Betts Farms, owned by Bob, Dawn, and Thom Betts, has been on the forefront of vineyard middle-row soil management for the past decade, continuously improving soil health on their 185 acres of Concord vines. In contrast to standard Concord viticulture practice, where middle-row grass and weeds are burned in late spring to ensure optimum vine fertility, growers like the Betts are establishing cover crops to alleviate soil compaction, reduce erosion, build soil organic matter, and foster life in the soil. Bob Betts initially planted cover crops to correct the negative effects of soil compaction on water infiltration, root proliferation, and vine productivity, but he soon saw additional benefits in soil structure and the biological health. After 11 years experimenting on a 5-acre vineyard block, Betts saw results that convinced him to incorporate cover crops on all 185 acres.

Forty-five high school students from across the country took part in the 2024 CURIE Academy, a Cornell Engineering program for high school students interested in pursuing undergraduate studies in engineering.

The gift from the Seneca Foods Foundation will help food producers of all sizes bring their products to market.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets identified the invasive pest in Romulus, New York, following reports from Cornell’s New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.

Cornell and global researchers are finding ways to control disease-carrying aquatic plants in Senegal by turning the flora into inexpensive compost or livestock feed – and helping the economy.

Following a report from an alert town of Romulus resident, Ag and Markets inspectors traveled to the infestation site, where they were able to confirm the presence of SLF nymphs. The first SLF in the U.S. were confirmed in Berks County...

A network of staff and experts in Cornell Cooperative Extension offices across the state mobilize to help and share information after weather emergencies.

Quagga mussels – the deleterious invasive species from Eastern Europe seen throughout Oneida Lake – may provide an unexpected benefit for the life cycle of mayflies: They’re flourishing.

Alistair Hayden brings his West Coast experience in wildfires and earthquakes to help New York communities maintain health and become more disaster resilient in the face of climate change.

The Hudson Valley Research Laboratory in Highland, New York, a partnership between Cornell AgriTech and area growers, is receiving $1 million in capital funding from the state for improvements that will take the research facility into the future...

Cornell Atkinson’s annual Academic Venture Fund will provide nearly $1 million in seed funding to support research teams across five colleges and 11 departments, many with key external partnerships.

To help local emergency managers assess danger, Cornell researchers have created the Mortality Estimation Tool to map predicted, smoke-attributed mortality statistics in near-real time.

Cornell researchers have tested an ecological tool in the fight to control weeds in silage soybean and corn fields: adding carbon to soil in the form of sawdust and rye hay.

Agustin Olivo of Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) defended his PhD dissertation in early June. Read on to learn more about Olivo and his work with nutrient management and greenhouse gas emissions in dairy systems, and to see...

Cornell IFT team goes to Chicago with their Nonna’s Nopales futuristic food product – gnocchi made from superfood cactus paddles.

The new report, Natural Resource Protection in the Hudson Valley: Municipal Conservation Stories, presents case studies from seven Hudson Valley towns and highlights the experiences, challenges, and successes of elected officials and municipal...

As urbanization continues to reshape our world, the focus on urban and peri-urban food systems becomes increasingly crucial. The latest report from the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) of the UN Committee on...

The Joro spider, an arachnid that's been in the United States for years in some southern states, has been trending in the news lately as the next potentially invasive species to land in New York State. Some media hypes giant, venomous, flying...