Archives for April 2020

April 3, 2020

Coronavirus Education Materials In Indigenous Languages, Dialects and Spanish

Our colleague, Gene McAvoy of Florida Cooperative Extension (a Rutgers grad and currently president of our National Assoc of County Ag Agents) shared this reference that you might find useful.

These resources were gathered by the Rural Women’s Health Project, with thanks to
Evelyn Moraga in Guatemala, Dr. Laura Gonzalez at the University of Florida, her
colleagues at CEPIADET in Oaxaca Mexico and CIELO in Los Angeles. They are committed to getting these materials out to all of those residing in the U.S., no matter their country of origin or mother language. If ou have materials to be added to this list, please contact us at: rwhp@cafl.com.

Together, we will get through this.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 3, 2020

Pasture Management Webinar Series

Hank Bignell, Warren County Agricultural Agent, announced he is hosting a 3 part webinar series on pasture management. See the attached flyer for more details.

  • Basic Pasture Management: April 13th-7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Horse Pasture Management: April 14th-7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Livestock Pasture Management: April 20th-7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock
April 3, 2020

Farms Are Considered Essential During The Virus Outbreak

Wes Kline and I have been fielding questions about whether farms will be closed down. Our answer is, “NO!” for the following reasons.

Agricultural is considered an essential industry by the state and federal governments.  Agricultural workers are also considered essential. Your workers should not have an issue going to work. What you need to do is train your workers on proper hand washing and try to give as much space between workers as possible. Remember 6 ft between individuals should be maintained where practical. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has the latest information from the state at https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/. Our https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/ website has a series of factsheets and articles related to agriculture, including many in Spanish. This website is updated regularly so check to see what is new.  Remember: 

  • Agricultural operations are considered essential. 
  • Farmer’s markets are specifically exempt from being closed in the executive order.
  • Nurseries and greenhouses can operate.  

What should an operation do to protect their workers and themselves? 

  1. Repeated handwashing for 20 sec. This means as soon as people report to work, when they take breaks, when they use bathroom facilities, etc. This is not a time to make fun of handwashing – promote it!  Hand sanitizers can be used if hands are not soiled. The better option is to wash hands then apply hand sanitizers. The sanitizer should be at least 60% alcohol. 
  2. If you have more than one crew keep them separated. Have them work separately, take breaks separately and eat separately. Do not mix a crew once they are working together. If in a packinghouse clean and sanitize all equipment between each crew. 
  3. Clean and sanitize break and eating areas before being occupied and before each time they are used. 
  4. Space everyone 6 feet apart or as far as possible. This is difficult if a crew is riding a transplanter but do the best you can. Social distancing inside a labor camp with a common bunk room may be a challenge. Consider installing temporary/permanent screens/walls between bunks, separating bunks as far as space allows, or divide bunks into individual beds if practical/possible. 
  5. If workers wear gloves, they must be single use and replaced frequently. 
  6. What about masks?  Cloth masks are acceptable, but they should be laundered daily.  If masks are purchased, they should be replaced at least daily and more frequently if dirty. 
  7. Should worker’s temperatures be taken at the beginning of the day?  No, this is not recommended unless medical personnel carry out the operation.  You need to know what the reading means, that the correct thermometer was used, etc.  

Lead by example – Farm owners and supervisors must do the same thing that you expect your workers to do! 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 2, 2020

Letter Template for Food/Agriculture Critical Employees

There have been several calls today regarding a form letter required for farm laborers to travel to NJ farms during the current COVID-19 shut down. A draft Letter for Employee Travel Related to Critical Infrastructureis available from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (this is in pdf format that must be retyped onto your company letterhead). The version, EmployeeTravelRelatedtoCriticalInfrastructure, is in a format that you can copy and paste onto your own letterhead and insert the appropriate company and representative information.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 2, 2020

Vegetable Disease Update – 4/2/20

  • White rust and Anthracnose have been reported in spinach in southern New Jersey this week.
  • Symptoms of white rust include yellow lesions on the upper leaf surface and white blister-like pustules on the underside of the leaf. Generally, the upper surface of the leaves remain chlorotic, however in advanced stages, white lesions may form on the upper side of the leaf. White rust caused by Albugo occidentalis is an oomycete, or ‘water mold’, and its development is favored by cool, wet weather with extended periods of leaf wetness. Spinach leaf surfaces must remain wet for at least 2 to 3 hours or longer to allow infection to occur, with the optimum temperature for spore germination at 54°F. The disease develops most rapidly during periods of cool, humid nights and mild daytime temperatures.
  • Anthracnose in spinach is caused by Colletotrichum dematium. Symptoms of anthracnose are small, circular, water‑soaked lesions on young and older leaves. Lesions enlarge, turn brown to tan in color, and become thin and papery. In severe cases, lesions coalesce and result in severe blighting of foliage. Diagnostically, tiny black fruiting bodies (acervuli) which look like small black hairs form profusely in diseased tissue and are a characteristic feature of the disease. The presence of acervuli distinguishes anthracnose from Cladosporium and Stemphylium leaf spot diseases, which also form circular lesions on infected spinach.
  • Importantly, the fungicides to control White rust will be different for those used to control Anthracnose in spinach
  • Anthracnose crown rot, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, has been reported in strawberry this week. Symptoms of anthracnose crown rot include the “marbling” of the crown tissue.  Cutting the crown lengthwise reveals white and reddish brown streaks, creating a marbled effect, with a dry rot-like appearance. Initial symptoms include plant stunting and flagging of young leaves due to lack of water. Initially plants wilt in the heat of the day, which is often over-looked as drought or heat stress. In advanced infections, the entire plant will die.
  • For more information on White rust, Anthracnose in spinach, and Anthracnose crown rot control in strawberry please the 2020/2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations guide.  The new guide is now available FREE on-line or can be purchased in hardcopy form through your county agricultural office in New Jersey. The complete 2020/2021 Vegetable Production Recommendations guide or specific sections can be downloaded depending on your production needs.
Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
April 1, 2020

USDA Audits Expiration Dates Extended

Please see the press release below with regards to USDA Audit Program Certifications. Also, the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Website is being updated with the latest Covid-19 information as it relates to agriculture. We encourage you to check it frequently. Please reach out if you need us, we are not in the office but we are still working.

USDA Temporarily Extends Expiration Dates for Some Good Agricultural Practices, Domestic Origin Verification, Plant Systems Audit Program Certifications
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is committed to delivering the timely services needed to support the movement of America’s food supply and will continue to take steps to meet challenges due to the COVID-19 national emergency.
To aid the movement of fresh specialty crops into marketing channels, AMS is extending the expiration date of USDA audit certifications scheduled to expire on or before May 31, 2020, by 60 days. USDA audit certifications are normally valid for 12 months. The certification extension applies to 400 current auditees certified under the USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Domestic Origin Verification and Plant Systems Audit programs.
AMS is advising affected auditees of their 60-day extension and is updating information under “Find a USDA Gap-Certified Company” on the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) & Good Handling Practices (GHP) webpage to reflect the extended audit expiration dates.
Extending the expiration date for auditees with current certifications will allow AMS to concentrate resources on providing food safety verification audits for entities new to USDA audit programs who require certification to move product into commerce.
The extension is in alignment with the International Accreditation Forum’s Informative Document for Management of Extraordinary Events or Circumstances Affecting Accreditation Bodies and Certifying Organizations, Issue 1, which establishes guidelines for extending food safety audit certifications. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) also has communicated that, based on risk, certification bodies may be able to extend certifications under extraordinary circumstances for up to six months.
AMS recognizes that USDA specialty crops inspections and audits are critical to the nation’s food supply chain, and we are committed to ensuring the continuity of our audit operations.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety