Becky O'Connor

Farm to School Coordinator, WNY & Finger Lakes

CCE Erie County
cell 845-706-0293
email Becky

Becky O'Connor is the WNY Farm to Institution Coordinator for Harvest NY. Before joining Harvest NY, Becky served as the Farm to School Coordinator for CCE Erie County, and prior to that, the Western NY Eat Smart New York Program Manager. Becky is working alongside Cheryl Bilinski to expand Farm to Institution programming throughout Western NY, in partnership with county Cooperative Extension offices in Monroe, Wyoming, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Erie, and Chautauqua. Farm to Institution support is also available to other counties should there be interest.

No upcoming events at this time.

New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.

NYS Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment

As part of a multi-year project exploring non-spray pest management options that are economically and environmentally sustainable for urban farms, we conducted a needs assessment with urban growers across New York State. The New York State Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment presents findings on current pest management practices, challenges, and topics of future interest.