CANTON -- On-farm rearing and application of nematodes to control alfalfa snout beetle is the subject of a March 15 workshop at the Cooperative Extension Learning Farm on State Rt. 68.

The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include lunch.

In areas where alfalfa snout beetle is unchecked, it is a highly destructive crop pest able to destroy an entire field of alfalfa in one season. Crop damage can be as much as $1,500 and acre for complete loss of a second-year stand of alfalfa that would be harvested as a cash crop to feed dairy herds.

Participants learn farmer-friendly techniques for growing and applying native northern New York nematodes as a biological control for ASB.

Participants will also receive a coupon to cover the cost of the nematodes for application to one field on their farm in 2012. Farmers will be responsible for applying the nematodes to their fields with guidance from local CCE educators.

The workshops will also include an update on the breeding varieties of alfalfa that are resistant to the beetle.

It is free. To attend, register with CCE St. Lawrence County, 379-9192.

The development of the application of microscopic worms (nematodes) to destroy ASB, and the breeding of ASB-resistant alfalfa varieties have been made possible long-term by the farmer-led Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. The New York Farm Viability Institute has provided additional funding for educating farmers about this cost-effective on-farm biological control solution.