Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture

NOTE: As part of this transition process, there will be a two hour meeting with CCE educators at the November in-service meeting (Tuesday November 10; 8 to 10 AM). The focus of the meeting will be to provide information, gather CCE feedback and address any remaining concerns that have been raised over the past several months.

To Cornell Cooperative Extension Staff and Association Executive Directors

The purpose of this message is to provide you with an update on the transition of CNAL soil testing activities to Agro-One (Dairy One).   Processing of routine soil test samples was transferred to Agro-One onAugust 18, 2009, and we have been functioning in the new collaborative model for the past two months.

The current soil fertility recommendations are being sent out based on Agro-One’s analytical procedures and incorporate the use of conversion equations.  Also, we have converted to a newly-coded recommendation engine and Web-based database system.  This is a significant improvement to the previous system that will pay off in the long run.  CNAL and Agro-One personnel have been working very closely to insure a smooth transition, although there have been some minor hurdles that are logical consequences of a complex transition.  We appreciate the feedback that has been provided by the field staff, as well as your patience and understanding.

There are still a few issues that are being considered at this time.  More comparison samples have been processed and analyzed to validate the conversion equations and make refinements as appropriate.  This will be completed in the next months, and all remaining transition issues are expected to be resolved by the end of the year.  Tissue testing is still being performed at CNAL, but will be transferred to Agro-One July 1, 2010. The Transition Committee has effectively supported this process and Agro-One has been very accommodating in addressing challenges at multiple levels. We are attaching a plan from CNAL Director Renuka Rao Mathur that details the remaining process to complete the transition.  Also, you are invited to an open discussion session about the transition on Tuesday, November 10, from 8 to 10 AM during Ag&Food In-Service week.

Agro-One has effectively handled the sample processing needs and the ancillary reporting issues since the August 18 transition.  We are pleased with this partnership, which is a model for university-private sector collaboration.  It will also allow CNAL to better focus on research issues and innovation in soil analyses.  There are additional benefits such as Agro-One’s competitive cost structure and free sample transportation from pickup locations around the Northeast.

At this time, it is important that stakeholders are fully informed about the transition and that we build confidence with them in the partnership.  We therefore request that you effectively communicate these developments with your stakeholders through the regular channels so they have a full understanding of the changes.  The transition details have been worked out in such a way that the impact on stakeholders is minimal and flexibility is built in the transition process. Still, there will undoubtedly be questions from the stakeholders, and we request your cooperation in responding to them.  The Dairy One web site (www.dairyone.com) and the menu items to Agro-One Services provide further details.  We are committed to a successful transition.

Again, we appreciate your patience and commitment during this transition.  There have been challenges, but in the end we will have strong soil and tissue testing services for our stakeholders.
Sincerely,

Jan P. Nyrop

Senior Associate Dean, CALS

Helene R. Dillard

Associate Dean, CALS

Director, CCE

Are you new to Adobe Connect? Do you have questions about how to setup and manage meetings? This online training will cover the basics of using Adobe Connect. Issues to be covered include how to set up new meeting, managing audio, uploading and sharing content and much more.
Dates:
Tuesday October 20, 2009 10-11:30 a.m.
Wednesday October 21, 2009 1-2:30 p.m.

To register please click here.

An exciting new professional development opportunity on volunteerism for  ALL Extension staff — Everyone Ready®.

Volunteers are vital to all Extension programs. Volunteers allow Extension staff to expand the capacity of programming in a county and they help to develop the social capital of our communities. They have been vital to our success in the past and will become even more important in the months and years to come!

I hope that you will personally enroll in Everyone Ready® and will encourage and support staff in your state to actively participate in Everyone Ready®.

Everyone Ready® is an online volunteer management training program developed by Energize Inc.   There is no cost to states or individuals (although the cost ordinarily for states is $12-18,000 per year and the cost to individuals is $495 per year).

Each month a new volunteerism topic is introduced – either as an Online Seminar or as a Self-Instruction Guide. In addition, Extension staff will have access to e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community (a $40 value) and will be able to purchase volunteerism resources from the Energize online bookstore with a 20% discount. New topics are introduced on the third Monday of each month but will be archived for Extension use for the 3 years of the grant.

Register for Everyone Ready®

Please encourage every Extension paid staff member that works with volunteers to enroll and actively participate in the Everyone Ready® program over the next 3 years.  To do so, they may enroll at anytime.  The introductory online seminar will be offered for 30 days beginning on Sept. 21.  Modules will be archived and be accessible after the initial posting.

To register go to www.4-h.org/volunteerism.   Go to the Everyone Ready® section and click on Register.  Once they have completed the registration information, they will receive an email confirmation and will then have a user name and password that they can use to enter the “Extension” Everyone Ready® page.  This contains a number of useful tools and resources as well as the link to the “real” Everyone Ready® page.  They will be able to use the user name and password to access the online seminar or self-instruction guide each month beginning on the third Monday of the month.  Once they are registered they will also receive two email messages a month reminding them of the current and upcoming topic.

Once they are registered, encourage them to review the content on the www.4-h.org/volunteerism page as well as the “Extension” Everyone Ready page that they can access with their user name and password.

Time Commitment:  The monthly online modules will take about one hour to complete.  In addition, staff may want to review some related articles in the e-Volunteerism Journal or read some additional information available through the Energize Inc. web site.  In addition, we hope that staff  will think about ways to engage in conversations about the monthly volunteerism topic at county/unit staff meetings, regional/district  youth development meetings, and/or other staff gatherings.   State specialists may want to organize learning circles or cohorts around this initiative.

In Preparation for Launch:  The National 4-H Learning Priority Team on Volunteerism has spent the last two years developing a Volunteerism Rubric/Syllabus, Self-Assessment Tool, and Personal Professional Development Plan.  These resources can be found on the same web site – www.4-h.org/volunteerism.  Encourage each staff member to download these three resources.  Please read through the rubric which contains competencies staff need to be effective in working with volunteers.  The rubric includes learning outcomes, suggested readings, and learning activities.  The Everyone Ready® modules as well as the Volunteerism for the Next Generation Fact Sheets (VNG) are listed in the rubric. Once staff have reviewed the rubric, encourage them to complete the Self-Assessment to see which areas they might strengthen as a part of their own professional development.  Then they can transfer that information over to the Personal Professional Development Plan and list the Everyone Ready® modules and corresponding VNG Fact Sheets that they would like to utilize in the next year.  We do encourage participation in all Everyone Ready® modules.

Sheri Seibold, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development at the University of Illinois is serving as the Everyone Ready Point Person.  If you have questions please email Sheri at sseibold@illinois.edu or phone her at 217.333.9290. Please encourage enrollment  today at www.4-h.org/volunteerism.

The NYAVA Professional Development Committee Presents:

Uncovering Hidden Volunteer Assets in an Uncertain Economy

an interactive workshop featuring
renowned author and non-profit leader

Jill Friedman Fixler

Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Time: 8:30 am-12:00pm

Location: UJA-Federation of New York
**************************************************************************************

This interactive workshop is designed for volunteer professionals who want to increase organizational capacity through the engagement of high-impact volunteers. The workshop will also demonstrate how the volunteer engagement professional is key to building a culture of abundance for organizational capacity building. Workshop participants will gain an understanding of the abundant resources offered by Boomer volunteers and the generations that follow and making the shift from volunteer management to a culture of volunteer engagement. The workshop provides tools and techniques that participants can implement in creating their own high-impact volunteer engagement initiative.

Location:
UJA-Federation of New York
130 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022

Directions:
By Subway: 4, 5, or 6 to Lexington and 59th Street.

Registration Fee:
$40 — NYAVA Members
$60 — Non-Members

PAYMENT MUST BE MADE IN ADVANCE AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THE WORKSHOP.

FOR WORKSHOP INFO PLEASE CONTACT: Jaime Denniston-Merced at Jaime.Denniston-Merced@newyorkcares.org or Rebecca Schwartz at rschwartz@sharsheret.org.

Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Hardy Kiwifruit Open House
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
1 to 3 PM
Lansing Orchard, Sweazey Road, Lansing, NY.
Cornell University invites you to attend its first hardy kiwifruit open house on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 from 1 to 3 PM at the Lansing Orchard on Sweazey Rd, Lansing, NY.
The open house will include a tour of a large planting of trellised kiwifruit just prior to harvest. Participants will learn how to grow kiwifruit (planting, training, pruning, pollination, pest management) and be able to taste the vine-ripened fruits.

From Ithaca: Go north from Ithaca on 34. Continue onto 34B in Lansing for about 5 miles. Take a left onto Sweazey Road and drive towards the lake. Turn right into the orchard just before the pavement ends.

From Auburn: Go south on 34 from Auburn. Take 34B south. Turn right onto Sweazey Road shortly after the Milligan Station power plant.

For more information contact Cathy Heidenreich, mcm4@cornell.edu, 315-787-2367.

On Thursday July 2nd from 7:30 to 9:30 PM, vegetable specialists from Rutgers University and Cornell University will be holding a webinar on Late blight and other important diseases of tomato will for interested homeowners, master gardener volunteers  and extension personnel in the Northeast.

All are invited to log-on by clicking on the following link at 7:30 on Thursday evening. https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=783&password=M.0F6AA3BB4AF839F512A8243F881332

For this session: TOMATO DISEASE CLINIC

For more information on the webinar, please contac:

Steven Komar, Sussex County Agricultural Agent , New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at skomar@aesop.rutgers.edu or at 973-948-3040.  *********************************************************** Margaret Tuttle McGrath Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Cornell University Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center 3059 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901-1098

NYS IPM will hold their second IPM In-depth workshop from 12:30-5:00 on July 20, 2009. This year’s hands-on topics are:

• Aphid identification
• Beneficial and damaging nematodes in the greenhouse and nursery
• All about alkalinity – testing your water

Program details:
Aphid ABC’s
Aphids may not be your #1 pest, but they often seem to blow up out of nowhere at really inconvenient times. How does that happen? Where do they come from? What kinds of aphids are common in greenhouses, why can it be important to know which kinds of aphids are on your crop, and how do you tell them apart? How can you detect an infestation before it gets serious? What pesticides are best for which aphids, and why? What sorts of predators and parasitoids can be used against aphids, and how do they work? We’ll try to cover these topics. Feel free to bring in some aphid-infested plants and we’ll see if we can identify which species you have.

Nematodes in the Greenhouse and Nursery
In this session we’ll take a look at the increasing problems with foliar nematodes and root knot nematodes, we’ll look at the symptoms and the tiny, squirmy worms under microscopes! We’ll also take a look at the very common free-living nematodes that can be found in all soils and beneficial nematodes that can be used to help control greenhouse pests.

All About Alkalinity
What is my water’s alkalinity? Why is alkalinity, not pH, the #1 factor affecting nutritional disorders? How come my alkalinity changes throughout the year? What is the best fertilizer choice for my alkalinity? How does alkalinity reduce effectiveness of some pesticides and how can you correct for this? In this session, we’ll learn the answer to these questions through ‘pHun’ hands-on chemistry exercises. Be sure to bring a water sample from your operation (rinsed 20 ounce plastic soda bottles work fine).

The Doctor is IN
Bring in plants that have ‘issues’ you can’t identify and our team of experts, and your fellow growers, will diagnose what the problem might be. We’ll all learn something!

The day after the IPM-In-Depth is Cornell’s annual Floriculture Field Day (July 21).

Registration form – Combination form allows you to register for IPM In-Depth and/or Floriculture Field Day and Container Competition. Cost for the IPM In-Depth is $45 and attendance is limited to 45 participants. Pre-registration required.
Questions? Contact Betsy Lamb at eml38@cornell.edu or (607) 254-8800

Details at:

http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/extension/events/2009workshop.pdf

or from  Larissa Smith, lls14@cornell.edu, 607-255-2177

A special new addition for our conference:

Felder Rushing, a horticulturist and host of “The Gestalt Gardener,” a weekly show on Mississippi Public Radio will be our guest after dinner speaker for the Wednesday gala.

His presentation will be:  “Yard Art: The Good, The Bad, The Unbelievable”

NYT featured him in this article here.

There is something for everyone at this conference. There are more than 30 educational workshops, sessions and tours from which to choose. Come and hear from Cornell campus experts from more than a half dozen Departments around Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Celebrate the benefits of gardening and enjoy the company of your fellow active CCE volunteers from around the state.

Register on line at: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/mgconf/index.html

…and if you do not want to stay in the dorms Best Western is eager for our business. I don’t believe individuals will have much luck asking for this rate but if MGV get together and call through your office they might here are  details ..and consider them for any trip to Cornell.

“Soil Health Train-the-Trainer Workshop” will offer training on soil health assessment and management as well as field tours to demonstrate some of the aspects of soil health and its practices.

For more info check out the website here: http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/extension/events/2009workshop.pdf