual revenue).
Sara Hernandez and Dianna Price of the AMS Commodity Procurement Staff will: · introduce you to USDA purchasing activities and “USDA Foods,” · discuss the types of products USDA buys,
· explain the solicitation and award process
· outline the requirements for selling to USDA, and
· give you the tools and resources you’ll need to explore doing business with the USDA.
Following the formal presentation, the webinar will conclude with an interactive question and answer session. Feel free to submit questions before the webinar to sara.hernandez@ams.usda.gov.
Visit the USDA’s AMS Commodity Procurement website to see what products AMS buys. Then tune in to this webinar to learn everything you need to get started selling your products to USDA.
This informative webinar is designed for growers, producers, processors and distributors of all sizes. The webinar is free and
available to anyone with Internet access. However, registration is required and space is limited. Visit (https://amsfv.webex.com/amsfv/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=664780806) to register today!
We will host webinars on more AMS programs and services throughout the year. To view previous webinars online, visit our Webinar Archive.
We’ll see you online! REGISTER TODAY!
have any questions about the webinars or AMS, please contact Christopher Purdy at (202) 720-3209 or christopher.purdy@ams.usda.gov.