Archives for March 2024

March 7, 2024

Free webinar: Tools for Weed Identification and Management – March 14

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County will host a free, virtual presentation for farmers:

Tools for Weed Identification and Management

Thursday, March 14, 2024

6:00 to 7:00 p.m

The presenter will be Thierry E. Besançon, PhD, Associate Professor and Extension Weed Science Specialist for Specialty Crops, Rutgers University, Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension.

The informational talk, geared to local farmers, will review some of the available tools (books, apps, etc.) for helping with identification of weeds, cover nonchemical and chemical strategies for controlling weeds, and talk about what the future of weed management looks like.

Advanced registration for this presentation is required. To register, go to: https://go.rutgers.edu/xsvkelyg. You will receive the zoom meeting invitation with your registration confirmation.

For more information, please call 609-465-5115, ext. 3615 or email capemayag@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
March 7, 2024 and

USDA just released the new Harmonized GAP Standard and Harmonized Plus+ Standard Audits.

The standards go into effect May 1, 2024.

There are several changes related to section numbers and deleted numbers so if you have your audit plan setup by section number check to make sure they have not changed. Also, eight questions have been added.

Following is a summary of those questions:

  • G 2.4 – Approved service provider list required (the grower approves the list)
  • G 7.2 – A designated recall team is required
  • G 7.3 – Must perform a mock recall exercise annually
  • G 11.5 – Must have labels and instructions for any water treatment chemical used
  • G 11.8 – Compressed air or other gases contacting food or food contact surfaces must be maintained
  • F 6.3 – Must have a procedure for storing and handling growing media (e.g., perlite, peat, rock wool, etc.)
  • F 9.4 – Re-used water must be treated with a labeled product
  • P 5.2 – A master cleaning schedule with standard operating procedures (SOP) must be established ·

There are two documents for each audit: Harmonized GAP Standard (v 3.0) or Harmonized GAP Plus+ standard (v 5.0). Each also have a summary of changes document will be help finding the changes.

Go to:  Harmonized GAP | Agricultural Marketing Service (usda.gov) to download a copy of each standard.

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
March 6, 2024

Take a quick survey to help with Field Equipment Sanitation Research!

In a Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant designed to guide future solution and resources centered around field equipment sanitation, collaborative team comprising pathologists, weed scientists, agronomists, and experts in agricultural equipment sanitation has crafted a questionnaire. This questionnaire is designed to gather growers’ input on their current practices and determine the necessity for implementing new ones.

The research will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with field equipment sanitation and work toward developing solutions that are effective, implementable and sustainable.

To introduce the survey and forthcoming research effort, Dr. Matt Grieshop, lead PI on this project indicates that “We are a group of agricultural research and extension professionals from across the United States that are curious about grower and agricultural professional perceptions about the importance of field equipment sanitation to mitigate the spread of organisms that pose human health, weed, plant pathogen or other risks.

Agricultural field equipment includes tillage implements, tractors, harvesters, cultivation equipment, trucks, trailers, sprayers, mowers, or any other piece of equipment that is shared across fields.

This information will be solely used to help frame future research questions and outreach activities.  It will not be published or distributed in any form. Answering should take 5 minutes or less and is completely voluntary and anonymous.

Your participation is invaluable to future developments in the industry regarding food safety and equipment sanitation. We need more inputs from New Jersey specialty crops growers so that they have a say on the direction that field equipment sanitation research will take in the future!

To contribute, visit here or scan the QR code below.


If you have questions, comments or concerns contact Dr. Matt Grieshop at mgriesho@calpoly.edu or Dr. Thierry Besancon at thierry.besancon@rutgers.edu.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , ,
March 1, 2024

Advanced Audit Training – March 5th 9am-12 pm EST

This certificate online class is our last food safety program of the season, so if your auditors or buyers are requiring you to take food safety training and you have not done so for the 2024 season this is the class for you.

What you will learn:

  1. How to Verify that Your Cleaning and Sanitizing Programs are Effective
  2. What are Hazards and What are Risks
  3. What the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is Seeing on Audits and How You Can Prepare
  4. Growers Experience with Audits, a round table discussion

If you have any questions, contact Jenn Matthews at (609) 675-4221

Deadline to Register is March 4, 2024

Register Here

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops