SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Learning how to improve soil health is a complex, knowledge intensive process. Growers interested in improving soil health need to be well informed to understand how to best harness potential to build soil health and improve crop production.
In the Soil Health session at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo on Tuesday, January 17, growers will hear how one grower, Jean-Paul Courtens, is successfully improving soil health through a several strategies, and how another farmer, Dale Gies, is going big with brassica cover crops for soil health and biofumigation strategies that combat soil-borne diseases. Each grower will share their wisdom of experience and data to illustrate how their approaches work towards soil health improvement.
This Expo session was organized by Justin O’Dea, CCE Ulster County. DEC credits will be available.
Soil Health Session
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
The 2017 Empire State Producers Expo is January 17-19 at the OnCenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY. This annual show combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York and neighboring producers. Attendees can expect presentations by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.
Educational sessions offered at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo include commodity specific programs in berries, cabbage, processing vegetables, hops, grains, cut flowers, tree fruit, sweet corn, tomato, onion, potato, Cole crops, root crops and specialty crops; and focused programs in water management and irrigation, weed management, wildlife management, soil health, post-harvest handling, biopesticides, beginning farmer, marketing using social media and apps, transplant and greenhouse production, climate and forecast models, GAPS, labor, and hard cider production. DEC pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be offered during the appropriate educational sessions.
For more information about the Expo and to register, visit the NYS Vegetable Growers Association website at nysvga.org/expo.
—Cornell Cooperative Extension
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