Archives for April 2022

April 7, 2022

April is National Sexual Harassment Awareness Month – Farm Workers at Risk

From MorningAgClips.com posting (4/7/22) <https://www.morningagclips.com/free-training-tools-available-to-address-sexual-harassment-of-farmworkers/> from 4/5/22 press release from Equitable Food Initiative <https://equitablefood.org/latest-news/free-training-tools-available-to-address-sexual-harassment-of-farmworkers/>

Free training tools available to address sexual harassment of farmworkers

Equitable Food Initiative supports awareness initiatives during Harassment Prevention Month

WASHINGTON — Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, has collaborated with Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH), a part of the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, to support the development of a worksite training and toolkit, ¡Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment in Agriculture.

April is National Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention Month, and EFI is using the time to shine a light on this important topic. Several studies have found that 75%-80% of female farmworkers have experienced sexual harassment at work, compared to 50% in non-agricultural office settings as reported by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EFI website offers statistics, facts and study citations on harassment at work, links to access the ¡Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment toolkit, which features videos in both English and Spanish, and educational materials that can be used in workplaces (posters, shareable graphics and a detailed fact sheet). The information and resources can be found at equitablefood.org/harassment, and all are provided free of charge.

“Development of the ¡Basta! toolkit was catalyzed by female farmworkers in Eastern Washington who brought the issue of sexual harassment to PNASH,” explained Dr. Jody Early, a professor at University of Washington who worked on the project. “This is the first program created by and for agricultural stakeholders to address the prevention of sexual harassment, and we tailored it to the needs of Latino/a/x farmworkers, growers and supervisors.”

The PNASH team worked for six years and engaged more than 48 different stakeholders in the development – including farmworkers, grower associations, health care advocates, human rights organizations, state and federal agencies, farmworker rights groups, private businesses and nonprofits like Equitable Food Initiative.

“This can be a difficult topic, but it’s essential that we address it industrywide,” said LeAnne Ruzzamenti, director of marketing communications for EFI. “We know that harassment happens more frequently among farmworkers, we know that it goes unreported, and we know that agriculture workplaces include characteristics that make women more vulnerable to it.”

EFI’s certification program goes beyond a simple audit and introduces workforce development solutions along with training in communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving and collaboration. Third-party evaluation studies have found that the program fosters culture shifts on farms that result in respectful and trusting workplaces where women and indigenous workers report reduced harassment and discrimination.

“EFI’s mission is to improve the lives of farmworkers by bringing everyone in the system together to address the fresh produce industry’s most pressing problems,” Ruzzamenti continued. “I can’t think of a more important goal than creating safer and healthier workplaces through a zero-tolerance approach to harassment.”

About EFI
Equitable Food Initiative is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured® fruits and vegetables. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit equitablefood.org.

View a list of EFI-certified farms at equitablefood.org/farms.

–Equitable Food Initiative

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , ,
April 5, 2022

Insect Management Options Following the Loss of Chlorpyrifos

This article was written by Ocean Spray, Lindsay Wells-Hansen (Sr. Agricultural Scientist) and Dave Jones (Agricultural Scientist), who were kind enough to share the information with all New Jersey growers. Independent growers should consult their handlers for PHI restrictions and any other limitations before making purchases or applications.

Beginning in 2022, the use of chlorpyrifos (e.g., Lorsban) is no longer allowed in any capacity for either EU or non-EU Qualified fruit. This includes existing stock – NO chlorpyrifos may be used going forward, even if a grower has already acquired the material in a previous season. While the loss of this broad-spectrum material is a challenge, we have several efficacious materials that can be used as a chlorpyrifos replacement for pre-bloom insect control. The list below includes some of these materials and highlights which insect pests can be targeted with each insecticide. We’ll focus on pre-bloom management of two pest groups: (1) Lepidoptera pests (Leps) which are caterpillar species including Sparganothis, fireworm species, spanworms, cutworms, etc. and (2) blunt-nosed leafhoppers (BNLH).

  • Acephate (e.g., Orthene). This material will control both BNLH and Leps. There is historical concern among some growers that acephate used prior to bloom deters pollinator activity and reduces yield. This was investigated by the WI Ag Science team in 1990/1991 and again in 2020/2021 and no significant relationship between pre-bloom acephate and pollinator activity/yield was ever observed.
  • Spinetoram (e.g., Delegate). Spinetoram is a strong material for managing Leps but is NOT effective for controlling BNLH. This material is a valuable rotational material because it is specific in its efficacy, thus preserving beneficial insects.
  • Sulfoxaflor (e.g., Closer). This material is ONLY useful for the control of BNLH. It will NOT work against Leps, but it can be applied in conjunction with a lep-specific chemistry (like Delegate) if control of both pest groups is needed at the same time.
  • Fenpropathrin (e.g., Danitol). Currently ONLY available for use on non-EU Qualified fruit. This pyrethroid insecticide is relatively new to the industry. The pyrethroid class is relatively broad-spectrum and should provide control of both BNLH and Leps.
  • Indoxacarb (e.g., Avaunt). This material should work well on most Leps, but there is some evidence that it provides moderate to poor efficacy against Sparganothis. Its efficacy against BNLH is unknown, but it is not listed as a strong material for leafhoppers in other crops.
  • Methoxyfenozide (e.g., Intrepid), Tebufenozide (e.g., Confirm), and Novaluron (e.g., Rimon). These three materials are insect growth regulators (IGR’s) that ONLY target Leps. None of these materials will provide control of BNLH. Intrepid and Confirm are both minimally toxic to bees and can be applied during bloom, but Rimon should NOT be applied during or immediately prior to the bloom window.
  • Cyclaniliprole (e.g., Verdepryn). Currently ONLY available for use on non-EU Qualified fruit. Verdepryn is another relatively new material to the industry. It is a diamide, which is the same class of insecticide as Altacor and Exirel. The diamides generally provide strong control of Leps. The efficacy of Verdepryn against BNLH is not currently known.
  • Bifenthrin (e.g., Fanfare/Capture). This pyrethroid insecticide is newly available to the cranberry industry in 2022. A 120-day PHI restriction has been placed on the material for EU-Qualified fruit this year. The PHI restriction for non-EU Qualified Fruit is 45 days. This material is also restricted to a single application per season. It will provide control of both BNLH and Leps.

Growers are reminded that the 2022 OSC Code Book should be consulted prior to the application of ANY of these materials. Application timing is particularly critical with the softer chemistries on this list; weekly scouting must be incorporated in order to deploy them effectively. Many of these materials are hard on bees – always consult the label for bee health hazards prior to application.

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
April 5, 2022

South Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting – II

When: April 12 (Tuesday) @ 4 – 7 pm

Where: Summit City Orchards: 500 University Blvd. Glassboro, NJ 08028

Approved Pesticide credits: 1A, PP2, 10 (5 credits each)

Schedule

Field visit (in a bus) to a peach block. Field Demonstration and discussion on different rootstocks (Daniel Ward and Lewis DeEugenio), Comments on Orchard Soil Fumigation (Lewis DeEugenio), Observations of bud development in different peach varieties during frost nights (Hemant Gohil), and Field Observations from the IPM Program (Dave Schmitt).

Return to above address in the bus. Light fare will be served.

Indoor presentations: Fundamentals of Tree Fruit Nutrition and Orchard Soil Fertility (Joseph Heckman), Organic Weed Management in the Orchard (Thierry Besancon), Insect-pests Updates in Orchards (Anne Nielsen), Updates on Early Season Disease Control (Norman Lalancette), Coming Changes in the Structure of Fruit IPM Programming (Dean Polk)

7:00 pm  Pesticide re-certification credits application and Adjourn

Light fare will be provided. Please call Joan Medany jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or call 856-224-8030 if you are planning to attend. If an additional assistance is needed, please contact Hemant Gohil (Program Organizer) at 856-224-8029 prior to the meeting.

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape
April 4, 2022

Allium leaf miner update: 04/05/22

Allium Leaf Miner (ALM)

Allium leaf minerAllium leaf miner (ALM) feeding/egg laying scars have been detected in Cape May County as of 4/3/22 (see photo at left).  It is likely that this pest is active, and depositing eggs in alliums throughout south Jersey at this time.  Many weather stations in southern and central counties  exceeded 250 growing degree days (GDD) base 39˚F over a week ago, with northern counties surpassing this threshold more recently.  39˚F is close to the lower developmental temperature (38.3˚ F) which our colleagues at Penn State recommend for predicting the first emergence of ALM adults.  Last year, initial feeding/egg laying scars were detected within a few days of local weather stations recording the 250 GDD threshold.

Growers should consider initiating the control method of their choice at this time.  Affected crops include chives, scallions, garlic, onions and leeks.  Look for neat rows of white spots descending from the upper tips of allium leaves.  Initial injury often occurs on the tallest leaves.  Under warmer, less breezy conditions, adults may be seen near the tips of leaves (see photo of adult at lower right).

Floating row covers, kept on until this flight ends will help minimize access to plants.  Insecticide applications targeting adults may be helpful as well, although frequency of applications is uncertain.  Spinosyn materials (Radiant, Entrust (OMRI approved)), pyrethroids (Mustang Maxx, Adult allium leaf minerWarrior), neonicotinoids (Scorpion, Venom), the diamide Exirel (section 2ee recommendation) and the insect growth regulator Trigard are labeled for miner control.

Adult activity and observations of feeding will be reported on in the IPM Update as they occur.  At this time, all growers should prepare to respond to the first adult generation.  We will deploy yellow sticky cards and attempt to identify the end of the first flight so that growers know when the risk of infestation has abated.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
April 2, 2022

Crop progress report. April showers needed

The U.S. Drought monitor release March 31, 2022 for the period ending March 29, 2022 had all of NJ experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and all of south Jersey experiencing moderate drought conditions.

New Jersey Year to Date Precipitation Departures as determined by NOAA indicates year to date mean aerial precipitation for south Jersey of 7.5 to 9.1 inches as of April 1, is about 2 inches below normal for this time of year. https://www.weather.gov/marfc/NJPrecipitationYTD

Follow this link to review moisture conditions in mid-April last year and pre herbicide considerations.  https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/soybeans-planted-already-weather-and-pre-herbicide-considerations/

Follow this link to review recommended spray tank ingredients to combat difficult to control weeds before they germinate or before they are more than a few inches tall. https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/a-spray-tanks-last-check-list-visual-aide-for-corn-and-soybean-weed-management/

 

Map released: Thurs. March 31, 2022
Data valid: March 29, 2022 at 8 a.m. EDT

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NJ

The U.S. Drought monitor map March 29, 2022

 

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Uncategorized
April 2, 2022

The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report

April 8, tune in to this live stream 12:05 pm EDT on the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) prepared and released by the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB).

The WASDE report is released monthly, and provides annual forecasts for supply and use of U.S. and world commodities of interest to NJ producers like wheat, coarse grains, and oilseeds. The report also covers U.S. supply and use of sugar, meat, poultry eggs and milk.

“On April 8, the Secretary of Agriculture briefings on World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report and the Crop Production report will be livestreamed for the first time at 12:05 pm EDT on USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) youtube channel.

To watch, book mark this youtube channel link entitled Agricultural Statistics Board Briefing and take note of the commentary in the left hand tool bar. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm8HaeFw1A1h0onChnDCLkYgMSxEnpsOk

For more information about the WASDE process and data, visit the WASDE FAQs page.

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Vegetable Crops