Archives for August 2022

August 26, 2022

Your Input on Changes to the Next Farm Bill

House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill Review

“An integral part of the oversight and review process of the 2018 Farm Bill and further preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill is getting direct input from producers, stakeholders, and consumers on how various farm bill programs are working for them” – Click here to add your comments into the form posted on the House Agriculture Committee website with the option to answer the following questions:

  1. Which programs included in the 2018 Farm Bill do you think are performing well?
  2. Are there any new programs or ideas that you or the organization that you represent would like to see considered for the 2023 Farm Bill?
  3. Which programs included in the 2018 Farm Bill do you think could be improved upon or should be reconsidered?

Guidance on Farm Bill Sections.

“The farm bill refers to an authorization of mandatory and discretionary spending bills appropriated to provide assistance related to food and farms. It is a multi-year law that is primarily executed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and it governs a wide variety of agricultural and food programs” – Farm Bureau.org. Click here for a short summary and video on the history of the farm bill.

Title I, Commodity Programs. Under this authorization, USDA is reauthorized to provide and improve commodity and marketing loans, sugar, dairy and disaster programs. In addition to the links below for the farm bill overview, see the ERS link at https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-commodity-policy/title-i-crop-commodity-program-provisions-after-enactment-of-the-agriculture-improvement-act-of-2018/

Title II, Conservation. To read more about this title go to https://www.thefarmbill.com/title-2-other-conservation

or read more in https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IF11199.pdf

Title III, Trade. To read more about this title go to https://www.thefarmbill.com/title-3-trade-programs

Title IV, Nutrition. To read more about this title go to https://www.thefarmbill.com/title-4-snap

Use the same website to scroll through each of the remaining titles:
Title V, Credit
Title VI, Rural Development
Title VII, Research, Extension, and Related Matters
Title VIII, Forestry
Title IX, Energy
Title X, Horticulture
Title XI, Crop Insurance. To read more about this title you can also go to https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-commodity-policy/crop-insurance-program-provisions-title-xi/
Title XII, Miscellaneous

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops
August 26, 2022

Upcoming Sessions for Backyard Poultry Owners

August 31st. In person. Salem County Cooperative Extension Office. 51 Cheney Road. Woodstown, NJ. 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

The South Jersey Poultry Association invites small flock producers in South Jersey to their monthly meeting. Topics of discussion will be the ongoing HiPath Avian Influenza detections in wild birds in NJ and in wild birds and domestic flocks in neighboring states. Updating animal waste management plans and biosecurity plans to mitigate avian diseases, review of market costs and margins, price and availiability of pullets and related importation regulations will also be reviewed. To register, contact Melissa Bravo at melissa.bravo@njaes.rutgers.edu; or by phone at 856-340-6582. Past newsletters focusing on HiPath Avian Influenza will be available at the meeting.

 

September 26th webinar. 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Penn State University

Penn State Poultry Group. “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has recently been detected in a small poultry flock in Pennsylvania and California and wild birds in several states continue to test positive for HPAI. The Penn State Extension Poultry Team would like to invite you to attend the Why Small Poultry Flock Owners Need to Stay Vigilant with HPAI to Protect Their Flock. We will discuss HPAI, the current outbreak situation, signs of the disease, where to get help if you suspect sick birds, and biosecurity measures you can take to protect your flock”. To register go to: https://web.cvent.com/event/8578bdc3-89d1-472a-9286-bc5f3b50db9d/summary

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Uncategorized
August 24, 2022

Vegetable IPM Update 08/24/22

Sweet Corn

European corn borer (ECB) moth catches are largely unchanged; remaining at low levels throughout the state.    Only occasional feeding in sweet corn has been detected by field personnel.

The highest nightly trap catches of ECB for the week ending 08/24/22 are as follows:

Dayton   1 Matawan   1
East Vineland   1 New Egypt   1
Farmingdale   1 Pennington   1
Folsom   1 Princeton   1

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
August 24, 2022

REMINDER – Vegetable Research Plot Tour at RAREC Tonight

Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 4:30 pm (meet at the shelter near the parking lot)

Rutgers Agricultural Research & Extension Center

121 Northville Rd., Bridgeton, NJ (Upper Deerfield)

PESTICIDE CREDITS approved for this event:  

1A  (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)                     – 07
10  (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)      – 07
PP2  (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)   – 07

4:30 – Welcome and Intros – Rick VanVranken, Atlantic County Agricultural Agent

5:00 –  8:30 pm Tour of research plots and discussions with Rutgers Extension Specialists

Thierry Besancon, PhD, Extension Weed Specialist for Specialty Crops

  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Tomato.
  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Cucumber.
  • Crop Safety of Delayed Preemergence Herbicide Application for Cole Crops (Broccoli and Cabbage)

Andy Wyenandt, PhD,  Specialist in Vegetable Pathology

  • Bacterial Leaf Spot Development in Pepper and Tomato in NJ
  • Copper Resistance Development in Bacterial Leaf Spot
  • Basil Downy Mildew Breeding Program Update
  • Bell and Non-bell Phytophthora Tolerance Trials

Joe Ingerson-Mahar, PhD, Vegetable IPM Coordinator

  • Comparing the response of corn earworm to GMO and non-GMO sweet corn varieties and the resistance to BT corn

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, pesticide credits, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
August 23, 2022

2023 Farmer Grant Proposals from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Do you hGrapevinesave an idea you would like to try on your farm that is related to sustainable agriculture? Stephen Komar, Rutgers SARE Coordinator and Sussex County Agricultural Agent, would like to announce that Northeast SARE will open the website for 2023 applications for Farmer Grants on October 1st. Approximately $750,000 has been allocated to fund projects for this grant cycle. Individual awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration. Projects must be related to sustainable agriculture and results are to be shared through a final report to SARE along with some type of outreach by the farmer as part of the project. 

The online system for submitting proposals will open on Oct 1, 2022. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on November 15, 2022. Go to Northeast-SARE-Farmer-Grant-Call-for-Proposals.pdf for more information. 

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants provide the resources farmers need to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind. Northeast SARE funds projects in a wide variety of topics, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, climate-smart agriculture practices, urban and indigenous agriculture and more.

The goals of SARE Farmer Grants are to help farmers try new things that could improve their operations and to share that information with others. There are also some other restrictions for budget items. Funds can be used to conduct the research project including paying farmers for their time, for project-related materials, for project costs like consulting fees or soil tests, and any communications or outreach expenses associated with telling others about project results. This grant program is not meant to help start or expand farm businesses. Farmer Grant funds cannot be used for capital costs associated with building a barn, greenhouse, or other major farm fixture, nor can funds be used to start a farm, purchase durable equipment like tractors or computers, or for any utility, telephone, or other costs that would be there in the absence of the project.

Farmer and employee wages can be included in a Farmer Grant budget for work done specifically on the grant project. Applicants should include a reasonable wage for their work on a grant project. In New Jersey, the current adverse wage rate used for the H2-A farm worker program is currently $15.54 per hour and could help gauge wages for employees time on the project. For farmer/project manager) wages, the rate to use would be higher and could be based on the complexity of the tasks on the project. 

In addition, each project must include a technical advisor to assist with the project. Technical advisors can be anyone who is an agricultural service provider, such as your local cooperative extension agricultural agent, USDA personnel, an agricultural consultant, etc. In New Jersey and other states, SARE Coordinators are not eligible to be technical coordinators due to a conflict of interest of leadership in the program. Therefore, Agricultural Agents, Stephen Komar (Rutgers SARE Coordinator) and Michelle Infante-Casella (Rutgers SARE Assistant Coordinator) are not able to be technical advisors to grants. However, if you have questions about the grant process, they both can help answer questions or point farmers in the right direction to identify technical advisors. 

A SARE Farmer Grant informational webinar featuring Tommye Lou Rafes, who has received multiple SARE Farmer Grants, will take place at 12:00 p.m. on October 4, 2022. This webinar information will help farmers thinking of applying for a SARE grant to learn about the process and types of projects that fit this program. To register for the webinar go to northeast.sare.org/farmergrantwebinar

The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Like other SARE Grants, Farmer Grants are competitive and will be judged against other applicants in the region.

To learn more about SARE project in New Jersey see New Jersey State Fact Sheet (sare.org) 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
August 22, 2022

Feeding Nitrate Containing Forages

Whenever a summer drought limits forage production, nitrates can accumulate in plants. Adequate forages are essential for feeding ruminants and other herbivores. Forages provide an excellent source of nutrients, fiber for proper rumen function, and make use of renewable forage resources. Corn silage produced under drought conditions is often low in energy. Feeding drought-stressed forage high in nitrates is challenging, but with good management and some proper precautions can be successful.

Forage nitrate accumulation is most commonly seen in corn silage, but can occur in other plants as well.

Plants known to  Plants believed not to
accumulate nitrates accumulate nitrates
Corn/corn silage  Alfalfa
Johnson grass  Fescue
Ryegrass Orchardgrass
Small grains Timothy
Sorghum Bermuda grass
Sudangrass Native grasses
Some weeds (Pigweed)

Nitrates are most likely to accumulate when plants are stressed. This may coincide with high nitrate levels in the soil after release of nitrates from organic matter or manure, or as a result of heavy applications of fertilizer. During periods of drought plants will continue to take up nitrate, but moisture stress will reduce conversion of nitrate into protein in the plant. Anything that reduces the rate of plant photosynthesis or protein biosynthesis will result in greater nitrate accumulation; frost, low temperatures, cloudy weather, and herbicide applications can all result in greater plant nitrate accumulation.

Since moisture is required for nitrate uptake, the greatest nitrate accumulation during a drought will occur following rainfall. When this happens, forage should not be harvested at that time nor should animals be allowed graze. Concentrations of nitrates are generally highest in stalk tissues and lower in leaves and vegetative tissues. One strategy for management is to set forage harvesters to cut higher on the stalk so that higher nitrate material is not harvested.

Ruminant animals convert nitrate to nitrite and then to ammonia in the rumen and detoxify the nitrate. But, if nitrate levels are high enough, nitrite will accumulate in the rumen and be absorbed through the wall of the rumen into the blood supply. When this happens nitrite combines with hemoglobin in the blood and converts it to methemoglobin, which will carry little oxygen to the tissues. When methemoglobin reaches toxic levels death occurs due to oxygen deprivation.

Contact your veterinarian if you suspect nitrate toxicity. The only reliable method to determine if nitrates are a problem is to test the forage in question. Contact your local County Extension Agent or the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health for more information.

Pointers for Forages and Feeding Management when Nitrate is a Concern

1. Avoid the application of high amounts of nitrogen fertilizer or manure late in the season to avoid increased nitrate uptake and plant accumulation.

2. Harvest when nitrate accumulation decreases in plants, typically as plants mature.

3. When harvesting raise the cutter bar to avoid higher nitrate levels in the lower stalk (about 8-10 inches); the greatest level of nitrate accumulation is in the lower stalk.

4. Don’t allow animals to graze and don’t harvest forages following heavy rains. After a heavy rain is often the period of greatest nitrate uptake.

5. Pay attention to proper silage management, moisture content, packing, and length. Drought-damaged corn can be chopped at ¼ to ⅜ inch in length. The silo should be filled quickly and packed as tightly as possible in order to exclude oxygen.

6. Order of feeding priority: Silage > Hay > Grazing > Greenchop. Ensiling will destroy 40-60% of nitrates. Therefore, silage crops will have the lowest levels of nitrate due to bacterial destruction. Producing forage for dry hay does not destroy nitrates. Greenchop will be the most risky to feed. If nitrate levels are high enough, ensiling may be the only way to salvage the forage.

7. Never feed forage containing greater than 1.5% nitrate. Ruminants can be adapted to high nitrate levels by slowly increasing the level of nitrate containing forage in the diet. Animals can be fed forage containing <1.5% nitrate if slowly adapted and provided the forage is only a portion of the diet.

8. Mix with other feeds when feeding. Diluting with concentrates and nitrate-free forages can help accomplish this.

9. When grazing nitrate-containing forages, feed animals prior to turning out to graze to ensure dilution of nitrates.

10.  Fall freezing can cause increased nitrate uptake.

11.  Use of a silage inoculant during ensiling may increase the destruction of nitrate.

12. Supplement with Vitamin A. Previous research has shown that forage containing high levels of nitrate may be low in vitamin A or with reduced Vitamin A availability.

13. Test water supplies for nitrates.

14. Test forages whenever nitrate accumulation is likely due to drought.

Some of the information in this article was taken from Rutgers Cooperative Extension Bulletin E291 Nitrate Management.

For more information see:

Nitrate QuikTest for Rapid Detection of High Nitrate Levels in Forages

Progressive Cattleman: Nitrate Contamination in Cover Crops

 

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock