Pre-Registration Deadline: February 15, 2019

EVENT HAS PASSED

Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Conservation Short Course

March 1, 2019


This full day workshop will focus on concepts around protecting and enhancing populations of pollinators and beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. The course will provide an overview of pollinator and beneficial insect natural history and farm practices that support these populations, such as protecting and creating habitat, modified horticultural practices, and advice on how to manage pests while protecting pollinators.

Introductory topics include the principles of pollinator biology and integrated crop pollination, the economics of insect pollination, basic field identification, and evaluating pollinator and beneficial insect habitat. Advanced modules will cover land management practices for pollinator protection, pollinator habitat restoration, incorporating pollinator conservation into federal conservation programs, selection of plants for pollinator enhancement sites, management of natural landscapes, and financial and technical resources to support these efforts. Throughout the short course these training modules are illustrated by case studies of pollinator conservation efforts across the country.

Registrants will receive the Xerces Society's Pollinator Conservation Toolkit which includes Xerces' book, Attracting Native Pollinators, as well as habitat management guidelines and relevant USDA-NRCS and extension publications.

The content of this course is tailored to the needs of NRCS, SWCD, Cooperative Extension, and state department of agriculture employees, as well as farmers, crop consultants, natural resource specialists, non-governmental conservation organization staff, and producers of bee-pollinated crops.

This short course is hosted by The Xerces Society and was made possible thanks to the support of the New York NRCS and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY. Special thanks to CCE Harvest Urban Agriculture team for providing the venue for this event.

No upcoming events at this time.

NY Crop Insurance Availability by County & Crop

Apiculture, Dairy-RP, LGM, Nursery, PRF and WFRP policies are available throughout the entire state. Here is a table showing RMA crop insurance availability by county and crop in New York State.  

If a crop is not covered in your county, you may still be eligible for a written agreement for that crop. Please contact an insurance agent to see if this is an option for you.

More information about crop insurance is available through Cornell's New York Crop Insurance Education Program.

Beginning Producer Benefits for Crop Insurance

A qualifying beginning producer can potentially receive benefits in the crop insurance program. These benefits are designed to help start your operation. In this article, Stephen Hadcock, Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program, outlines the 4 crop insurance benefits available to beginning producers.
1) An exemption from paying the administrative fee for catastrophic coverage and additional coverage.
2) Receive an additional 10 percentage points of premium subsidy for additional coverage policies with a subsidy premium.
3) Utilize the actual production history (APH) of a farming operation that producer was previously involved in.
4) Utilize 80% of an applicable T-yield, instead of the normal 60%, as a substitute Yield Adjustment.