Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

Archives for May 2020

May 5, 2020

New Jersey Statewide Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting

New Jersey Statewide Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting

May 12, 2020     5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

It has been a VERY busy spring for the tree fruit industry in New Jersey.  Let us all take an evening to sit and discuss field and industry updates.  Rutgers University Agricultural Agents and Specialists will assist us all in moving forward efficiently through the season.

In our efforts to continue to comply with COVID-19 guidelines and will be meeting as a statewide industry online.  A number of our statewide specialists and agricultural agents will provide presentations and lead discussions on the following topics which will include:

Guidance for Operating Farm Stands and ‘U-Pick’ Operations under COVID-19 Restrictions

Assessing Frost Injury on Tree Fruit

Weed Management and alternatives to Paraquat

IPM Updates around the state

Changes to the DEP Pesticide Code

To register for this training session

Go to https://rutgers.webex.com/rutgers/k2/j.php?MTID=t95666ca9e039986a46f10751ab184f05 and register.

Once you are approved by the host, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session.

Registration password: This session does not require a registration password.

To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link
https://rutgers.webex.com/rutgers/k2/j.php?MTID=t491ad60af7fd8c091b6436c659e4140e

NJ_Tree_Fruit_Twilight_Meeting_II_Agenda

For assistance contact Megan Muehlbauer at: muehlbauer@njaes.rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
May 5, 2020

US Small Business Admin Opens Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Programs to Agriculture

Today the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs. The EIDL portal reopened today as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers and ranchers are encouraged to apply immediately.

Only agricultural businesses are eligible to apply through the reopened EIDL portal. Agricultural businesses include those engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agriculture-related industries. All eligible agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees should begin preparing the financial information necessary for the application process.

Eligible agricultural businesses can apply for the EIDL loan here.

For agriculture producers who submitted an EIDL application prior to this change, the SBA will continue to process these applications; there is no need to apply again. All other EIDL loan applications that were submitted before the portal stopped accepting new applications on April 15 will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis. This expanded access for agriculture to the EIDL program is in addition to existing access for farmers and ranchers to the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, which can be applied for here.

For more information, agriculture producers may visit the SBA.gov disaster assistance page.

(Based on press release from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.)

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , ,
May 5, 2020

Sourcing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Your Farm Employees

PPE suppliers have been backlogged with orders for N95 facemasks, hand sanitizers, disinfectants and disposable gloves. Sourcing supplies for your essential agricultural workers may be a challenge. NJ Farm Bureau, with assistance of staff from Congressman Van Drew’s office, have been compiling lists of local and regional businesses that are able to supply PPE equipment (see table below).

Vendor Dave McDonough at General Chemical and Supply in Moorestown, strongly recommends farmers should “act fast”! Expect that as other businesses resume operations (i.e. reopen), demand will spike and cause delays. With this in mind, Pete Furey, NJ Farm Bureau Executive Director, suggests farmers should not sit on their hands and order at least a month’s supply of what is needed from where ever they regularly purchase PPE supplies.

Recognizing the rapid tightening of PPE supplies, the Fruit and Vegetable Assoc (FFVA) participated in a working group with the Dept of Homeland Security, FEMA and the FEMA Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force to prioritize and elevate the needs of the agricultural/food sector to gain access to additional personal protection equipment, as well as disinfectants and sanitation supplies, to protect the health and safety of employees within the ag sector. Attached is a spreadsheet shared by the FFVA listing additional sources of PPE and sanitation/disinfectant supplies.

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Lastly, in emergency situations, if farms cannot get PPE mask/gloves for their workers, they should contact their county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) who can request supplies from the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC). This is the public-private emergency response unit within the State Police emergency management headquarters that is handling the state supply of PPE.
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Sources of PPE Equipment & Supplies

Company Products Contact Address Phone Email
General Chemical & Supply masks David McDonough

858 North Lenola Road, Unit 1A

Moorestown NJ 08057

 856 778 5550 DMcDonough@GCSNJ.US

For ordering: Shannon@GCSNJ.US
Valken Sports masks Rob Pierce 856-207-2983
LD innovations masks David Reynolds 856-287-1602 Dir0614@gmail.com
Evolution – St. Louis hazmat suits, masks,  gowns, hand sanitizer & wipes John Elmuccio 908-868-8284 jelmuccio@evolutionstl.com

www.evolutionstl.com
Care and Wear masks, gloves, goggles, gowns Chaitenya Razdan 800-410-5505 (office)

509-356-9128 (fax)

 crazdan@careandwear.com

www.careandwear.com
Gempler’s masks, gloves, goggles, gowns 800-382-8473 gemplers.com

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , ,
May 4, 2020

Blueberry March and April Twilight Meeting

Below is information that was presented at the March and April’s Blueberry webinar Twilight meetings.

Twilight Webinar April 28th, 2020

March_2020_Webinar

Filed Under: Fruit
May 1, 2020

Disinfection of Surfaces for Prevention of COVID-19 Spread – Use Caution

Cleaning supplies

The chemical concentrations for the disinfection of high touch surfaces in retail markets during the COVID-19 pandemic are higher than we normally recommend. This concentration is for the disinfection of hard non-porous surfaces and is not for use on produce. Care must be taken to ensure the safety of yourself and your workers when using this concentration. Typical concentrations of bleach for sanitizing surfaces is 150 PPM, the disinfection recommended 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water is 1000 PPM. This concentration can be caustic to skin, airways, and produce.  Take the following precautions:

1. Clean the surface with detergent removing all visible debris and with a clean water rinse.
2. Conduct mixing in a well-ventilated area and increase ventilation when possible in areas of use, wear rubber gloves to protect skin from contact with the bleach and bleach solution.
-If skin comes in contact with the bleach or bleach solution rinse with water, if irritation continues call a doctor.
-If the bleach or bleach solution comes into contact with the eyes rinse with water for 15 minutes, if irritation continues call a doctor.
5. Chlorine PPM measurement strips typically used in packing houses do not go up to 1000 PPM.
-1000 PPM test strips are available online through Granger, Amazon, and restaurant supply stores.
-Test strips must be for FREE chlorine, not total chlorine.
-Test strips have expiration dates, make sure yours are not expired.
6. Follow bleach label instructions for contact time requirement. This is the amount of time your surface needs to stay wet with the bleach solution to ensure efficacy and is usually 1 minute or more.
7. Use containers of bleach that have been opened no longer than 30 days to ensure proper concentration.
8. Mixed concentrations of bleach should be stored at cool temperatures and away from direct light, used within a few days and retested for PPM prior to each use to ensure correct concentration.
9. Do not mix bleach with any other cleanser!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,