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

October 12, 2017

Food Safety Survey Looking for Responses from NJ Growers
A National Grower and Processor Needs Assessment currently underway is seeking additional input from the Northeast farmers and food processors who serve local markets. The Local Food Safety Collaborative aims to provide specialized training, education, and outreach. They are conducting a food safety survey until October 31, 2017 to help direct their resources to best enhance fundamental food safety knowledge and help small farmers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
How will this work benefit the Northeast? The overall results of this survey will be shared with the region but with enough local responses, specific information relative to the NE can be determined, including identified barriers to implementing food safety practices, such as types of material and training needs for growers and processors.
The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete, is available in English and Spanish, and participants can choose to enter a raffle to win 1 of 20 $100 gift cards.  Responses are anonymous and confidential. The survey can be found at www.localfoodsafety.org/survey.
The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) is an FDA-funded Regional Center (RC) hosted by University of Vermont Extension, led jointly with co-directors from Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania State University and The University of Maryland and in partnership with stakeholders from the Northeast Region.

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
September 15, 2017

NJ DEP Surveying Irrigation Water Certs & Logs

A call from a local farmer late last week indicated an NJ DEP inspector had stopped by to ‘survey’ water use and had asked to inspect his irrigation records. The call was to say, “Thank you!” for having given him earlier in the year an irrigation pump log sheet to use. He had made a couple of copies and given them to his irrigation manager who has been recording the hours pumped every day. The inspector was happy to see that. The farmer was happier. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
May 18, 2017

Cranberry Growers’ Twilight Meeting

Ray Samulis, Agricultural Agent, RCE-Burlington, invites all cranberry growers to the

2017 Cranberry Growers Twilight Meeting

Tom Budd’s Farm
Retreat Road
Vincentown, NJ

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Tom has graciously offered a BBQ dinner you won’t want to miss beginning at 5:30 P.M., to be topped off with some special ice cream from his friend in Wisconsin. DO NOT EAT DINNER BEFORE COMING!

Agenda

5:30-6:00 p.m. BBQ dinner

6:00-6:45 p.m. Tour of the Farm

6:45-7:15 p.m. “Choosing Recommended Insecticides for Cranberry Insects”
– Dr. Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Extension Specialist, Entomology

7:15-7:45 p.m. “Applying the Proper Fungicide for Root Rot”
– Dr. Peter Oudemans, Professor Blueberry/Cranberry Pathology

7:45-8:00 p.m. Local Forestry Update
– Sam Moore

8:00-8:15 p.m. “Herbicide for Use in Cranberry Bogs”
– Dr. Thierry Besancon, Extension Weed Specialist

8:15-8:45 p.m. “WPS Regulations Update and Pesticide Safety Training for Workers”
– Patricia Hastings, Program Associate Pesticide Management Office

8:45-9:00 p.m. Certification, Water Regulations and Program Wrap-Up
– Ray Samulis, County Agriculture Agent

Pesticide credits will be issued at the conclusion of the meeting.

Filed Under: Cranberry
April 13, 2017

East Vineland Vegetable Twilight Tuesday 4/25

Our annual Vegetable Integrated Crop Management Twilight Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the East Vineland Fire Hall, on Landis Ave. across from the Savoy Restaurant (use 4931 Landis Ave, Vineland, NJ 08360 for your GPS, and please park behind the building to enter conference room door in rear).

Agenda

6:00 pm   Getting the Most Out of Your Plant & Pest Advisory Subscription & Other Online Resources
–    Rick VanVranken, RCE Atlantic
6:15 pm   Worker Protection Standards – New Rules in Place
–    Patricia Hastings, Rutgers Pesticide Safety Educ Program Coordinator
6:45 pm    Ultra-niche Crop Program Update & Resources
–    Jenny Carleo, RCE Cape May
7:00 pm   Resistance Management – Tackling Palmer Amaranth & Other Tough Weeds
–    Dr. Thierry Besancon, RCE Specialty Crop Weed Specialist
7:30 pm   Food Safety Modernization Act – Where do we Stand on the Produce Rule
–    Dr. Wes Kline, RCE Cumberland
8:00 pm   Vegetable Disease Control Options for Spring Crops
–    Dr. Andy Wyenandt, RCE Vegetable Plant Pathologist
8:30 pm   Vegetable Insect Pest Update
–    Dr. Joe Mahar, Vegetable IPM Coordinator
9:00 pm   Adjourn

Pesticide Recertification Credits have been requested for this meeting.
Hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
April 11, 2017

Checking Your Pesticide Recertification Credits and Course History

Roberta Lang is the Ag Resource Specialist at the NJ Dept of Agriculture who arranges the pesticide container recycling program. She reports there was a request at the Hammonton collection last Friday to provide the link to DEP’s pesticide control program where applicators can check the status of their credits and the courses that have been taken. I’ve also had recent calls from growers requesting this and it takes some searching to find it. Below are the instructions Roberta sent. You might want to bookmark whichever site below gets to the information you need most directly.

To review course history:

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
April 4, 2017

No Need for Hysteria Over Reports of Listeria in Romaine Lettuce

A press release from Purdue University last week was titled Study reveals listeria bacteria can hide inside tissue of romaine lettuce – Common sanitization practices may not be sufficient in killing bacteria. Assistant Professor of Food Science Amanda Deering’s research revealed “that the bacteria could live within lettuce in every stage of the plant growth process, residing inside the plant tissue” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,