Crystal Stewart (now Crystal Courtens) is a Cornell Cooperative Extension agent for 17 counties in New York State. She recently started a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Fellowship which took her across the country to visit farms of all types. In this episode, we discussed her trip and what she learned, her research work with garlic, melons, carrots (yes bolero is still the best) and lettuce, and how she sees agriculture progressing in the Hudson Valley
In This Episode:
>> A deep dive into all things garlic and the mulching methods that decrease fusarium.
>> How a SARE fellowship works and the places that Crystal visited on her trip.
>> How growers are dealing with allium leaf miner in NY
>> Some varieties of carrots that show promise for storage
About the Guest
Crystal Stewart works with diversified organic, small and beginning vegetable farmers throughout a 17 county region of Eastern NY, helping them to improve both sustainability and profitability for long-term success. Her responsibilities are divided between providing on-farm support to address grower concerns; creating educational programming including local, statewide, and regional meetings; and conducting research in organic systems with a focus on root crops, garlic, and other alliums.
Prior to joining Cornell Cooperative Extension in 2007, Crystal worked as a regional horticulture specialist for South Dakota State University. She received her Masters in Horticulture and her Bachelors in International Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
