A number of significant changes to the federal Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides (WPS) will go into effect on January 2, 2017. These changes will affect farms, greenhouses, nurseries, forests, and other establishments (including organic establishments) on which pesticides are used in the production of agricultural crops. If you use, supervise the use, or are responsible for the use of pesticides on such establishments, the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) invites you to attend a WPS Mock Inspection.

The Worker Protection Standard Has Been Revised, Are You Ready?
EPA is implementing stronger protections for the nation’s two million agricultural workers and their families working on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. These revisions to the 1992 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard will afford farmworkers similar health protections that are already afforded to workers in other industries. The revisions will take effect on January 2, 2017.
Word on the street is, unlike during the initial rollout of the WPS, there will not be a year of educational programming to give growers every opportunity to be in compliance.
In order to provide you with the information you need to be in compliance with the new WPS, the NYS DEC Pest Management Staff will be providing training on the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Worker Protection Standard. The new WPS provides occupational protections from pesticide exposure for agricultural exposure. This training is for those who use or supervise the use of pesticides on farms.
The training will take place in the CLEREL Meeting Room, 6592 West Main Road, Portland, NY 14769 on October 25 with registration beginning at 9:30 AM. The training will be from 10 AM until noon. Two recertification credits will be available in categories 1a, 1d, 10, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25.
Make sure you save the date on your calendar and while the training is free, we ask that you register for the event by going to our website https://lergp.cce.cornell.edu/ and check under Upcoming Events in the lower right hand corner, or give Kate a call at (716) 792-2800.

You are invited…
The annual CRAVE (Cornell Recent Advances in Viticulture and Enology) conference features 15 minute presentations by Cornell faculty, extension associates, and graduate students on current extension and research topics of their choice. For this year’s conference, we would like to invite you to log on for as little or as much time as you want to hear cutting-edge presentations about viticulture, enology, economics and more. Find out what Cornell Research and Extension faculty and staff have been up to this past year.

Learn how to prune grapevines with Cornell Cooperative Extension! This hands-on class will get you sharpening your skills out in the Finger Lakes Teaching and Demonstration Vineyard, so dress warmly, bring your shears, and be ready to put your new pruning prowess into practice.

As dramatic weather events increase, pest pressure intensifies, and local markets vitalize, New York berry growers are looking for ways to protect their crop and lengthen their season. Growers and educators are trialling techniques for growing berries under cover. Berry farmers across New York can attend one of three regional workshops offered by the New York State Berry Growers Association (NYSBGA) this winter to learn more about these innovations in berry growing. These day-long workshop will feature multiple short presentations, interactive activities, and words from growers discussing the newest research in tunnels and exclusion netting.