Preparing and planning for new & increased pest and disease risks in a warmer New England

Location: Good Bunch Farm, 221 N River Rd, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

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As the number of growing days increases and temperature and precipitation extremes are more frequent, producers are faced with more challenges related to pest and disease pressure. Existing pests and diseases are becoming more persistent, and new threats are emerging due to weather variability. Farmers are also faced with crop loss, reduced crop quality, and increased costs due to more frequent applications of treatments or preventative controls.  

In this event, the presenter will share a practical framework for assessing, prioritizing, and planning responses to farm risks, using pest and disease pressure as an example in the context of a changing climate. The host farmer will then describe how these planning tools have informed decisions on the farm, the new practices that have been implemented, and lessons learned through on-farm experience.

The discussion and farm tour will be followed by some networking time and a light meal.

Presenter:  

Stevie Schafenacker works with small food and farm businesses across New England, helping clients with financial record-keeping, grant writing, budgeting, and enterprise planning. Stevie integrates holistic decision-making and really likes talking to farmers about how to manage risk. Stevie previously worked at CISA, where she excelled at creating engaging, content-rich workshops geared to the needs of the target audience.

This work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2025-70027-45395, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.