Upcoming Agriculture workshops from Cornell Cooperative Extension

February 6 - The New York Beef Quality Assurance Program: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Forty Dollar Road Farm in Campbell. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a voluntary program focused on training cattle producers in feeding, management and breeding practices that assures the consumer that they are producing safe, wholesome beef of the highest quality. It is based on national guidelines and scientific research with the purpose of enhancing carcass quality and safety, thereby protecting the consumer confidence in our beef supply. Please RSVP by February 3.

February 13 - Getting Started with Livestock: 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m. at the Human Services Complex, 323 Owego St., Montours Falls, NY. General topics will cover grazing management, infrastructure, pasture improvement, record keeping, and herd health and improvement. Five concurrent sessions on  large ruminents, small ruminents, poultry, horses and swine will run in two time slots through the afternoon. Please register with Brett Chedzoy at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County or by email.

February 16 -  Potato Short Course: Managing Soil Health and Crop Productivity, Holiday Inn, Liverpool, NY, 9 am to 4:30 pm.  How to best identify major soil borne diseases and pests such as nematodes that can have significant impact on crop yield and quality.  Pest biology and management strategies such as cover crops and rotations will be illustrated.  No registration fee - Lunch from menu and on your own.  To register call Don Halseth at 607-255-5460 or by e-mail.
 

February 23 - 2010 Crop Symposium, Civil Defense Center, Bath, NY, 10:30 to 2:30.  Performance of Pest resistant perennial forages, summary of recent Cornell research with corn and soybeans, and using precision guidance systems for field spraying and other applications.  Lunch - pizza and beverages $10.  The program has been submitted to NYS-DEC for credits in categories 1a, 10, 21 and 23.
 

March 2 - Southern Tier Field Crop Workshop, Holiday Inn Express, 2666 Corning Road (Junction of I-86 and Route 14/Exit 52B), Horseheads, NY, 10:30 to 2:30.  Crop diseases that affect your bottom line and ways to minimize their damage, promising new corn and forage lines from Cornell with enhanced resistance to pests and environmental stresses, and precision corn planting for better seed placement, in-row spacing and overall crop health and yield.  NY Deli Buffet $10.  This program has been submitted to NYS-DEC for pesticide recertification credits in categories 1a, 10, 21 and 23. 

 
March 2 - New York State Dry Bean Meeting, New Location!! Cibi deliziosi, 3894 Rush-Mendon Road, Mendon, NY, 9 am to 3 pm.  2 DEC pesticide credits.  $30 pre-registration ($35 walk in).  Topics:  Soybean aphid and virus, white mold resistant varieties, other new lines to try, dry bean desiccants, hear from processors and master growers.

Begins March 4 - Grow Your Dream: Online Courses To Help You Plan for Success.  Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell Small Farms Program have created two new online courses to help you plan your marketing and understand the legal and regulatory logistics related to starting a farm business. Join experienced CCE educators and 25 of your farmer peers in a dynamic learning experience that incorporates both self-paced readings and real-time virtual meetings with discussion forums, homework activities, guest presenters, and developing a customized plan for your next steps in farming. Find out more about the two courses: BF 201: Marketing What You Produce and BF 101: What Do I Need to Do to Become a Farm Business? at the phone number below or at the web page.

To register for any of the above programs or to learn more information, contact 607-664-2300.