Governor Signs Permit Extension Act: NJDEP Water Certifications Extended 1 Year

Commercial irrigation of a field

Governor Murphy signed The Permit Extension Act (A3919/S2346) this week, which extends certain permits during the COVID-19 emergency. Agricultural Certifications issued by the DEP are included in this extension, so any Agricultural Certification which expired on or after March 9, 2020 will be extended.

Any complete new, renewal or modification application already submitted to the DEP will continue to be reviewed and issued for the full five-year term.

Any Certification holder who received the first renewal reminder which contained the pre-filled application form does not need to do anything at this time. The DEP will forward you a new pre-filled application once the extension period is over.

“COVID-19 extension period” means the period beginning March 9, 2020 and continuing for as long as a public health emergency, pursuant to the “Emergency Health Powers Act,” P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.), or a state of emergency, pursuant to P.L.1942, c. 251 (C.App.A.9-33 et seq.), or both, that has been declared by the Governor in response to COVID-19, is in effect.

Please be advised that annual water diversion reports were required to be submitted to the DEP by February 28, 2020 and are not extended due to the passage of this Bill. The DEP is issuing reminders to those who failed to submit this information in accordance with their Certification. Continue to log diversion amounts and submit your reports in accordance with the deadlines in your Certification.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is working very closely with the DEP’s Bureau of Water Allocation & Well Permitting to resolve any ongoing issues and concerns. The Bureau is aware that many renewal applications are awaiting the Ag Agent review and signature. With the extension act, these renewal applications are being extended as mentioned above.

Some RCE Offices remain closed or with minimal access at this time. Call your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office for specific information. In addition, during the month of July, staff in the NJ Department of Agriculture and the NJ DEP personnel are furloughed, and response times will be slowed, so please be patient during these challenging times.

Update on NJ MVC Openings: Date Changed to July 7th for Most Services

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced on Friday most in-person transactions scheduled to start on June 29 will be delayed until July 7, while the text notification system undergoes final testing.

• Vehicle Centers and Licensing Centers will open to the public Tuesday, July 7 (this is a change from the previous date of 6/29/20). Dealer drop-offs, driving school drop-offs, and license plate surrenders were available starting June 15.

• Road testing will re-started on June 29. If your road test appointment was canceled during the COVID emergency, you should have received a letter from MVC to reschedule. Otherwise, make an appointment via the website (available soon) .

• Inspections will re-start on June 29.

• Many transactions can now be conducted online. Check the NJMVC online services page to see if you can “Skip the Trip” to the agency.

• Some NJMVC agency locations are now designated as Licensing Centers and some as Vehicle Centers. This means certain transactions can only be conducted at certain agencies. Licensing centers offer license and ID transactions as well as driver testing. Vehicle Centers offer registration, title, and license plate transactions. Check out this guide to determine which agency you should visit to conduct your transaction.

• While at the agency location, you may need to text and be brought into the facility with a text alert while waiting outside in your vehicle.

• If you do plan on visiting an agency, please remember to bring a face covering. All customers are required to wear face coverings when visiting an agency.

Most licenses, IDs, registrations, and other documents scheduled to expire after March 13 have been extended to July 31 or later (more info at NJMVC.gov).

Starting July 7, designated Licensing Centers will be processing new licenses and permits, out-of-state transfers, and REAL ID for those whose appointments were canceled.

Starting July 7, designated Vehicle Centers will be adding individual registration and title transactions.

Transactions that can be done online will not be available in person until further notice.

The Commission continues to urge customers to use NJMVC.gov to renew or replace licenses, renew or replace registrations, or change their address.

For Farm Vehicle Certificates call your local county Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office. Check with your local county Rutgers Cooperative Extension office to see if walk-in clients are being accepted, as status of offices differs throughout the state. Prior to receiving your certificate, an annual application form must be submitted. To save time you can print the 2020 application form yourself and mail into your county office. Please call your County Agricultural Agent for more information.

Free Webinar: Agricultural Health and Safety Course for Medical and Safety Professionals

This information is being provided in the Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory newsletter to get the word out about free training for medical and safety professionals in your communities. With less and less people in our communities understanding the agricultural industry, this training can be helpful in responding to agricultural emergencies. Please help get the word out to your county and local emergency management and health officials who may wish to participate. However, everyone is welcome to attend and register.

A nationwide, no-cost online webinar starting July 14-17, 2020 is being hosted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Registration is required and continuing education credits will be offered for physicians, nurses and EMS personnel. Registration is due July 7, 2020.

The Agricultural Health and Safety Course for Medical and Safety Professionals is designed to examine key health and safety issues specific to rural and agricultural workers. Experts will present course material relevant to those working in health care, public health, education, and safety professions.

This course is intended for professionals who work with or have an interest in agricultural health and safety including physicians, nurses, emergency medical responders, physician assistants, health educators, advanced practice nurses, Ag extension, migrant health clinicians, physical therapists, insurance specialists, veterinarians, safety professionals, and students.

This course is going to be provided via Zoom and supplemented with online modules.
•Session A: Agricultural Health — July 14-15, 2020
•Session B: Agricultural Safety and Prevention — July 16-17, 2020
•Session C: Special Topics — Online modules will be available starting July 14, 2020

Course Objectives:

At the completion of the course, the participant should be better able to:
1.  Evaluate the core elements of agricultural medicine
2.  Integrate the anticipation, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of occupational and environmental illnesses and injuries within rural and agricultural communities
3.  Qualify to become an AgriSafe Provider in order to develop sustainable agricultural occupational health and safety delivery programs within their regions

Even if this program saves one life, it will be worth attending.
Agriculture Organization logos

Small Business Administration Continues to Accept New EIDL Applications on June 15th

In continued response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners – including agricultural businesses, in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are able to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. This advance is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This loan advance will not have to be repaid. Recipients do not have to be approved for a loan in order to receive the advance, but the amount of the loan advance will be deducted from total loan eligibility. SBA will begin accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance applications starting on June 15 to qualified small businesses and U.S. agricultural businesses.

Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will process these applications without the need for re-applying.
Eligible small businesses and agricultural businesses may apply for the Loan Advance here.

For more information see the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) website.

NJ Motor Vehicle Commission Announces Plans to Reopen in Stages Starting June 29th to Limited In-Person Transactions

The State of New Jersey announced on Friday 6/5/20, plans for a phased reopening of MVC facilities to the publicTruck hauling sod following closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening will proceed in a way that safeguards public health and safety, bringing many changes and improved efficiencies to Commission operations.

MVC workspaces have been extensively overhauled during the COVID-19 closure to add Plexiglas barriers and other social distancing measures. MVC employees are returning to the agencies prior to the public openings, for health & safety briefings, hardware and software reboots, and training on new protocols.

Going forward, everyone who enters the MVC agency will be required to wear a face covering. That includes customers as well as employees. If a customer cannot wear a face covering, MVC will make other arrangements for their transaction.

In order to limit crowds and speed services during the phased reopening, some agencies have been designated as Licensing Centers and some as Vehicle Centers. Lists of Licensing Centers and Vehicle Centers, as well as information on transactions, will be posted soon at NJMVC.gov.

Drop-off and pick-up transactions will be processed starting June 15, but only the following:
• At designated Licensing Centers, MVC will be processing and validating permits from driving schools and high schools on a drop-off basis.
• At designated Vehicle Centers, MVC will be processing registration and title work from dealers. License plates can also be surrendered by drop-off at these agencies in a designated area.

MVC will also be processing registration/title transfers for private sales by a new combination online and mail-in procedure. Customers will be able to sign up for this option at NJMVC.gov. More detail will be provided in the next few days.

These activities will clear a three-month backlog from our March 15 closure:

  • Road tests and the issuing of new licenses and permits are tentatively expected to start on June 29 (subject to change), with some additional transactions like out-of-state transfers and private sales registrations, but still on a limited basis to prevent crowding.
  • The Commission has tripled road-testing capacity, adding 11 courses and reassigning over 100 Safety Specialists to serve as road test examiners for 30 to 60 days. This takes MVC from an average of 5,800 road tests per week to about 16,300. MVC expects the backlog to be cleared by the end of the 60 days.
    Those whose road tests were canceled during the shut-down will be contacted by MVC and provided a secure link to get the first appointments.
  • At designated Licensing Centers starting June 29 (tentative), MVC will be processing new licenses and permits, out-of-state transfers, and REAL ID for those whose appointments were canceled.

At designated Vehicle Centers starting June 29 (tentative), MVC will be adding individual registration and title transactions.

Transactions with NJMVC that can be done online will not be available in person at this time.

NOTE EXTENSIONS ARE STILL APPLICABLE: All driver licenses, non-driver IDs, vehicle registrations, inspection stickers, and temporary tags expiring before May 31 have been extended to July 31. Documents expiring in June or July are extended by two months. Most renewals, replacements, changes of address, and other transactions can be processed online at NJMVC.gov.

To obtain a farm vehicle certificate, contact your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office in your home county. Most RCE county offices do not allow public access currently for face-to-face interaction. However, they may have other means of providing you a certificate. For more information on farm vehicle regulations with NJMVC and farm vehicle certificates see the NJFB New Jersey Motor Vehicle Regulations for Farm Vehicles and Equipment.

Recorded Sessions Available: May 2020 “On-Farm Direct Marketing” Weekly Webinar Series

A weekly “On-Farm Direct Marketing” webinar series was hosted in May 2020, by Agricultural Sign for Covid directionsAgents Michelle Infante-Casella, Meredith Melendez, William Bamka, Stephen Komar and Wesley Kline to educate famers selling directly to the public about changes occurring to the industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Four sessions in May were presented with the last session being a farmer panel discussion about changes on farms forced due to the pandemic. Farmers included Tracy Duffield – Duffield’s Farm Market, Dave Specca – Specca You-Pick Farm, and Jess Niederer – Chickadee Creek Organic Farm. In May, 145 participants attended this online series, offered on Tuesday Evenings from 7:00-8:00 PM. All sessions were recorded and are available to view online. The topics included the following:

Session 1: Maintaining Social Distancing and Food Safety Handling: Guidance for Farm Markets. Recording found at: https://go.rutgers.edu/pqalghh7 – Wesley Kline, Ag Agent, RCE of Cumberland Co. and Meredith Melendez, Ag Agent, RCE of Mercer Co.

Session 2: Meeting Customer Demands for New Jersey Agricultural Products in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Recording found at: https://go.rutgers.edu/8u8r4qb8 – William Bamka, Ag Agent, RCE of Burlington Co. and Stephen Komar, RCE of Sussex County

Session 3: U-Pick Best Management Practices During COVID-10 and Executive Order Compliance. Recording found at: https://go.rutgers.edu/dy026twh  – Meredith Melendez, Ag Agent, RCE of Mercer Co.

Session 4: Farmer Panel – Changes Made to On-Farm Direct Marketing Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Recording Found at: https://go.rutgers.edu/zm5msjt0 – Moderators & Co-Organizers: Meredith Melendez, RCE of Mercer Co. and Michelle Infante-Casella, RCE of Gloucester Co.

For more information on COVID-19 Farm Safety and other Food Safety resources see the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety webpage.