Archives for September 2021

Cleaning and Sanitizing Grading Equipment Grower Meeting

Join us on October 7th from 4-6pm at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 121 Northville Rd., Bridgeton, NJ 08302) for a hands-on grower meeting that will cover: how to assess washing and packing equipment; differences of sanitization products; and how to monitor pH and sanitizer concentrations.  We will be demonstrating a new packing line obtained through a grant from NJDA and the Food and Drug Administration.

The program is free, but please register by October 4th at http://rutgersonfarmfoodsafety.eventbrite.com.  Ten people must register to hold this event.  As per Rutgers policy, masks will be required during the entire meeting since it is inside.  If you do not have a mask, one will be provided, and hand sanitizers will be available.

Where do I find a practicing farm animal veterinarian?

At the request of the NJAES Board of Managers, RCE authored a guidance directory of practicing NJ veterinarians that provide care for food and fiber animals. The series was recently published as a bulletin and two accompanying fact sheets on the NJAES website at https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/.

The list of large animal and poultry veterinarian practices can be found in the bulletin ‘What kind of Veterinarian do I need? How do I find one?. The accompanying state and federal resource fact sheets are excellent resource documents for producer business plan development.

Current and Future NJ Livestock & Poultry Producers. Please note, there is currently a shortage of practicing livestock and poultry veterinarians in NJ that has only been exasperated by the Pandemic. With an estimated state inventory (Eklund, 2017) of 25,000 head of cattle and calves; 17,791 sheep and lambs, 7,500 swine, 1.6 million laying hens, 25,000 broilers, 15,000 turkeys, 16,000 chukars, 29,000 Hungarian partridge, 105,00 pheasants, and 18,000 quail there is a great need to recruit veterinarians.

– Data from National Agriculture Statistical Service. NJ. Census of Agriculture, New Jersey, 2017

–  Author’s note: “Many thanks to the veterinarians in private, state and federal practice who provided input for this resource publication”. – Melissa Bravo, Salem County ANR Agent, September 18th, 2021. 

Help Evaluate New Farm Safety “Tailgate Trainings”

Injury Prevention

Preview of the “Ground Level Slips, Trips and Falls” Tailgate Training sheet

The Northeast Ag Safety and Health Coalition is looking for farmers willing to field-test and evaluate their new set of “Tailgate Trainings” – short, simple, training sessions that a farm owner or manager can use with a small group of workers. The trainings are designed to be done with small groups, anywhere, and promote retention of material. Topics of the current “tailgate” training sheets include 1) Ground Level Slips, Trips, and Falls, 2) Cattle Handling, and 3) Tractor Side-Overturn.

If you are willing to participate, the Coalition requests that farmers or managers conduct one training session with workers using the provided “tailgate” training sheet. Once the training session is complete, you are asked to fill out a very brief (5 question) evaluation form and mail it back to the Coalition. All material and postage paid/self-addressed return envelopes will be provided (to return the evaluation form).

If you are interested, please email Kate Brown kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu with the following information by October 1, 2021.

  • Farm Name
  • Mailing Address
  • Requested training sheet(s) [see topics 1, 2, and 3 above]

Your time and participation in this project would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

Vegetable IPM Update 09/15/21

Sweet Corn

Corn earworm (CEW) moth captures from both trap types remain at high levels!!.  Moth numbers have dropped across the state, but blacklight and pheromone traps still indicate the presence of a significant population.  It is likely that CEW catches will rise and fall with evening temperatures for the next several weeks.  Both trap types throughout the state are generally in agreement as to spray schedules (see below).  Check this publication weekly for CEW status.  The number of pheromone traps deployed is much lower, resulting in much broader color bands on the map.  It is also important to understand that pheromone traps are more sensitive than blacklight traps, and thresholds are adjusted to account for the higher catches typical of this trap type.  Silking  corn is at extreme risk of CEW infestation at this time.  On the blacklight map (left), green areas represent a 3-day silk spray schedule.  Blue and white areas on the blacklight map should be considered outliers, and disregarded at this time.  On the pheromone map (below right), red represents a 3 day spray schedule.  Green areas on the pheromone map should be disregarded at this time, as this is largely due to gaps in data collection.  Be sure to access information from this publication in the upcoming weeks to determine how frequently you should treat silking sweet corn to protect it from CEW infestation.

 

The highest nightly blacklight trap catches of CEW for the week ending 09/15/21 are as follows:

Georgetown   9 Princeton   5 South Branch   4
Bellemeade   8 Eldora   4 Allentown   3
Crosswicks   5 Hackettstown   4 Farmingdale   3
Matawan   5 New Egypt   4 Long Valley   3

 

The highest nightly pheromone trap catches of CEW for the week ending 09/15/21 are as follows:

Woodstown   87 Monroeville   59 Elm   19
Allamuchy   72 Jones Island   49 Snyder Farm (Hunterdon)   17
Tabernacle   60 Springdale   46 Matawan   13
Green Creek   59 Crosswicks   19 Beckett   12

Silking Spray Schedules*:
South – 3 days

Central –  3 days

North – 3 days

*These recommendations are based on regional catches.  Adhere to tighter spray schedules if indicated by local trap catches.  Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn, or for fall armyworm (FAW) management at any stage.  Control with these materials is very inconsistent.  Utilize materials in IRAC groups 5 and 28, or combination products that include IRAC group 28 for best control.  See the Sweet Corn section of the 2020-21 Commercial Vegetable Production Guide for selections.

 

Cole Crops

Fall plantings of cole crops are well underway at this time, and are frequently infested by imported cabbageworm (ICW) and diamondback moth (DBM) larvae.  At this time, cabbage looper (CL-photo at left) and cross striped cabbage worm (CSCW-photo at right) are also causing injury to these crops, with CSCW becoming more common.

Check 5 consecutive plants each in 10 random locations throughout the planting.  Consider treating if caterpillars are found on 10% or more plants that are in the 0-9 true leaf stage.  From 9-leaf to the early head stage (in broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage) infestations up to 20% may be tolerated.  Once heads begin to form, a 5% threshold should be observed to protect the marketable portion of the plant.  For leafy greens such as collards and kale, 10% plants infested is the threshold throughout.

Some populations of DBM are resistant to carbamate and synthetic pyrethroid insecticides.  The lack of DBM control with these insecticides has been noted in NJ previously.  It is important to distinguish between common cole crop pests for this reason.  DBM larvae grow to a length of approximately 0.5”, and taper toward both ends (see photo at right).  These caterpillars thrash violently when disturbed.  Newer chemistries that specifically target caterpillar pests are effective against DBM as well as all other caterpillar pests of cole crops, including beet armyworm (BAW-see photo at left), another species with exhibiting pyrethroid resistance.  These materials include (active ingredient – trade name (IRAC* code)):

Spinosad/Spinetoram – Entrust(OMRI)/ Radiant (5)

Chlorantraniliprole – Coragen (28)

Cyantraniliprole – Exirel (28)

Peppers

Pepper weevil

Weevils have expanded across the fields at two farms in East Vineland.  No other farms are infested as far as known.  Now in the middle of September, our concern for pepper weevils is nearly over.  Only those farmers who want to continue harvesting peppers for as long as possible will have any concern for the weevil.  The weevil’s life cycle will take longer to complete with the advent of cooler temperatures, however, the weevil is surprisingly hardy surviving light frosts.

A new fact sheet is now available for anyone interested in monitoring for pepper weevils on their own:  FS1330: Monitoring and Management of Pepper Weevil in New Jersey (Rutgers NJAES).

Beet armyworm (BAW) captures are fairly low in southern NJ pheromone traps.  However, BAW larvae were recently discovered causing serious damage to a field of sugar beets near East Vineland (see photo at right).   This pest can attack peppers, and growers and scouts should check for the presence of heavily damaged leaves near terminal growth on pepper plants.  BAW larvae will be found in the area of damage.  As yet, no injury to peppers has been reported.

The highest nightly pheromone trap catches of BAW for the week ending 09/15/21 are as follows:

East Vineland   6 Folsom   1
Woodstown   2 Jones Island   1

Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) has been found, and should be considered active in all parts of the state on cucumbers and pumpkins.  For regional information on this important disease, see the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Forecast webpage:  http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/.    This forecast has  NJ at low risk of further infection as a result of new transport events through Tuesday 9/14.    It is advisable that all growers treat preventively for CDM on all potential host crops. CDM symptoms on the upper leaf surface include yellow areas that rapidly turn necrotic (photo at far left).  Signs of dark sporulation on the lower leaf surface may be found in close association with leaf veins (photo at near left).

For a list of effective materials and fungicide rotations, see the Pumpkin/Winter Squash section of the 2020-21 Commercial Veg. Recs.

 

Recent wet weather has resulted in increased incidence of Plectosporium blight on pumpkins and winter squash.  This fungal disease causes stems and petioles to develop dry, white lesions that coalesce, causing stems to become brittle (photo at far right).  Fruit may also be affected (photo at near right).  Protectant fungicides should be used with EVERY fungicide application.  Materials in FRAC grp. 11 may also be of some use against Plectosporium blight.  See the Pumpkin/Winter Squash section of the 2020-21 Commercial Veg. Recs. for a list of useful materials.

Unfortunately, recent extreme rain events have caused flare-ups of Phytophthora fruit rot (see photo at left), with significant crop loss occurring in a number of fields.  There is no effective form of chemical control for this disease at this stage.  Growers are now beginning to remove fruit from fields. Avoid harvesting fruit in and near areas showing obvious signs of Phytophthora.   Fruit that may appear solid in the field can develop rot while in bins, resulting in more damaged fruit.

 

Melon aphid (see photo at left) populations may be present in pumpkin and winter squash fields.  This aphid builds to heavy populations that result in the deposition of sticky droppings on the surface of fruit (see photo at right).  If melon aphids appear in more than one sample site in a 10 site sample, consider treating to minimize the appearance of droppings.  Insecticides effective at managing this pest are found in the Pumpkin and Winter Squash section of the Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.

 

 

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)

BMSB blacklight trap catches have remained low this past week, and no map will appear in this addition.

 

Fruit IPM for 9/15/21

Blueberries:

Putnam Scale: As of the past week, scale crawlers have tailed off. For all practical purposes, treatments for the second generation are done.

Sharpnosed Leafhopper (SNLH): We are calling the second generation trap peak occurring over the last week to 10 days. Therefore it is time to treat this generation if you have not already done so. Use any of the sucking insect materials listed in the 2021 Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations For New Jersey. Suggested materials include Diazinon, Imidan and any neonicotinoid such as Assail, Actara and Admire. Pyrethroids are also labeled, but are slightly less effective.

Late Season Scale Crawlers and Sharpnosed Leafhopper Adults per Trap
  Week Ending Scale SNLH AC SNLH (BC)
Avg 8/21 1.3
High 8/21 4.0
Avg 8/28 70.16 0.22 0.28
High 8/28 181 3.0 2.0
Avg 9/4 18.42 3 1.5
High 9/4 64 18.0 3.0
Avg 9/11 4.14 2.8 1.5
High 9/11 12.0 14.0 2.0

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African Swine Fever Q&A with USDA this week

African Swine Fever Action Week

“Every day the week of September 13-17, from 2:00 pm – 3:00pm EDT, APHIS will host a webinar on a different ASF topic. These webinars will also be recorded. The webinars will be as follows:

  • Monday, September 13: African Swine Fever: Where it Exists and What’s at Stake
  • Tuesday, September 14: Steps APHIS is Taking to Prevent and Prepare for ASF
  • Wednesday, September 15: ASF and the Benefits of Biosecurity
  • Thursday, September 16: What to Expect in an ASF Outbreak
  • Friday, September 17: ASF and the Feral Swine Factor”

Interested producers can register at

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/swine-disease-information/african-swine-fever/seminar/asf-action-week