Jim O’Connell was the Sr. Agriculture Resource Educator at CCE Ulster County (CCEUC), where he worked for over 7 years. During that time, he learned about the Hudson Valley small fruit industry and the burgeoning wine industry. Jim helped educate berry growers about the invasive vinegar fly, spotted wing Drosophila. He also worked with grape growers to help them make informed decisions on good site selection and best management practices for their vineyards. Jim has been a member of the Cornell Climate Smart Farming Program and also helped develop the Cornell Climate Stewards curriculum.
Jim’s current focus is on education in the areas of climate change, integrated pest management, and farmworker programming. Jim had taken the lead in Ulster County with the Hudson Valley Research Lab, providing education and outreach to growers about the spotted lanternfly, a new invasive insect currently quarantined in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jim has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Horticulture from the University of New Hampshire. While attending school at UNH, Jim had the opportunity to work at the University research farms, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the field of agriculture. After graduating from UNH, Jim moved to Southeastern Massachusetts to work in the cranberry industry. Much of his time was spent learning best management practices for weed control in a perennial fruit system. While there, Jim earned a Master of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In his spare time, Jim enjoys photography – getting outside and taking pictures of the many beautiful landscapes the Hudson Valley has to offer.