College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University

09/16/2026

HyperBird, a cutting-edge imaging platform for observing microscopic traits in plants, can detect grape diseases – such as powdery and downy mildews, which cost vineyard owners billions in annual losses globally – days before physical symptoms become visible.

The advancement will potentially allow plant breeders to speed the development of disease-resistant grape varieties, cue growers to target fungicide use early in a disease’s progression, and provide vineyard workers with better and earlier information for crop management.

While regular cameras record three bands of wavelengths (red, blue, and green) within the visible light spectrum, hyperspectral imaging records hundreds of narrow bands. With this hyperspectral power, the researchers created a high-throughput phenotyping microscope – meaning it can process hundreds of leaf samples within a few hours for observable traits related to disease resistance.

This capability lets it detect changes inside a leaf before they are visible on the surface.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/index%2Ephp/stories/2026/09/hyperbird-spots-grape-diseases-theyre-visible.

09/14/2026

Fruits and veggies aren’t the only things growing at Dilmun Hill Student Farm! 🫐🥦

Since 1996, Cornell’s 12-acre student-led farm has been a living laboratory for experiential learning. Here, students can cultivate their passions in sustainable agriculture and food systems as they work together to plant, harvest and provide fresh produce to the Cornell community. Members are encouraged to pursue their own interests through independent projects at the farm and explore agricultural practices such as agroforestry.

Dilmun Hill is also home to student clubs, research projects and classes, and hosts community events and farm tours.

Come celebrate Dilmun Hill’s 30th anniversary during its Open Farm Day on Sept. 18 from 3 to 6 p.m. https://cals.cornell.edu/events/dilmun-hill-30th-anniversary-open-farm-day

09/10/2026

We were honored to welcome USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce and Clark Putman, New York State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, for a visit across Cornell CALS yesterday.

The visit explored how our Land-Grant mission comes to life through research, extension and innovation that support New York's farm and food sectors.

We're grateful for our partnership with the USDA, which helps drive meaningful impact for farmers, food producers and communities across New York and beyond.

09/09/2026

Fifteen years ago, labor accounted for about 30% of total costs at the Washington Fruit and Produce Co. Today, it’s over 60%.

“Our costs have just been skyrocketing, largely around labor, but everything else as well – meanwhile, apples sell for the same price they did 20 years ago,” said Gilbert Plath, technology director for the Yakima, Washington-based orchard, which grows apples and cherries on 10,000 acres.

“Who gets squeezed at that point? It’s not the warehouse, and it’s not the grocery store. It’s the farmers. We need to find ways to do more with less.”

Plath’s fourth-generation family of growers is one of nine organizations nationwide collaborating on a Cornell-led research project to develop robots that can perform labor-intensive orchard operations such as pollinating flowers, thinning fruits, harvesting apples and weeding between rows. The project is supported by a newly announced four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The grant will establish a Center of Excellence for Orchard Robotics in Cornell’s Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/cornell-leads-project-putting-robots-work-us-orchards.

09/04/2026

A winged workforce is helping keep your favorite fruits and vegetables on the menu. Chances are, you pass by these tiny unsung heroes every day without noticing.

Amara Dunn-Silver, biocontrol specialist with Cornell Integrated Pest Management, explains some of the pollinator characters you're likely to encounter if you take a closer look.

09/01/2026

Fifty years of sweet tradition continued last month at the Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies, where community members gathered for the lab's annual honey extraction event, getting a firsthand look at how honey goes from hive to jar.

08/20/2026

08/17/2026

The Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies is hosting our annual honey extraction event! Join us on August 21st from 10am-6pm to extract honey, build bird feeders and check out our newly planted pollinator garden. Free and open to the public!

08/17/2026

We have a new fall webinar series coming up:

Tax 101 – An Introduction to Income Taxes for Farmers
Sep 17, 2026 01:00 PM
Register at: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uFJqZWS8Qz-ResEuz_0gKA

This webinar focuses on good recordkeeping and what information your tax preparer will need to file your taxes effectively.

What you'll learn:

- Understand why accurate record keeping is essential;
- Know what documents are needed;
- Evaluate current record keeping systems and make changes;
- Identify common tax forms and schedules;
- Learn common tax terms and credits;
- Develop a seasonal tax to-do list;
- Understand the value of an on-going relationship with a tax professional.

This program is provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered tax advice. For guidance specific to your individual circumstances, please consult a qualified tax professional.

08/17/2026

If a "101" version of tax awareness and planning for farmers is too entry level for you - don't worry! We are hosting a November 4th Webinar that focuses on more complex topics aptly called "Tax 102."

You can register at: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QWl-5tqLSQWce7UxVnrTVQ