Rabbit Raiser Nate Shaw of Kendall sweeps out the Wachob Building in preparation for cage set up.

KNOWLESVILLE – The 2017 Orleans County 4-H Fair is just days away and the fairgrounds in Knowlesville was busy Wednesday evening as 4-Hers, their families, club leaders and Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension volunteers and staff worked to get the barns, buildings and grounds ready during the annual pre-fair work bee.

Orleans Count Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Robert Batt said this year’s work bee was especially well attended.

“The work bee is a night when the kids get together and put their muscle into preparing for fair week,” Batt said.

The 2017 4-H Fair runs from July 24-29.  Admission is $7 per vehicle.  Opening ceremonies are set for 6 p.m. on Monday at the Flag Pole Garden and Orleans Hub stage. This year’s entertainment features Horses, Horses, Horses! World Champion Performing Horses, The Creature Teacher live show with wild animals not typically seen on the fairgrounds, and live chalk art in addition to the $1,000 Karaoke Challenge and the Fair Talent Show.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary year of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, two nights of fireworks are planned (Thursday and Friday).

The annual Flower Show will also take place in the Lartz Building.  The show is open to the public. Entries are accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 22.  Entry forms and additional information can be found at orleans.cce.cornell.edu.

Rabbit Raiser Club members and families work to move cages from the Wachob Pavilion into the Wachob Building to house 4-H rabbit, cavy and poultry fair entries.

4-Hers and their families prepare to set up the beef and dairy barn for 4-H exhibits. The barn was completely empty when they arrived Wednesday evening.  Stalls and demonstration areas needed to be put in place for fair week.

4-H horse club members, families, and their leaders gather in the Knights Building Wednesday evening as they prepare for the 2017 Fair.  Sheep and goat club members also worked to set up the barn for their entries and shows.

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ALBION – There will be an opening reception on Sunday featuring a collection of photographs depicting the lives and sacrifices of Latino workers in this country along the US-Mexican border and the families they left in Mexico.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presents “DREAM of America: Separation & Sacrifice in the Lives of North Country Latino Immigrants” by Lisa Catalfamo-Fiores.

The Salih Gallery at 24 East Bank St. in Albion is hosting the exhibit and is open Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Aug. 19 for the exhibit.

Maria Gomes Neilans is shown with some of the pottery she created through the “Voices from the Earth” program, which will be displayed in a gallery in Albion through Aug. 19.

This Sunday there will be an opening reception from 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibit is part of GO ART’s Genesee-Orleans Culture Connects Series.

The exhibit also includes a display of pottery made by local farmworkers at the World Life Institute in Waterport. The pottery is created through the “Voices from the Earth,” a joint project of World Life Institute, the Orleans-Niagara BOCES and the GO Art!

The pottery in the exhibit is entirely handmade from earthenware clay. Most are glazed in an array of lively colors. They range from baking dishes and platters to fanciful garden fountains and jars with tropical vines and lizards.

These pieces complement the theme of the photography show. Newcomers to the U.S. acquire new skills and new possibilities to express themselves, while in many cases referring back to pottery and imagery that was familiar in their home countries. Pottery specialist Deborah Wilson has led the program since its inception in 2006.

The Dream of America photography exhibit was originally produced at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls in 2016.  GO ART! is pleased to be the first host of the exhibit on a statewide tour in 2017, with showings in Batavia from May-July, and Albion July 15-August 19.

The exhibit, created by Lisa Catalfamo Flores, takes viewers from the milking parlors of New York’s North Country counties to the cinder-block homes of Coyula, Guadalajara, Mexico, and back again.

Catalfamo Flores, after two years of photographing workers on local farms, traveled to Coyula to share these photographs with family members, which is also documented in the exhibit. In sharing stories with loved ones, a fuller picture of the worker comes into focus. Individual talents, abilities, and desires become evident, leading us to a more complete and human point of view.

Catalfamo Flores lives on a small farm in Kingsbury, NY, with her husband Omar, 20 milking goats, 250 chickens, and 4 dogs. A school social worker for the past 18 years, she is also an advocate and volunteer with the local Hispanic community.

The exhibit also includes a large Oaxaca puppet made by Antonio Cruz Zabaleta. Called monos de calenda, these puppets rest on people’s shoulders as they dance and spin in parades in Mexico for weddings, community festivals and holidays.  Cruz Zavaleta is a native of Oaxaca, Mexico.  He is a professional artist in multiple media, including visual, painting, drawing, sculpture, and Mexican traditional arts.  The puppet was created with the assistance of students attending GO ART!’s Creative Arts Camp in April, 2017.

Ana Rios of Albion is shown with some of the pottery made through the Voices from the Earth program at the World Life Institute.

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Mucklands are at saturation point after deluge

Joe Bezon stands in one of his fields in Clarendon on Tuesday evening. Bezon said the water has gone down significantly since the storm on Monday. He worries about the forecast that calls for one to two inches more of rain from Thursday to Friday.

CLARENDON – Joe Bezon, a third-generation muck farmer, had just headed home after a hard day’s work on Monday afternoon when it started raining. A sprinkle soon turned into a deluge.

Bezon’s home in Byron was pounded by the rain. He drove to the muck and saw water, everywhere. Bezon was about 75 percent done planting onions for the season. Now there was standing water in the fields.

Bezon said about an inch of rain fell at his house, and 2 inches in the muck.

Bezon and the muck farmers were able to pump lots of the water off the muck on Tuesday, leaving them optimistic the plants and seeds would survive. But he is nervous about the forecast for Thursday, which says another inch to 2 inches is headed our way.

“The water has gone down a lot,” he said Tuesday evening on the muck. “It all depends on Thursday and the through the weekend. It’s wait and see what happens next. It looks like another 10 days of poor weather.”

Another big rain and farmers will struggle to get rid of the water. Bezon said the ground is saturated and the drainage ditches at near capacity.

The drainage ditches are getting full in the muck.

Bezon’s grandfather was one of the original muckers in the 1920s. Bezon, 60, said there has been years when the entire crop was lost due to the weather.

Last year there was little rain after May, but Bezon and other farmers on the muck made up for it by irrigating. Bezon said he had one of his best crops ever last year.

But too much rain is hard to deal with. Even if some of the water is pumped into ditches, Bezon said farmers can’t get back in the field for perhaps a week or more to spray for weeds because their equipment would get stuck.

Sandy Bezon took this photo on Monday evening after a big rainstorm on the muck. A lot of the water has since been pumped out of the fields.

Bezon farms 110 acres in the muck and was 75 percent done with planting at about $2,500 per acre. There is a chance the seeds and plants may not survive the flooding. Bezon said planting again, at $2,500 per acre, means extra work with likely no profit.

Triple G Farms is about 85 percent of way done with planting onions on about 200 acres. Co-owner Guy Smith said the farm has little standing water in its fields, but he is concerned about the forecasted rain.

“Right now we’re pretty good,” he said. “But it will be hard if we get more rain.”

One rain gauge on the muck showed 1.25 inches of rain on Monday, May 1. That followed 6 inches in April. That is far more than usual on the muck.

In April 2016, rain totaled 1.4 inches. Previous April rain amounts include: 3.2 inches in 2015; 5 inches in 2014; 4.2 inches in 2013; and 1.8 inches in 2012, according to the Cornell Vegetable Program.

Bezon said the rainfall so far this year is a start contrast from 2016.

“Last year we prayed for rain,” he said. “Now we have all the pumps running. The ground is saturated.”

Muck farmers set May 10 as a goal to have their crop planted. The corn and soybean farmers set June 10 as a deadline. After those days, the yields tend to diminish 1 to 2 percent each day the crop is planted after the target dates.

The big rains and wet fields could keep farmers from planting for a week or more, even if the rain stopped.

“We still have time because farmers have bigger equipment these days and can cover a lot of ground,” said Larry Meyer, the Farm Service Agency director in Orleans County. “These guys are amazing and can get a tremendous amount of work done. They work around the clock.”

But Meyer said they can’t plant the crop in waterlogged fields.

“The main thing with agriculture and rain is when is it going to stop?” Meyer said.

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New York Farm Bureau said the state budget provides strong support for agricultural program and includes “Farm to Food Bank” tax credit for farmers who donate produce.

David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau president, issued this statement about the state budget:

“New York Farm Bureau is pleased that the final New York State budget addresses several of our farmers’ priority issues for the legislative session. This includes funding for numerous programs that support research, promotion and economic development of our diverse agricultural community in New York. However, the impacts of the state budget will be felt far off the farm as well.

“For starters, $50 million earmarked for nutrient management under the Governor’s new water infrastructure plan will build on the agricultural community’s strong record of environmental stewardship. It will assist dairy farms through cost sharing to invest in manure storage. The result is more flexibility on farms to manage the organic matter, which helps protect water quality for all New Yorkers.

“In addition, we are excited that the Farm to Food Bank Bill will finally receive funding. The small tax credit for donated food will offset a portion of the costs to pick, package and deliver the fresh produce to regional food banks and pantries. In turn, more New Yorkers in need will have access to locally grown food.

“Farming is important to New York State and that sentiment is reflected in the final New York State budget. At a time when farm income is down due to low commodity prices, the investments in agriculture are especially needed. New York Farm Bureau would like to thank Senate Patty Ritchie for her diligent work in securing funding that will benefit family farms across New York. In addition, Assembly Agriculture Chair Bill Magee continues to be a great advocate as well for agriculture. Finally, we appreciate the support of Governor Cuomo and the leaders in the Senate and Assembly for making agriculture a priority during budget negotiations.”

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Missy Call, 4-H Administrative Assistant, helps second graders chart taste preferences. She is also helping with Ag Educator responsibilities for the next three months to support the program.

Second graders in the five Orleans County school districts just participated in Ag Literacy Week from March 20 to 24. The students learned about the NYS grape industry, with a program that included science and math skills.

The Ag Literacy Week program is an annual event focused on introducing a book about an area of NYS agriculture and providing a lesson related to the topic that connects with Common Core. This year’s book, The Grapes Grow Sweet, teaches about the process of growing and harvesting grapes.

New York is the third highest ranked state in grape production.

Over the week each participating classroom received a copy of the book. Students also completed a tasting of white and purple grape juice and made comparisons between each. They graphed the results of this tasting as well as completing a Venn diagram.

When discussing the difference in taste they learned about different varieties of grapes as well as how soil quality and other factors directly impact taste and appearance of the final product.

Cooperative Extension Ag in the Classroom educators Molly Kotarski and Missy Call went to Lyndonville, Holley, and Kendall Schools. In Albion and Medina, members of each school’s FFA program visited second graders.

The Ag in the Classroom team is currently looking for schools, daycares, and other youth organizations who are interested in agricultural programming or activities focused on agriculture. For more information, call the Cooperative Extension Office at 585-798-4265.

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Press Release, Cornell University

Christy Hoepting grew up on a small farm north of Toronto, Ontario. Enrolling at the University of Guelph, a top-tier ag school, was a natural fit. And though she focused on onion production while doing applied research for her master’s degree, she never dreamed she’d make a career of it.

But then her advisor told her that a job with Cooperative Extension had opened up in western New York. She suggested that Hoepting apply. The interview, after all, would be a good learning experience.

“What’s Extension?” Hoepting remembers asking. But exceptional preparation and delivery were second nature for Hoepting. She got the job.

Christy Hoepting

Now, for her exemplary work on behalf of farmers, not just in the rich muck-soil region of western New York but statewide and nationally, Hoepting has earned an Excellence in IPM award from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYS IPM) at Cornell University. IPM weaves together a broad range of tactics that minimize the environmental, health and economic risks of pests and pesticides both.

“Christy is a star in Cornell Cooperative Extension,” says Brian Nault, a professor of entomology at Cornell. “She’s a gifted educator and advocate, more passionate and successful in promoting IPM practices than just about anyone I know.”

While onions are Hoepting’s main research focus — they’re a high-value crop for New York, with annual sales upward of $40 million — growers in western New York also welcome her expertise in cabbage, broccoli and garlic.

Few people know onions inside-out as well as Hoepting. That “inside” part is critical. If you’re a farmer, you win when your onions pay their way; in a good year you could make upward of $4,000 per acre. But you lose when one too many onion thrips — tiny pests, hard to find — sneaks between the leaf folds to lay eggs within its tender tissues. Or when pathogens hiding beneath the skin of healthy-looking onions trigger the long road to decline in a crop you’re counting on to get you through the winter.

Which is why Hoepting has conducted hundreds of on-farm research trials in plant pathology, entomology, weed science, cultural practices and crop nutrition, presented at scores of stakeholder and scientific meetings, and published scores of articles and research papers. It’s also why she scouts farm fields relentlessly, tracking every movement of insect and disease pests. And growers from miles around know that when Tuesday morning rolls around, they’ll meet at a corner of the road and Hoepting will recount what she’s seen.

She calls it the “Muck Donut Hour,” and it doesn’t take long for the conversation to start rolling. “I’m constantly tweaking our recommendations based on our research, of course, but also on what I hear from growers at the corner of the road,” Hoepting says.

“Christy does her research on the farm in growers’ fields,” says onion grower Matt Mortellaro. “It makes us confident that her work will apply to our situations. She’s extremely responsive, and she’s always listening.”

“I wish we had a Christy Hoepting in every crop and corner of the state,” says Jennifer Grant, director of NYS IPM. “She exemplifies the best in IPM, bringing science to the field and the field perspective to the science.”

Christy Hoepting received her award today at Cornell Cooperative Extension’s “Elba Muck Region Onion School” in Albion. Learn more about IPM at nysipm.cornell.edu.

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