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Long-time community educator and founder of Parkinson’s Disease Support Group will represent O’Mara’s 53rd District
Albany,
N.Y., May 8—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C, Big Flats) announced today
that Virginia “Ginny” Houseknecht of Watkins Glen, a long-time area
Cornell Cooperative Extension educator and leader, and founder of the
Southern Tier Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, will be honored next
Tuesday, May 15, in Albany as a “Woman of Distinction” by the New York
State Senate.
The Senate's "Women of Distinction" program, which began in March to coincide with Women's History Month in New York State, allows senators statewide to select one honoree from their respective legislative districts for this distinguished, statewide tribute.
For 35 years until her retirement in 2005, Houseknecht served as the Family and Consumer Sciences Program Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County. She is known across the Southern Tier for her leadership and research-based education in food sciences, nutrition and health, parenting, and financial management....read more here.
(Black-legged tick); Ixodes scapularis = Ixodes dammini; Family: Ixodidae
A complete integrated management program for the deer tick should take a multifaceted approach. This includes surveillance (the detection of tick infestations); identification and reduction of tick habitat; personal protection using light-colored clothing, checking frequently for ticks, and using repellents; behavioral considerations such as avoiding tick-infested areas, removing leaf litter in your yard, and cleaning up borders; and perhaps targeted control applications for hosts as well as tick habitat.
The deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick, is the principal vector of Lyme disease in the northeastern and north central United States. Lyme disease is an illness caused by a spirochete (a corkscrew-shaped bacterium). The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted primarily by the deer tick, which
normally feeds on mice, deer, and other small and medium-sized mammals and birds. If a human is bitten by an
infected tick and consequently infected with the spirochete, the individual may develop Lyme disease. Read more here.
Every five years, the New York Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS-NY) collects information on grape acreage in New York to put together variety and region-specific numbers on grape acreage planted in New York. This survey is the only official source of information about what’s planted where. The last survey took place in 2006.
According to King Whetstone, director of NASS-NY, over 1800 surveys have been mailed out to growers in New York. The agency will begin follow-up calls with growers on their list starting on April 30. We encourage every commercial grower in New York to fill out this survey. It is very simple, straightforward, and should take only a few minutes to complete.
Since 2006, we have seen significant commercial grape plantings in regions of NY where grapes have not been traditionally grown. Many ‘new growers’ with established vineyards may not be on the mailing list and may not have received a survey. If you did not receive a survey, Whetstone encourages you to request one from NASS-NY. Requests can be made by telephone at (518) 457-5570. Or send an e-mail to nass_ny@nass.usda.gov. Please include your name, mailing address, and telephone number.
This opportunity to be part of the official acreage count only comes around every five years. Accurate information on acreage and varieties is used in many different ways, and an accurate count is important to the industry.
Webinar -Wednesday, May 2, 1 - 2 p.m. EDT Free -- open to all interested
Facebook...Twitter...Linked In...Four Square.... They can be effective ways to connect with your community....Or they can be a huge waste of your time and energy. How can you use social media to build a supportive community online and in-person? Public relations expert Rachel Carter will explain how to develop a strategy for building a community of champions for your farm. Whether you are a farmer, a farm-based educator, or an Extension educator, this webinar will provide guidance for creating a strategy to use social media effectively and manage related risks.
Hosted by: Lisa Chase, Jessie Schmidt, Ben Amsden, and Erica Curry
University of Vermont Extension, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Plymouth State University Center for Rural Partnerships, and the Farm-Based Education Association
To access the webinar, please follow this link five minutes before the webinar begins.
For technical assistance during the webinar, contact Jessie Schmidt at (866) 860-1382, ext. 203 (Vermont calls only) or (802) 223-2389, ext. 203, E-mail: jessica.a.schmidt@uvm.edu
Contact lisa.chase@uvm.edu, jessica.a.schmidt@uvm.edu, ecurry@ShelburneFarms.org, or blamsden@plymouth.edu for more information about the webinar.
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please let Rose Crossley in UVM Extension (802-223-2389) know by April 13, 2012 so we may assist you.
Funding for this project was provided by the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Eastern
Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV) in EquinesAs our mild winter comes to an end, it's time to start planning spring vaccinations, fecal examinations for parasites, and other routine preventative care for your horse. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets strongly encourages all horse owners to protect their horses and themselves against two serious and potentially fatal viruses spread by mosquitoes- Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). These diseases primarily threaten people and unvaccinated horses, but can also be spread to other animals such as dogs, deer, llamas, cattle, and ratites (emus). The viruses multiply in certain species of birds and when mosquitoes feed on the infected birds; the virus is carried to other warm-blooded animals when the mosquito is feeding. Mammals such as people and horses are "dead end hosts" for the viruses, meaning that infected people and horses do not spread the virus to others either directly or indire
Here are some things that you should do now: • Vaccinate! EEE is almost always combined with Western Equine Encephalitis and Tetanus vaccine. Some combination vaccines also include WNV. Foals, broodmares and horses with unknown vaccination history can all be vaccinated if the label instructions are followed. Horses that are being vaccinated for the first time will require a booster shot 3 weeks later in order to be most effective. If the booster is not given the horse will not be protected in most cases. Don't delay. More information here and here.
Would you like to know more about an insect, or how to deal with an insect problem in or around the home, or on plants in your vegetable or flower garden, in your yard, or on indoor plants? If so, the Insect Diagnostic Lab, a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Department of Entomology, can help. For a $25 fee, an insect or related arthropod can be shipped to us, or a detailed photo can be emailed, for expert determination. Our newly hired diagnostician, Jason Dombroskie, Ph.D., has a broad entomological knowledge, and many years of experience identifying insects and other arthropods. More information about this service, including a collection of factsheets covering commonly encountered outdoor and indoor insects, can be found at http://entomology.cornell.edu/IDL
TOPICS OF INTEREST
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SCHUYLER COUNTY TRANSIT Information guides & schedules are available at all Office of the Aging meal sites, the Human Service Complex, and at various sites throughout the Schuyler County Community. For specific information, call Schuyler County Transit at 607-535-3555 or visit its website www.schuylercountytransit.org. |
| FINGER LAKES REGION 211 TEEN HELPLINE: The Finger Lakes
211 Helpline has now expanded with special offerings just for teens! Get information on driving, parenting, education, money management, taking care of yourself, and more. Go to www.211helpline.org/teens or just call 211! |
GAS DRILLING: http://gasleasing.cce.cornell.edu/ |
| TICK-BORNE DISEASES: According to the news media, the medical profession in the United States is concerned about the spread of tick-vectored diseases, such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, STARI (southern tick-associated rash illness), etc. A link to the news report is available on the UF/IFAS Pest Alert site. The UF/IFAS Pest Alert WWW site is located at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/pestalert/. |
EMERALD ASH BORER: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOMEOWNER AND WOODLAND OWNER ACTION: Click for PDF |
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CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION CENTENNIAL: