Grower Services - Workshops and Meetings

MAINE CRANBERRY WORKSHOPS and/or EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

“Maine Cranberry Trades Show in April” — Morning meeting and Potluck Lunch — April 30th at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, Maine (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) (agenda – pdf)

SOIL & NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT for BERRY CROPS

Note from Charles Armstrong: During the winter and spring of 2011-2012, I participated in a 12-part “Soil and Nutrient Management for Berry Crops” webinar series, a project that was funded by NE SARE (Northeast Sustainable Research and Education Program), and which was organized by Marvin Pritts (Professor of Horticulture at Cornell Univ.) and Cathy Heidenreich (Extension Berry Specialist at Cornell Univ.).  I found them quite valuable and informative, so I have attempted to capture (and share online) key content from the series that might be helpful for cranberry growers.

• Topic #1: Introduction to Soil Management [pdf] – [Oct. 7, 2011] Dr. Harold van Es, Cornell University [professor of soil and water management / soil physics]
• Topic #2: Soil Testing and Sampling Procedures [pdf] – [Oct. 14, 2011] Ms. Janet Fallon, Certified Crop Advisor; works at Dairy One Forage Lab / Agro-One Soils Lab in Ithaca, NY.
• Topic #3: Interpretation of Soil Test Results [pdf] – [Nov. 4, 2011] Dr. Marvin Pritts, Cornell University,  Professor & Chair, Dept of Horticulture (has a concentration in Small Fruit Production); Online Profile for Dr. Pritts.
• more topics still to come!

PBS NATURE: Silence of the Bees

Borrow this 1-hour DVD on the topic of Colony Collapse Disorder, submit to the Maine BPC your answers to 18 short-answer questions that accompany it, and if you score at least 15/18, you will earn 1 pesticide recertification credit.  We have two copies of the DVD (only 1 currently available, however).

Copy 1: available
Copy 2: on loan

MASSACHUSETTS WORKSHOPS / MEETINGS:
Visit the UMass Cranberry Experiment Station’s Calendar on their website at:
http://www.umass.edu/cranberry/newsevents/calendar.html

NOTE: Maine growers can get pesticide recertification credits, too, for Massachusetts and other out-of-state workshops if you provide some sort of proof of attendance (including a copy of the agenda) afterwards to the Maine Board of Pesticides Control.

Speaker presentations from the March 2010 cranberry conference in Nova Scotia can be viewed online at www.atlanticcranberry.ca/speakers.html

Cranberry questions? Contact Charles Armstrong, Cranberry Professional. University of Maine Cooperative Extension || Pest Management Office || 491 College Avenue || Orono, ME 04473-1295 || Tel: (207) 581-2967 [email: charles.armstrong@maine.edu]