agriculture

Extension warns of invasive insect at risk of spreading to NY

Posted 26 September 2019 at 8:50 pm

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County

Photo courtesy of NYSIPM staff: A Spotted Lanternfly adult is about an 1 long.

There is an invasive insect wreaking havoc in southeastern Pennsylvania, and the risk of it spreading to New York is high.

Spotted Lanternfly is native to Southeast Asia and was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. It is a sap-sucking insect, inserting its mouthparts into the trunks and stems of various plants and feeding off of the sap flowing beneath the bark surface.

The preferred food source for this insect is Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), an invasive and problematic tree also native to Asia. While Tree of Heaven is the preferred food source, Spotted Lanternfly will feed on over 70 plant species. This puts many native, ornamental, and crop species at risk if or when Spotted Lanternfly becomes an issue in New York State.

Spotted Lanternfly can cause significant damage to apples and grapes – crops that are valued at over $350 million annually in New York State. Feeding damage can kill plants or weaken them significantly, leaving them vulnerable to attack from other deadly insects or diseases.

Photo courtesy of NYSIPM staff: Spotted Lanternfly adult females cover freshly-laid egg masses with a putty-like substance.

The insect secretes a clear sticky residue called “honeydew” as it feeds. This honeydew can reduce market value of crops in addition to creating a favorable environment for black sooty mold to grow.

In addition to severely impacting the fruit crop and ornamental plant industries, Spotted Lanternfly has hindered the quality of life of residents of Pennsylvania where the infestation is highest – honeydew covers plants, sidewalks, vehicles, or anything else beneath the feeding sites of the insect.

New York State DEC is working with the Department of Ag and Markets as well as USDA to try to slow the spread of Spotted Lanternfly and perhaps prevent it from invading New York. There are several things that New York residents can do to help.

First, if you are travelling from or through Pennsylvania, inspect vehicles and belongings thoroughly for any Spotted Lanternfly hitchhikers. The adults are large (about 1 inch long), with light gray spotted wings folded over their backs.

They are laying egg masses this time of year, and will lay them on any surface – including vehicles, tree trunks, potted plants, etc. Egg masses are brownish gray and mud-like. Spotted Lanternflies do not fly long distances, so their spread is directly linked to being inadvertently transported by people.

Photo courtesy of NYS Department of Ag and Markets: This shows a Tree of Heaven seed cluster.

The DEC is also urging NY residents to be aware of and report the presence of Tree of Heaven trees. These trees have long pinnately compound leaves (similar to Black Walnut leaves). They have yellowish-orange seed clusters at this time of year which are visible on the tree from a distance. The leaves also emit a foul odor when bruised or cut. Some native look-alikes are Black Walnut, Sumac, or Ash. Being aware of where Tree of Heaven species are located will allow officials to monitor and survey for Spotted Lanterfly.

If you find Tree of Heaven (or any other invasive species), you can record data on invasive species right from your smartphone by using iMapInvasives, New York’s invasive species database, available for iOS and Android. Click here to learn more about the app or to find a training hosted by your local Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM).

If you think you’ve seen Spotted Lanternfly, send photos and location info to spottedlanternfly@dec.ny.gov, or fill out an online report (click here).

Return to top

Apple harvest gets underway, a little later than usual

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2019 at 9:22 am

Photo courtesy of Zingler Farms: Zingler Farms in Kendall started picking SweeTango apples on Friday to kick off the fall harvest.

Apple growers in Orleans County have started their harvest, about a week later than usual due to the damp spring, and then some cool summer nights.

It will be a busy 8 to 10 weeks for the apple growers who expect other later-season varieties to mature on schedule. That will compress the harvest season and make for some long days to get all the apples picked.

New York is the country’s second-leading apple producer behind Washington State. New York harvests about 30 million bushels of apples each year.

Orleans County is a big apple growing county in New York, behind only Wayne County.

Return to top

Exhibit at Hoag Library features art by farmworkers

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 September 2019 at 8:57 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This painting – “The Cherry Pickers” by Juan Cavasos in 1989 – is part of an art show at Hoag Library in Albion. The artwork has been on display since early August and will continue to be in the library until Saturday.

Canvasos worked as a migrant worker from Mexico before going to the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he completed a degree in graphic arts in 1996. His artwork has been featured in national traveling exhibits.

“I want to demonstrate the courage that we farmworkers have dedicated to hard labor, and that it not only means financial gain, bit also a reward which helps us survive and keeps us alive,” Cavasos said in an artist statement. “The majority of farmworkers lack the knowledge or skills to get other jobs. But we make an immense contribution to society, to the country and the community.”

Farmworkers last year did portraits of each other that are on display in the exhibit. This one is by Omar Lopez Cruz.

The Geneseo Migrant Center and Hoag Library are teaming to put on the exhibit, “Hand Picked: Art Expression of Farmworkers Who Feed Us.”

Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, the traveling exhibit features 30 drawings by migrant workers of their hands, faces, stories (retablos), and poetry. The art show is designed to raise awareness of the inner and outer lives of migrant farmworkers in eight counties of Western New York.

This artwork from Javier in 2018 shares his experience being detained in an immigration facility after he said he was stopped by law enforcement who he said falsely claimed his back twilight was out.

Javier chose to take a voluntary departure and went to Mexico. He said he was grateful to be free and not behind bars.

“I am not a criminal!!” he writes. “Every night I prayed and gave thanks to God and the Virgin of Fatima because she gave me a chance to get free. Whenever you pray to a saint with the heart, it is very likely that she will grant you the wish.”

Maria in 2018 made this drawing after her daughter gave birth to a son.

“After the baby was born then I prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe and to the Divine Mercy. They listened to me and my daughter healed. I am happy and thankful.”

This drawing is by Filbert and Nestor. They give thanks to the Rosa Mystica Virgin. “My nephew and I were in grave danger … while trying to cross the border we were kidnapped, and while we were being tortured I commended myself to the Rosa Mystica. In those moments are kidnappers stopped torturing us and understood that we were just trying to reach the United States, and we were freed. Thank you to the Rosa Mystica for giving us another opportunity in life.”

Maria made this drawing of Estados Unidos

“This is what this picture means to me: My country is Mexico and the United States is where I am living now with all my family,” she writes. “When we were coming to this country I was very excited ti get to see more places, but I was also sad to leave my country, my friends and everything I used to know. Now that I am here, I have seen many beautiful places and I feel very good because, thank God, we have done very well and, hopefully, it will always be like that.”

Maribel created this drawing last year.

“My drawing is about a very sad time in my life. It is about my Mother,” she writes. “A few months ago, she was sick in the hospital because she was working, she hurt one of her toes. It had to be amputated and she was doing badly. Christ represents the strength to keep going forward because they day she went in the surgery room, she just thought about Christ. The Virgin represents the faith of all our family, and the flowers represent happiness because everything went very well, thank God. Also, the flowers represent all the support we have in our family. My Mother is fine now and we are very happy.”

Among the displays in the artwork are several poems, including this one by Ana Rio:

I miss touching

I miss touching my kids and my grandchildren

And my great-grandchildren that are far away

I miss touching my island Puerto Rico

I miss touching my doggies

I miss touching my friends from childhood

I miss touching my mother who I no longer

Have

I miss touching my father his soft face

I miss my childhood with friends

I miss touching my siblings

I miss touching coffee beans recently

Roasted

Return to top

Plant-killing Late Blight confirmed in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2019 at 12:56 pm

Photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County: This tomato from a home garden in Carlton has been confirmed to have Late Blight.

CARLTON – Late Blight was confirmed in Orleans County on August 23. It was found in a tomato from a home garden in Carlton, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County reported.

Late Blight is a serious disease of tomatoes and potatoes and can kill plants in less than two weeks. Disease spots are often dark gray to brown in color and tend to be surrounded by pale green tissue. Disease lesions can be found on all parts of the plant – stems, leaves, fruit, tubers.

“If you find late blight it is probably too late to save your plants,” said Katie Oakes, Extension horticulture educator.

Bag up diseased plants ASAP, preferably when the sun is shining and if possible, when the plants are dry. Let them cook in the sun in garbage bags, then dispose of them. Do not compost plants.

The spores are airborne so leaving your plants alive will infect your neighbors as well as local farmers whose livelihoods will be severely affected, the Extension said in an advisory.

For help identifying Late Blight, bring a sample to a Cornell Cooperative Extension office – preferably in a clear, plastic bag.

Since this disease is aggressive, spreads easily, and can be very damaging to area farmers, Cornell Cooperative Extension asks that anyone suspecting they have Late Blight please contact their local CCE office for assistance.

In Orleans County, the office can be reached at 585-798-4265.

Return to top

Farmers tell Hawley they’re concerned about impact of farm labor legislation

Staff Reports Posted 26 August 2019 at 11:11 am

Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s Office: State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, right, was given a tour last Thursday of Kludt Brothers Farms in Kendall by Gary Kludt, left. Hawley is looking at crates of sweet corn ready for shipment. The Kludts are in their third generation as as growers of beets, corn, wheat, sweet corn and cabbage, which is shipped all over the Northeast.

KENDALL – During a three-county tour of farms last Thursday, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said he heard from farmers they are concerned the legislation will increase their operating costs and also make it more difficult to find workers.

The Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month and takes effect on Jan. 1.

“As a former farm operator, it was great to meet so many dedicated families that are driving New York’s agricultural sector here in Western New York,” Hawley said. “A consistent theme at all of the farms we visited was the new labor regulations pushed by downstate politicians and their detrimental effect on family farms throughout the state. Many owners are concerned about labor shortage during an already short growing season and the possibility of migrant workers leaving to earn more money in other states.”

The legislation will require overtime pay after 60 hours in one week. The Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act also provides unemployment insurance, 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, and a sanitary code for all farm and food processing labor camps intended to house farm laborers. It also gives workers the rights to collective bargaining.

Hawley toured CY Farms in Elba, Zuber Farms LLC in Churchville, Kludt Bros Farm in Kendall, and Lynn-ette & Sons Inc. in Kent.

“I want to thank all the farm owners and their families for having me on a tour of their facilities,” Hawley said. “I understand how detrimental these new labor regulations can be to our agriculture sector and I will be pushing very hard to have a seat at the table for the Commissioner of Agriculture and Farm Bureau members on the new wage board.”

The farm owners are concerned the legislation will result in workers going to other states with fewer hourly and wage restrictions, Hawley said.

Return to top

Hail and wind on Friday ruined big chunk of apple crop in Knowlesville

Photo courtesy of Adam Krenning: The powerful winds on Friday evening around 6:30 snapped apple trees that were in a trellis system on Howlett Road. Toussaint Farms, which owns the orchard in the photo, estimates it lost 1,500 apple trees of very popular varieties, including Honeycrisp, Gala and SnapDragon.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 August 2019 at 1:45 pm

Photos courtesy of Kenny Haylett: These apples already started to rot on Monday, three days after being bruised and sliced by hail in Knowlesville. Kenny Haylett, the orchard manager for Haylett Enterprises, took the photo.

KNOWLESVILLE – A storm Friday evening felt like a tornado in the Knowlesville area and decimated many apple orchards due to the hail and high winds.

The storm caused the most damage between routes 31 and 18, with the area between Knowlesville and Kenyonville roads hit the hardest.

“It’s pretty sickening,” said Kenny Haylett, an orchard manager of a farm that had about 80 acres of apples destroyed. “We put all the time and effort and money into the growing the crop, and in two minutes it’s all gone.”

Haylett said the farm has about 120 other acres that are still good. The winds knocked many apples on the ground, while the hail bruised and cut the fruit. Three days after the storm the apples were already turning to rot on Monday.

The farm can’t just leave the orchards strewn with fallen apples “or else the rodents will come in,” Haylett said.

The storm hit in a narrow band. Haylett was on Knowlesville-Eagle Harbor Road when the heavy rain hit. On that road, it wasn’t very destructive. But on Howlett Road the storm took down trees. A barn fell over and a roof was blown off in Knowlesville.

Steve Nesbitt II said Nesbitt Farms had 50 acres of apples destroyed by the hail. Nesbitt was in Gaines when the storm hit.

“It was just a little bit of rain in Gaines,” he said. “In Knowlesville, it was terrible, a whole different world.”

Jeff Toussaint, owner of Toussaint Farms, said the high winds snapped 1,500 of his trees which were weighed down with nearly full grown apples.

Kenny Haylett holds an apple on Friday, soon after it was hit by hail. Three days later the apples were turning to rot.

Toussaint lost about 1 ½ to 2 acres of apple trees, and they were popular varieties such as Honeycrisp, SnapDragon and Gala. They were planted in high-density orchards with the trees held up in a trellis system.

But that wasn’t a match for the winds on Friday.

“A wicked narrow band came through,” Toussaint said. “The winds were unbelievable.”

Toussaint planted those trees in 2010 through 2013. They were just hitting peak production. Now he has to start over in that block on Howlett Road. “They were some of our most valuable apples,” he said. “It will be a number of years before it gets back.”

Toussaint said all of his acres were damaged on Howlett Road while 2/3 were affected on Culvert Road. The crop near Route 31 is fine, he said.

Toussaint said the growers “will now go into salvage mode and hope crop insurance kicks in.”

Haylett said the crop insurance is far less than selling the fruit at the market price.

The farmers also said Nice Farms was hit hard by the hail.

Return to top

Orleans vegetable growers urged to be on lookout for Late Blight

Photos courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension

Posted 20 August 2019 at 12:26 pm

Plant-killing disease has been detected in Genesee County

Press Release, Cornell Vegetable Program

KNOWLESVILLE – Late Blight was detected in Genesee County on August 16. Late blight is a serious, airborne disease of tomatoes and potatoes best known for causing the Irish potato famine. Late blight is caused by a fungus-like organism that spreads dozens of miles on storm fronts.

If you have either crop in your garden, you should be inspecting your plants and spraying with a preventative fungicide. For home gardeners, Chlorothalonil is usually the best preventative fungicide. For those who grow organically, a copper product would be an option. The product label should list Late Blight & tomato/potatoes (which ever you are treating).

Late blight can kill plants in less than two weeks. Disease spots are often dark gray to brown in color and tend to be surrounded by pale green tissue.

Initially, spot shape and size varies but eventually most of an infected leaf or stem will become discolored and die. Leaf spots often look slightly fuzzy on the underside of the leaf in the early morning or when the weather is wet and humid conditions.

Late blight will put dark brown to black smears on plant stems. Tomato fruit may also develop large, firm, greasy-looking, brown, gray, or black smears on the upper part of the fruit.

Potato leaves show dark spots with fuzzy white spores on the underside during humid weather. Potato stems show similar lesions to those seen in tomato.

Late blight does not resemble lower leaves that yellow and contain numerous small black specks. Late Blight does not resemble leaves that have spots that contain small, black, concentric rings.

Remember – if you find late blight it is probably too late to save your plants. Bag up diseased plants ASAP, preferably when the sun is shining and if possible, when the plants are dry. Let them cook in the sun in garbage bags, then dispose of them. DO NOT compost plants. The spores are airborne so leaving your plants alive will infect your neighbors.

If you need help identifying it, please bring a sample to your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office – preferably in a clear, plastic bag.

Since this disease is aggressive, spreads easily, and can be very damaging to area farmers, Cornell Cooperative Extension asks that anyone suspecting they have late blight please contact their local CCE office for assistance.

In Orleans County, the office can be reached at 585-798-4265. Commercial vegetable farmers may contact the Cornell Vegetable Program.

Return to top

County adds nearly 400 acres to ag district

Photo by Tom Rivers: A field with bales of straw is shown earlier this week on Gaines Basin Road in Albion.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 August 2019 at 8:30 am

ALBION – The Orleans County Agricultural District will grow by about 400 acres, pending final approval from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The County Legislature last week held a public hearing and then approved adding 384.4 acres to the ag district. That brings the total acreage in the district to 116,703 acres.

Each year, property owners have the opportunity to be included in the district, which provides eligible operations right-to-farm protection, among other benefits. Property owners can petition to remove land from the district once every eight years.

The additions include:

• 10.80 acres on East Lee Road in Clarendon, owned by George D. Mathes

• 74.80 acres on East Lee Road in Clarendon, owned by Gary Germeo

• 9.20 acres on Roosevelt Highway in Carlton, owned by Louis P. Lustumbo, Jr.

• 6.60 acres on Kenmore Road in Kendall, owned by Jeffrey Cole

• 1.70 acres on Kenmore Road in Kendall, owned by Jeffrey Cole

• 30.00 acres on Crandall Avenue in Kendall, owned by Jeffrey Cole

• 16.00 acres on Kenyonville Road in Gaines, owned by Steven Fox

• 22.10 acres on Albion-Eagle Harbor Road in Albion, owned by Young Enterprises of Medina

• 119.60 acres on Oak Orchard Road in Carlton, owned by Young Enterprises of Medina

• 17.70 acres on County Line Road in Ridgeway, owned by Reah Johnson

• 75.90 acres on Beals Road in Ridgeway, owned by Patrick L. Kelly

The entire ag district will next be up for review in 2024, when property owners will have the option of both adding and subtracting acreage from the district. Until then there will be annual opportunities to add land to the district.

Return to top

Onion growers on muck honored for pest management, environmental-friendly practices

Photo courtesy of Dan Starowitz: The Elba Muck Donut Hour is a 20-plus year tradition. It is the “heart” of Cornell vegetable onion programming. From left to right: Leo Starowitz Jr., Onion specialist Christy Hoepting, Emma Long, Matt Mortellaro, Chuck Barie, Guy Smith and Max Torrey.

Posted 31 July 2019 at 10:24 am

Press Release, Cornell University, NYS Integrated Pest Management Program

ELBA – Local onion growers – Matt Mortellaro, Guy Smith, Chuck Barie, Emmaline Long and Mark and Max Torrey – received an Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.

The six are muck onion farmers in Elba who meet weekly during the growing season for what is known as Muck Donut Hour, to discuss crop protection tactics. The state’s IPM develops sustainable ways to manage pests and helps people use methods that minimize environmental, health and economic risks. The award honors individuals who encourage the adoption of IPM in their businesses, schools, communities, and farms, and who develop new tools and tactics for sharing these practices.

Onions grown in muck soil—organically rich former swampland where production practices are unique and intense—are one of the most valuable crops in New York, with an average value of $34.6 million. In the Elba muck and surrounding pockets in Orleans, Genesee, and Livingston counties, eight farms produce 40 percent of the New York onion acreage on 3,000 acres. Mortellaro, Triple G, CY, and Big O (Torrey) farms account for almost 75 percent of that production.

In 2005, onion thrips infestations were nearly uncontrollable in New York. Populations of the vegetable-loving insect were resistant to multiple insecticides, and the hot and dry conditions created a worst-case scenario, causing crop losses exceeding 30 percent.

The Elba muck growers helped Cornell researchers conduct dozens of research trials and host large-scale demonstrations on their land, in an attempt to understand the biology, ecology, and management of thrips.

“The result culminated in a practical thrips management program, which includes regular scouting of onion fields followed by sparing use of insecticides designed to minimize resistance,” said Brian Nault, Professor of Entomology at Cornell AgriTech.

The Elba growers are now able to successfully manage their thrips infestations. They average between 1- 4 fewer insecticide applications and have saved an average of $113/acre, which is approximately $6,000-$226,000 per farm per year. In addition to regular scouting, the other key tool in the IPM arsenal is information exchange and discussions at the Muck Donut Hour, which Christy Hoepting, Senior Extension Associate with the Cornell Vegetable Program, describes as a way she keeps her “finger on the pulse” of the pest complex each year.

A CCE tradition for over twenty years, the Muck Donut Hour is held weekly during the growing season. There growers and researchers discuss the latest research findings, scouting and spray reports. Hoepting notes the willingness of the muck onion farmers to entrust their crops to Cornell’s research, and their transparency in sharing spray records.

“The Elba growers are undeniably brave,” Hoepting said. “To so wholeheartedly adopt IPM practices demonstrates the extent of their faith in Cornell’s research on their farms. The risk of a pest spiraling out of control in a high-value onion crop is frightening. Clearly, these growers believe in solid science and go above and beyond to support it.”

Steven Beer, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology at Cornell University, says, “without the cooperation of the Elba onion growers, it is not likely that so many IPM-themed tactics would have been adequately tested under real grower conditions. They set the standard for other growers.”

The Elba muck onion farmers are: Matt Mortellaro, a third generation muck farmer and co-owner of G. Mortellaro & Sons, with his brother Paul.

“Matt is a fearless leader in adopting IPM strategies,” Hoepting said. “He is committed to sustainable onion production and environmental stewardship, and is a strong advocate of onion IPM.”

Guy Smith, a fourth generation muck farmer, owns Triple G Farms with his brother Greg and nephew Gary. Guy represents the Elba growing region on the board of directors for the New York Onion Research and Development Program.

Chuck Barie and Emmaline Long are Crop Production Managers for CY Farms LLC, which grows 120 acres in Batavia and Elba. Chuck has been responsible for planting, spraying, irrigating and harvesting the onions for over twenty years. Emmaline joined the farm in 2014 after graduating from Cornell. She scouts CY’s entire onion acreage weekly, including counting thrips, to implement IPM. Together, she and Chuck make pest management decisions. CY has the ability to micro manage every 5-20 acre onion field based on each area’s precise pest management needs.

Mark and Max Torrey are a father and son onion growing duo, and 11th and 12th generation farmers with Torrey Farms Inc. Max serves as the General Manager for Torrey’s onion operation, Big O Farms. As the largest grower in Elba, the Torrey’s pest management practices affect everyone.

“Their commitment to implementing resistance management strategies and following IPM spray thresholds has been instrumental in preserving the longevity of insecticides remaining effective against thrips,” Hoepting said.

The award was presented to the growers during their Muck Donut Hour on Tuesday.

Ortt: Farm labor bill will hurt NY agriculture

Staff Reports Posted 18 July 2019 at 8:35 am

Press Release, State Sen. Rob Ortt

State Sen. Robert Ortt issued this statement after Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday signed the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, which takes effect on Jan. 1.

The legislation grants collective bargaining rights to farm laborers; requires employers of farm laborers to allow at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week; provides for 60-hour work week for farm workers with the overtime rate at one and one-half times the normal rate

“Today’s signing of the Farmworker Labor Act marks the end of local and family farming as we currently know it in New York State,” Ortt said. “Instead of choosing to sign the Farmworker Labor Act in a rural upstate community, Gov. Cuomo chose a Manhattan newsroom as his backdrop, surrounded by legislators from Manhattan and Queens.

“If this legislation was so beneficial to those in the farming community, Gov. Cuomo and the bill’s sponsors should have had the courage to sign this legislation on a farm upstate. The fact they could not find a farm to host them speaks volumes. Not only will these new regulations drive hundreds of small, family-owned farms out of business, but they will also drive jobs and hard-working employees out of our state. With New York State farm closure rates already triple the national average, support of these overbearing and industry-killing regulations by New York Democrats further displays their disconnect from the upstate communities tasked with feeding their regressive New York City base.”

Return to top