by Linda McCandless
Geneva, NY - The 1997 New York State Horticultural Society Meeting and Trade Show was held at the Thruway Marriott on W. Henrietta Road in Rochester, NY, on Jan. 8-9. It was a dramatic departure from the tractor tire-kicking shows of the past which were formerly held at The Dome amphitheater. The meeting emphasized educational programs on tree fruits and grapes, grower interaction, and a lively trade show of smaller exhibitors.
"We had over 600 participants and 60 exhibitors," said Hort Society executive director Dan Donahue. "The facilities were superior and it was great to have the Western New York Tree Fruit School as part of the show."
Donahue feels the primary issue facing the fruit industry in New York is economic development and profitability. "Our rate of investment return as an average is way too low. The fruit industry needs to pay more attention to the income side, helping growers focus on ways to attain good prices, and produce value-added products that will bring in more income," he said.
Steve Hoying, of the Lake Ontario Fruit Team, who helped organize the Tree Fruit School, was pleased with the facilities and the attendance. Bob Brown, Director of the New York Apple Association, also liked the move. "People who want to learn something are here. The topics are excellent."
In Tree Fruit, sessions were standing room only. Topics presented by researchers from the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, and the Hudson Valley Lab in Highland, NY, included: understanding and using the clones of the M.9 rootstock (Terence Robinson), future management of oblique-banded leaf roller (Harvey Reissig), the progress toward control of yeast-like fungi (Tom Burr), the effects of foliar feeding insects on apple production systems using size-controlled rootstocks (Dick Straub), 1996 results with AVG (Ed Stover), apple scab (Wayne Wilcox), fireblight (Jay Norelli), how to time fungicides to control summer diseases (Dave Rosenberger), bloom and petalfall thinning (Ed Stover and Terence Robinson), opportunities for developing value-added food products at the NYS Food Venture Center (Judy Anderson and Mark McLellan), and mite management strategies (Art Agnello).
Other Cornell University presenters included Robert Milligan and Tom Maloney from the department of Agricultural Resources and Management on employee issues, and Ian Merwin on cover cropping. A Cooperative Extension presentation on invisible fencing was provided by Regina Rieckenberg and Paul Curtis, and Debbie Breth moderated an industry panel on tips and techniques for airblast sprayer setup. Out-of-state presenters includes Larry Hull, of Penn State, David Ferree of Ohio State, and Lynn Long of Oregon State.
On the grape side, from the Experiment Station, Bob Pool spoke on growing quality Concord grapes in New York, and grape growing in Japan as an example of value-added viticulture. James Wolpert, of UC-Davis, gave New Yorkers a view of the environmental issues blowing in from California, and Justin Morris, of the University of Arkansas, spoke on vineyard mechanization.
The Lake Ontario Fruit Team (LOFT) presented an employee day program on Jan. 9. Issues covered were pruning (Steve Hoying), insects and diseases (Debbie Breth), safety (John Pollock), and the costs and risk of growing fruit (Alison DeMarree).
An Ag Labor Issues breakfast was held on Jan. 9 and a NYS Labor Housing Loan program workshop was held Jan. 8. Pesticide recertification credit was given for the meeting.
Sixty exhibitors attended the show. 
They represented nurseries, irrigation, chemical, refrigeration, lumber, packing, picking, tractor, insurance, sprayers, and fencing companies. The Experiment Station, the NYS Apple Association, NYS Ag & Markets, and several grower/fruit publications rounded out the exhibitors represented that serve the fruit industry.
At the NYS Horticultural Society Reception on Wednesday night in the Henrietta Ballroom, James P. Tette, Statewide IPM Program Director presented "1997 Excellence in Integrated Pest Management" awards to Dawn and Bob Betts, who farm 100 acres of grapes in western New York, and apple grower Darrel Oakes.
Jennifer Halsey, a Cornell University senior, was awarded the annual $1000 Abbott Lab scholarship.
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