Wooly Hemlock Adelgid (NYS DEC)

Free lectures will be held at SUNY Fredonia this week as part of New York State’s 10th Annual Invasive Species Awareness Week.

The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Agriculture and Markets (AGM) are holding free events and invasive species challenges through June 11 across the state and online, including daily webinars at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., through Friday.

Invasive species are plants, animals, insects, and pathogens not native to an area that cause harm to the environment, agriculture, economy, or public health. New York is particularly vulnerable to these pests due to its role as a center for international trade and travel.

In Chautauqua County, two lectures will take place at SUNY Fredonia on Wednesday, June 7. Registration is required for both lectures.

A two-hour workshop on Best Management Practices for invasive forest pests and diseases including hemlock woolly adelgid, spongy moth, spotted lanternfly and beech leaf disease will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

To register, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfb4cWkznp-f5hi8rI3FPsvpRM3mhMIWw-mPaTgPI1t4uGuNQ/viewform

And then from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., a workshop on aquatic invasive plant species management will be held.

To register, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFBiAIgAGQ2v451AtaleU1Lrp6Kd-ZivFXnsCqmfuTX9DyNw/viewform

To learn more about the invasive species that are a concern for New York agriculture, visit https://agriculture.ny.gov/plant-industry/plant-health.

From January 2 until January 31, land owners may submit written requests for inclusion into the Agricultural District. Parcels requesting inclusion must meet the definition of “viable agricultural land” as defined in Agriculture and Markets Law § 301, subdivision 7. Lands already included in the district need not submit a request.

An agricultural district is a geographic area which consists predominantly of viable agricultural land. Agricultural operations within the district are the priority land use and afforded benefits. These agricultural operations receive protections to promote the continuation of farms and the preservation of agricultural land.

Land owners must complete the Agricultural District Inclusion Worksheet, which includes a written description of the land, the tax map identification number, and be accompanied by a copy of the relevant portion of a tax map showing the location of the property you would like included into the Agricultural District.

This worksheet, current Agricultural Districts Map, and additional information can be found on the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development website at: planningchautauqua.com

All inclusion requests should be submitted to the Department of Planning and Development, Attn: Lauren Sharp, 201 West Third St., Suite 115, Jamestown, N.Y. 14701; or by email to sharpl@chqgov.com on or before 4:30 p.m. on January 31, 2022.

At the end of the 30-day period, the proposed parcels for inclusion will be reviewed by the Chautauqua County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB). Based on the Protection Board’s recommendations, a report will be prepared for the Planning & Economic Development Legislative Committee’s review. These recommendations will be forwarded to the County Legislature for a public hearing, before being voted on. The County Legislature will then send the resolution to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to certify the inclusion of lands or not. If the Commissioner certifies the inclusion of the parcels, the land becomes part of the Agricultural District.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball (third from right) and Cornell AgriTech Interim Director Olga Padilla-Zakour (second from right) present Westfield Maid Cooperative with a first-place prize.

The Westfield Maid Cooperative was one of two grand prize winners at the New York Concord Grape Innovation Awards.

The awards ceremony was held Friday, December 9, at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva.

The Portland-based company won first prize in the Best New Concord Grape Beverage category. They were awarded a $20,000 cash prize, along with a package of expert support from Cornell University valued at $8,000.

Westfield Maid Cooperative’s winning product was the “Good n’ Grapey” Concord grape juice pouch, a four-ounce shelf-stable pouch containing 100% New York Concord grape juice designed for use in school cafeterias.

In addition to the prize packages, winning products will also be featured at the nearly 70 Taste NY markets and 10 welcome centers across the state.

Westfield Maid Cooperative Sales and Strategy Director Andy Putnam said the company will use the prize money and free consulting services toward a rapid launch of their new Concord grape beverage product for “NYS farm to school markets.”

The idea for the competition was born out of the 2018 Concord Grape Summit, held at the Grape Discovery Center in Westfield, and was funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets.

The Lake Erie region of New York and Pennsylvania is home to over 32,000 acres of vineyard, of which nearly 98% is planted to Concord – making it the largest grape growing region in the U.S. outside of California, and the largest Concord growing region in the world.

The funding is part of $5 million from the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund for not-for-profit animal shelters and humane societies in the state.

The Chautauqua County Humane Society will use the monies to increase security, window replacements, an HVAC system, and generator expansion.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets selects grant recipients based on a need assessment, detailed project description, and reasonableness of cost. For the first time this year, the state also expanded eligibility to include shelters that were previously granted this fund and have completed their projects, as well as shelters without municipal contracts servicing underserved regions.

According to the New York State Animal Protection Federation, more than 150,000 animals annually are brought to non-profit and municipality-run shelters and humane societies. The New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund will help these organizations continue to provide sheltering services to local communities, promote better care for the animals, and facilitate more adoptions.

Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s Twan Leenders presents on Phase 1 Chadakoin River Restabilization Project to Jamestown City Council (June 6, 2022)

The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy plans to submit another funding request to the City of Jamestown to combat the invasive species, Tree of Heaven, along the Chadakoin River.

CWC Ecological Restoration Manager Twan Leenders presented to City Council on the Phase 1 of the stabilization of the lower Chadakoin River from the Warner Dam to the City-Falconer line, “The guys removed over 100 dead standing Ash trees from the riverbank. And again, you’ll be driving around and see dead trees standing but they’re not in the river channel, they’re in someone’s backyard or away from the river far enough that they weren’t part of the scope of this project. And I couldn’t even give you an accurate number on how many hundreds of cubic yards of logs we removed from the river, debris dams that were there that were taken out, places that blocked the river and caused the current to go into someone’s backyard or into someone’s business that now just flows where it’s supposed to go again.”

City Council had approved $277,750 in American Rescue Plan funds at the end of 2021 for the first phase of the project.

Leenders said the next big concern is the invasive Tree of Heaven, which came into the area as an ornamental tree.

He said there are three core areas of the trees in Jamestown that have gotten out of control to the point that there’s almost a forest stand of the species, “These trees exude chemicals into the ground that make them out-compete everything else and once you have them established nothing else grows there anymore. They re-sprout from the roots and they have a system of stress hormones that even if you try to cut one of these trees down, even if you just ding it, especially when you cut one down, it sends these stress hormones into their root system, and it sends 20 to 40 new young shoots. So every tree you cut with the best intentions multiplies the problem exponentially where you get 20 to 40 more.”

He said the only way to get rid of the trees is a very specific set of chemical treatments to kill them and the root system before they’re then removed. He added this process has to be done at a very specific time, usually in the month of July.

Leenders said the other great concern is that the Tree of Heaven is a preferred host of emerging pest, Spotted Lanternfly, which is a bug that feeds on fruit trees and grape vines.

While he’s in the process of obtaining funding from other sources including state funding, Leenders said he hopes to present an ARP funding request to Council this month in order to try to have that in place along with permits in order to move forward with the eradication of the trees.

Leender’s presentation coincidentally coincided with the start of the state’s 9th Invasive Species Awareness Week.

The State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Agriculture and Markets are holding free daily webinars through Friday. The link to the calendar can be found at https://nyis.info/events/category/nyisaw/2022-06/.

Invasive species are plants, animals, insects, and pathogens that are not native to an area and cause harm to the environment, agriculture, economy, or public health. New York is particularly vulnerable to these pests due to its role as a center for international trade and travel.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a highly contagious, fatal, flu-like disease of poultry, has been spreading across the state since February. Cornell Cooperative Extension said in a release that as of April 19, New York has seen the disease in 8 domestic flocks: One commercial, one captive wild birds, and the remainder were backyard flocks. Over 10,000 birds have died or have been euthanized.

These positive cases started in the eastern region of the state but have moved westward over the spring season.

In March, the State Ag Department announced the state would proactively ban all live fowl shows and exhibitions. This meant that fairs, public hatching events, fowl shows, and other events like them would not be allowed until further notice. This ban was expanded April 14 to include all fowl auctions and other events where people can purchase, sell, swap, or trade fowl. The reasoning behind this update was the same as the original notice from March: to limit the congregation of poultry from different farms and homesteads to reduce the spread of disease. At this time, the ban does not include individual farms selling poultry, farm supply stores, chicks being shipped into the state from hatcheries, poultry processors that operate under a 5A or USDA Exemption, or live bird markets.

While both bans are in place until further notice, the situation will be re-evaluated at the end of May.
In the meantime, it’s important that poultry owners remain on high alert for any unusual illness or deaths in their poultry flocks.

Any suspicious illness can be reported to the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets by calling 518-457-3502 or contacting the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office in Chautauqua County at 716-664-9502.

The Spotted Lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species.

Logue said It was first found in New York State on Staten Island in August 2020, with the population now being observed in all New York City boroughs, as well as in some areas in Upstate New York, including Ithaca. The Spotted Lanternfly has not been reported yet in Chautauqua County or Western New York.
Logue said the Ag Department is working closely with its partners on the state and federal level on measures to combat the population, control its spread to other areas of New York State.

If you see what appears to be a Spotted Lanternfly, you’re asked to take a photo, collect a sample and place it in a freezer or jar with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, and report it to SLF responders at agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.

After you’ve reported Spotted Lanternfly in your area and collected the sample, the State Ag department is asking you to kill any additional Spotted Lanternfly you see by stepping on it or crushing it.

ALBANY – The use of CBD oils has been exploding across New York and that’s leading to some health officials and lawmakers questioning how safe the product actually is for consumers.

CBD (aka cannabidiol) is an active ingredient in hemp and marijuana plants that, unlike THC (the main psychoactive compound in marijuana), doesn’t get get the user high. While it’s marketed as a health and wellness product capable of relieving anxiety, stress, pain and insomnia, CBD remains largely unregulated on both a federal and state level.

According to the Albany Times Union – the industry around CBD continues to skyrocket across the state and that has attracted unscrupulous players whose interest in making a buck overrides concern for product transparency and consumer safety.

In the last four years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued dozens of warning letters to CBD companies selling mislabeled, falsely advertised, adulterated and contaminated products.

The federal 2018 Farm Bill, enacted in December, was intended in part to clear up the legal status of CBD. But the law also created new confusion for businesses wanting to sell CBD food or drink. For some, it is impossible to follow one set of regulations without being in breach of another.

In New York, for example, officials at the state Department of Agriculture issued guidance in December saying it was legal to sell “CBD tea,” “chocolates with CBD drizzle” and other CBD edibles, so long as the products are made and marketed as dietary supplements, which are governed by more stringent standards than ordinary food.

But the department also warns that doing this will run afoul of rules issued by the FDA, which said it was unlawful to add CBD to food or to market it as a dietary supplement.

The difference between state and federal law led to  a recent crackdown in New York City, based on safety concerns regarding some CBD edibles that were being sold at local shops.

In New York, hemp farmers and processors have teamed up with lawmakers in hopes of clarifying rules around the industry.

In the meantime, some retailers are trying to get the word out to consumers about ways to stay smart and safe when trying CBD products. According to the Times-Union article, some questions consumers need to ask before purchasing the now-legal product from a business include has it been third-party tested? Does the business have proof? And can the customer see it?

The New York Farm Bureau, along with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner, Richard Ball, and Farmers for Free Trade gathered at the New York State Fair on Thursday to discuss their concerns.

According to the group, a number of New York commodities – including dairy, soybeans, wine, maple and apples – face retaliatory tariffs in several countries including China, Canada, Mexico and in the European Union.

“We understand that trade agreements may need to be updated, but we have to be careful not to damage the relationships that we already have and depend on,” said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher. “We are encouraging our leaders in Washington, to move quickly at getting the parties back to the negotiating table, much like we have seen this week with Mexico, and to move forward on improving trade relations with our partners.”

As a result, prices for those products have fallen, while equipment prices are rising due to steel and aluminum tariffs.

As a result, the group say farmers are concerned about losing long established markets as countries turn to other, cheaper sources for their food.

“The tariffs being imposed on our agricultural commodities are compounding an already difficult marketplace and putting New York’s farmers in a precarious situation.  Once these markets are lost, we could find it extremely difficult to regain that footing. We have an opportunity here to collaborate with our partners and to call for new free trade agreements and thoughtful, long-term solutions,” said Ball.