New York Invasive Species Awareness Week! (June 6th-June12th)
Invasive species are our specialty, so we have a few events going on to help you celebrate this year’s NY Invasive Species Awareness Week! Taking place from Monday, June 6th to Saturday, June 12th, this is the perfect opportunity to get outside and take a look at invasive species threatening ecosystems in the Finger Lakes region. Whether you want to be on the trail or on the water, we’ve got something for you. Check out what we’ve got going on near you, and register now!

iMap Invasives Spring Training – SLELO

iMapInvasives program is an online platform where invasive species sightings and management efforts can be recorded and shared. By providing data on invasive species distributions, the iMapInvasives program helps to facilitate both current and future endeavors to control and eradicate invasive species across New York State.

When: June 18th, 2018 (Monday)
Schedule:
11:00am -12:00pm -SLELO PRISM Presentation
12:00pm – 12:30pm -Lunch
12:30pm – 1:10pm -Brief intro to the NUN AshTree Survey App
1:10pm – 2:10pm -iMapInvasives Training
2:10pm – 2:20pm -Break to get ready for outdoor session
2:20pm – 3:20pm -Outdoor iMap App and Ash Tree Survey App walk and talk

Where: SUNY Oswego Rice Creek Field Station
Brownell Rd
Oswego, NY 13126


Presented by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County Master Gardeners

What could be better than spending a Saturday morning creating wonderful holiday decorations out of evergreen boughs? Start the holiday season off with our workshop on selection and use of holiday greens to decorate your home! During the three hour session, participants make a fresh wreath, an evergreen swag, and a tabletop centerpiece to take home and enjoy through the holiday season. Please bring small pruners & gloves.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7th from 9:00 AM – Noon at the Town of Ontario Recreation Lodge, Casey Park, and Knickerbocker Road, Ontario.

Attendees: Bring garden gloves and hand pruners if you have them and plan to arrive around 8:30 so you are ready to start at 9 am.

A registration fee of $40.00, to cover materials, is required. This class fills up fast and class size is limited to first 45 paid participants. Registration opens October 1st.

Cornell can not accept any early registrations. To register mail your payment to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County, 1581 Rte. 88 North, Newark, NY 14513 or bring it to  their offices between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. M-F.

Please include your phone number and e-mail address, if you have one, with your payment. If you have any questions please contact Cornell Cooperative Extension 315-331-8415.

For special needs please contact us two weeks prior to this event. Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

CONSERVATION FARM OF THE YEAR 2022

 WHEREAS, Youngman Farms, operated by the Youngman Family, as a fourth generation family-owned and operated farm in the Towns of Butler and Wolcott where the farmstead is located on VanVleck and Smith Roads have been named the 2022 Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Conservation Farm of the Year.  This 450 acre farm (300 owned – 150 rented) was originally started in 1946  by Gordon and Barbara Youngman and is now run by their son Allen and his wife Kimberly, along with their son Shawn and his wife Tasha and their children with extra special assistance from Uncle Art; and

 WHEREAS, Youngman Farms began as a fruit farm, then evolved into a dairy operation before transiting into its current beef operation where they focus on all-natural high quality beef. The farm has between a 225 to 250 head of cattle, which consists of Angus, Hereford, Hereford/Angus crosses and some Charolais. The cattle graze on almost 100 acres of pasture that the animals rotationally graze during the season. The farm strives to produce all of the animal’s feed needs on the farm; and

 WHEREAS, Youngman Family have been working strategically to build an operation that provides quality food for their community while addressing water quality as part of the Wolcott Creek Watershed of Port Bay through active planning, management and implementation of conservation systems which include but are not limited to a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan, Prescribed Rotational Grazing System, Livestock Heavy Use Area Runoff Management Systems, Silage Leachate Control and Treatment System, Access Control/Stream Crossing System and Cover Cropping; and

 WHEREAS, Youngman Farms have continued to be stewards and partners within the agricultural community working with both United States Department of Agriculture and Wayne County Soil & Water Conservation District through the New York State Agriculture Environmental Management Program for crop production and management of other natural resource issues; and

 WHEREAS, the Youngman’s’ are very community oriented family, having used the farm for Pasture Walks and other demonstrations on the conservation practices they have implemented on the farm as well as having a store on the farm to sell their products. They are constantly looking for ways to improve the farm environmentally, maintain sustainability and still be financially viable. Their stewardship and enthusiasm are infectious and have been a joy to work with; now, therefore, be it

 RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Board of Supervisors acknowledges and congratulates the Youngman Family as the 2022 Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Conservation Farm of the Year because of their dedication and commitment to protect and conserve the natural resources within our community through the New York State Agricultural Environmental Management Program. 

Over 45,00 acres in Wayne County
Conservation is a continued tradition to protect heritage of the ecosystem for all living creatures. Legacy is what we leave behind. It is about making sure as a community, what we leave behind the community can be proud of. While being part of an ever changing society, conservation is about protecting habitat for all the life within the community. Many of times, we all are wrapped up in the present and forget to think about what came before us and what will come after us.

Read More Here

Business Safety Plans Required For All Farms

Cornell Cooperative Extension Webinar Series on developing safety plans for compliance and to reduce liability risk

NY Forward Safety Plan Webinar Series Flyer

New York State requires businesses to have a specific business safety plan in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes all farms, both food and non-food producing. In addition, a well-written and executed business safety plan will help reduce business liability risk during and after the pandemic. A Cornell Task Force recently developed materials to directly support farms in the plan writing process.

Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development are offering a “NY Forward Business Safety Plan Support” webinar series with specialized webinars for Dairy/Livestock/Crop Farms, Fruit/Vegetable Farms, Retail Farms, Equine Farms and Greenhouse/Landscaping/Ornamental Farms.

The webinars, led by Extension specialists, will walk farmers through the need for and process to complete a safety plan as is required by all businesses for compliance with NY Forward, demonstrate project tools developed by Extension to write and complete a plan, share curated resources for specific industries

WEBINAR DATES

Registration is FREE and REQUIRED. The webinars will be recorded and the links will be posted.

For more information visit http://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/ny-forward-business-safety-plan/

 

This undated photo provided by Rutgers University shows three Longhorned ticks: from left, a fully engorged female, a partial engorged female, and an engorged nymph. A hardy, invasive species of tick that survived a New Jersey winter and subsequently traversed the mid-Atlantic has mysteriously arrived in Arkansas. No one is sure how the Longhorned tick, native to East Asia, arrived in the country, nor how it made its way to the middle of the continent. (Jim Occi/Rutgers University via AP)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Public health and agriculture officials are warning New York residents, farms and visitors to take precautions outdoors as a new tick species has been found in the state.

The Departments of Health and Agriculture and Markets issued a warning Tuesday for an insect commonly known as the “longhorned tick,” which was recently discovered in multiple locations in Westchester County.

Health experts worked with researchers at Fordham University in the Bronx and at New York Medical College to identify the new species. The identifications were confirmed by researchers at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Officials say the tick can also pose a threat to livestock. The tick is native to the Pacific region but has been found recently in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas.

Bat Week is an annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature

Bats have been on earth for more than 50 million years! With more than 1,400 species, they are the second largest order of mammals, and are widely dispersed across six continents. Globally, bats provide vital ecosystem services in the form of insect pest consumption, plant pollination, and seed dispersal, making them essential to the health of global ecosystems. Over 70% of all bat species feed on insects and as such play an important role in controlling insect numbers. No, they do not suck your blood – but they will help clear the air of bloodsucking mosquitoes!

Here are some youth activities for Bat Week.

https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/games-and-activities/

Why do bats hang upside down?

Almost all species of bats hang upside down. When bats are relaxed, their feet are automatically in a clenched position, making it easy for them to grab on to a surface. Hanging upside down allows them to let go and quickly fall to gain momentum for flight. Unlike birds that have hollow bones, bats have solid bones like all other mammals, which is why they have more need for the extra momentum gained from falling. What is really interesting is why bat’s blood doesn’t all rush to their head while hanging upside down! There are valves in their veins AND arteries to keep blood flowing in the right direction, while most mammals only need valves in their veins.

Read more FAQ’s here: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/faq/

Apple Growers and Wayne County Tourism, invite the public to come out to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Wayne County Apple Tasting Tour! Throughout the month of October, take a self guided tour along Wayne County’s Apple Trail to experience the scenic country roads and amazing fall foliage.

This year, there are twelve stops along the tour where you can pick fresh apples, admire the fall colors, and enjoy time together. With activities ranging from corn mazes and tractor rides to wine and cider tastings, this is a month-long event that the whole family will love!
October 7-10 is the special Tasting Weekend with extra events and activities. Follow this event on Facebook or appletastingtour.com to get the details.

Visit these 12 stops throughout October:
Apple Town Farm Market
Doyle Farms Market Café & Creamery
Lagoner Farms & Embark Craft Ciderworks
Long Acre Farms & JD Wine Cellars
Morgan’s Farm Market
Orbaker’s Farm Market
Stonegoose Market & Cidery
Rootstock Ciders & Spirits
The Apple Farm Stand at Stone Goose Farms
The Apple Shed & Old Goat Cidery
Young Sommer Winery
Youngman Orchards Farm Market
Hours may vary, please check with each stop for current hours.

Please note that the location listed is the office location that coordinates the tour. Tour stop addresses can be found on appletastingtour.com

The NYSDEC and iMapInvasives team are holding a training webinar for people interested in becoming Certified iMapInvasives Trainers on October 30th, 2019 at 1:00 pm. Join the iMapInvasives Certified Trainers Network! Are you interested in training others to report invasive species to the New York invasive species database, iMapInvasives? Each training webinar will last approximately two hours with time for discussion throughout. The training will include a walk-through of the iMapInvasives website, observation database and steps for hosting a training. Registration is required. Webinar registration is limited to create a more inclusive environment.

For more information and to register, email imapinvasives@dec.ny.gov

More information can be found at the Certified Trainers Network at https://www.nyimapinvasives.org/certifiedtrainersnetwork

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