The farmer-led Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted a new report on establishing New York’s first Juneberry research nursery. The planting at the Cornell Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, NY, will be one of the largest nurseries of its kind for studying this ‘superfruit.’

Juneberry, scientifically known as Amelanchier, has the potential to be a major novel fruit crop in northern New York, and perhaps the Northeast, say researchers Michael H. Davis, Cornell Willsboro Research Farm Manager, and botanist Michael B. Burgess of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

“The announcement of this project last summer and earlier this year has generated a lot of interest from commercial fruit farmers,” says Davis.

Read more

Click here for more information on juneberry research

Click here for more details on the April 11, 2014 juneberry workshop

Peru NY Dairy Owner Jon Rulfs Named Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair

Northern New York – Jon Rulfs, co-owner of Adirondack Farms in Peru, NY, has been named as a Co-Chair of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, a farmer-driven research and technical assistance program serving Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Rulfs, who serves on the Northeast Dairy Producers Association Board of Directors and is active with Clinton County Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations, is one of three Co-Chairs for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. He joins dairyman Jon Greenwood of Madrid and dairyman Joe Giroux of Plattsburgh to lead the farmer-member advisory committee and commodity-focused subcommittees of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.

Rulfs owns the 2,500 milking cow dairy operation in Peru in partnership with Jake Swyers and Rocklyn Giroux. The operation raises all its own crops on the 5,000-acre farm. The farm was established in 1996. Adirondack Farms welcomed more than 500 visitors to “A Day on the Farm” event last fall. Jon is also co-owner of Rulfs Orchard, a 200-acre diversified fruit and vegetable farm in Peru, NY, with his father, Bob Rulfs.

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program recently released its 2013 economic impact report and announced 27 farm research projects underway across the NNY region in 2014. The projects range in focus from dairy, field crops, fruit and vegetable production to livestock and crop pest and disease control and agricultural environmental stewardship.

 

Adapt-N Training Webinar: Cloud Computing Technology for Precision Nitrogen Management in Corn
When: Thursday, April 3, 2014. 11:00am – 3:30pm Eastern/10:00am – 2:30pm Central
Where: Multiple Host Locations in the Northeast & Midwest, or online from your personal computer

Program:
• N concerns and Adapt-N results
• Adapt-N inner workings
• How to use Adapt-N effectively
• Complementary technologies (cover crop interseeder; VRT; etc)
• Overview of all-new 2014 interface and model improvements
• Hands-on training on Adapt-N

Who should attend: Workshop targeted toward agricultural professionals and corn growers. CCA Credits in Nutrient Management will be offered.

To Attend: Updated information and host locations are available on the Adapt-N website (http://adapt-n.cals.cornell.edu/webinar/index.html)

Registration: To register for the Webinar now, click here <https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_00ttRYosK15ltE9> .

This spring, with Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funding, New York’s first Juneberry research nursery will be established at the Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, NY.

Click here to read more about this exciting new crop project.

Click here for the 2013 Juneberry Nursery Year One Report, NNYADP, March 2014

 

 

 

Cornell Cooperative Extension and Sollecito Landscaping Nursery will hold a Juneberry production workshop as follows:

Juneberries for the Home and Small Farm
Friday, April 11, 2014
9:30 AM – 12 Noon
Sollecito Landscaping Nursery
4094 Howlett Hill Road, Syracuse, NY 13215

This class is a complete, in-depth introduction to juneberry cultivation in Upstate New York, covering site selection, natural history, planting, pest control, and harvesting. Juneberries are primed to become a common high-value crop in the coming years. Landowners can plant and cultivate juneberries as part of their home landscape and they have excellent marketability as a you-pick, wholesale, or direct retail crop. In this class, we will also review other minor edible berries that can be a good fit for a small farm or home landscape.

Fee: $10.00 per person includes the complete workshop and samples of juneberry products. To register, please contact Erin Hull at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County at 315-424-9485 ext. 224. Learn more about the workshop site at www.sollecito.com.

Soybean production in Northern NY has increased significantly in the last 5 years: from approximately 5,000 acres in 2007 to approximately 14,000 acres grown in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties in 2012. To support farmer interest in the crop, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) funded 2013 soybean variety trials conducted by Cornell University at two sites in the region.

Read more about the 2013 soybean trials conducted at Robbins Farms in Jefferson County and at the Miner Institute in Clinton County.

Click here for the complete 2013 Soybean Variety Trials in NNY Research Report