Register now for the NYNGA Spring Meeting, Apr 26, Spencer, NY

Our 2025 Spring Meeting will be held on Saturday, Apr 26, at the Inspire S-VE Community & Fitness Center, 57 East Tioga Street, Spencer, NY, 14883. Breakfast starts at 8:30 am, and the program begins at 9:00 am. Speakers will include Harry Greene (Propagate Ventures, an agroforestry asset management company focused on the integration of tree crops in broad-acre agriculture), Jesse Marksohn (Yellowbud Farm, yellowbud hickory oil processing, experimentation with a variety of nut genera, and collaboration with other researchers and CSAs), Laura Perkins (Horticulturalist at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture), Joshua Stone (soil analysis, Web of Life Regenerative Landcare), and Amy Twohig, a graduate student at SUNY ESF, will talk about oak wilt in chestnut. After lunch we will travel a few miles to Twisted Tree Farm, 279 Washburn Rd, Spencer, NY 14883 for a walking tour and discussion led by Akiva Silver. To register and for additional information, click here.

How NY FarmNet Helps State Farmers

FarmNet Outreach Director Adam Howell provided insight into one of the most unique farmer assistance programs in the country, www.nyfarmnet.org during the 2024 Northern Nut Growers Association / Chestnut Growers of America joint conference in Syracuse, NY. Based at Cornell University and funded by the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets and the NYS Office of Mental Health, NY FarmNet helps farmers, farm families, and agricultural professionals navigate times of crisis, growth, and opportunity. NY FarmNet's unique support system provides farmers in need with both a family and financial consultant to help address any number of issues they may be facing. All of NY FarmNet's services are provided free of charge and all cases are completely confidential. NY FarmNet was founded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in response to the national farm crisis of the 1980s. NY FarmNet still operates at Cornell as part of the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management. The Dyson School is part of both Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the SC Johnson College of Business. For free, confidential assistance from NY FarmNet, call 800-547-3276. If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, dial 988 for 24/7 support. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Calling All Butternut Tree Owners

Check the genetic background of your butternut trees and support butternut research! Aziz Ebrahimi, a post-doctoral fellow at Purdue University in Indiana, has been researching various species of walnuts, including Persian walnut, eastern black walnut, and other species of Juglans from both America and Asia. His current research focuses on butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) and analyzing the genetic diversity and landscape genetics of the remaining butternut trees in the eastern forest region. Butternut trees can be pollinated with Japanese walnut trees, making it hard to distinguish between them. If you have butternut trees on your property or nearby and want to learn more about their genetic background, please contact Aziz at aebrahi@purdue.edu or 765-409-5277. The analysis will require 2-3 mature leaflets from each tree, stored in ziploc bags with dry silica gel which Aziz can provide upon request. He can also provide more detailed instructions regarding how to collect the leaves. He will need information about tree location, such as address/county/state and/or GPS coordinates. The New York Nut Growers Association appreciates your support of the development of a disease resistance breeding program to protect a valuable species.

Stay tuned for additional announcements. If you have an announcement or job opportunity related to nut growing in NY worth sharing on this website, reach out to Sara Tyler at sara@tylerseneca.com.