July 20, 2026 and

August Twilight Meeting for Vegetable Growers

Roadside sign for the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm.Join us for a Research Twilight Meeting at the picturesque Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm on Wednesday, August 12, 2026!

Attendees will gain practical information on management of corn earworm and cucurbit downy mildew paired with timely reminders on resistance management. We will tour the research plots and share updates on the current research activities underway, including new technology (drones, biodegradable mulch, autonomous robots) and updates on the IR-4 and tomato breeding programs. Pesticide recertification credits have been requested for CORE, PP2, 1A, and 10. See the full agenda below.

The meeting will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Arrive on time for a light dinner thanks to sponsorship from the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey.  Please note the address of the farm is 140 Locust Grove Rd, Pittstown, NJ 08867. 

We request that you RSVP by August 10 so we may plan for the meal and the number of wagons needed. To RSVP, please complete this form or contact Ashley Higgins at higgins@somersetcountynj.gov or 908-526-6293.

5:00 PM – Sign-In at Main Building, Load Wagon, Welcome Remarks 

5:15 PM – Insecticide Resistance: Recognition and Management (30 min) 

  • Grayson Tung, Senior Coordinator, Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP), Rutgers University 

5:45 PM – Corn Earworm Management: Bt Corn Variety Trial & Alternative Insecticides (30 min)  

  • David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County 
  • Amanda Quadrel, Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 

6:15 PM – Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Evaluation in Tomato (15 min) 

  • David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County 

6:30 PM – Drone-Seeded Cover Crops into a Standing Pumpkin Crop (15 min) 

  • Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County 
  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

6:45 PM – Cucurbit Downy Mildew: Monitoring and Management (30 min) 

  • Amanda Quadrel, Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 
  • Andy Wyenandt, Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers NJAES 
  • Stephen Komar, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Sussex County 
  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

7:15 PM – Updates from the Scarlet Sunrise Tomato Breeding Program (15 min)  

  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

7:30 PM – Organic, Interrow Weed Management in Bell Pepper: An Economic Comparison (15 min) 

  • Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County 
  • Meredith Melendez, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County 
  • Sophie Lee, Extension Specialist in Farm Viability, Rutgers NJAES 
  • Thierry Besanҫon, Extension Specialist in Weed Science for Specialty Crops, Rutgers NJAES 

7:45 PM – Overview of the IR-4 Project and On-Site Trials (15 min) 

  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County  
  • Jennifer Fisher, Field Research Director, IR-4 Project, Rutgers University 

8:00 PM – Return to Main Building, Sign Out, and Depart 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
April 8, 2026 and

North Jersey Tree Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting

North Jersey Tree Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting 

Supported by

New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association

 

April 30, 202

4:30 PM-7:30 PM

Ort Farms

25 Bartley Rd.

Long Valley, NJ 07853

 

4:15 PM – Registration and Tour of Farmers Market

4:30 PM – Wagon Tour of the Farm

5:00 PM – Light Dinner (Sponsored by NJ Vegetable Growers Association)

5:30 PM – Proper Pesticide Handling, Personal Protective Equipment and Record Keeping

Janine Spies PhD, State Fruit IPM Program Leader, Rutgers NJAES

6:00 PM – Tree Fruit Insect and Disease Update

Kaitlin Quinn, North Jersey Tree Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers NJAES    

6:30 PM – Key Management Decisions to Minimize Disease, and Pest Pressure while Enhancing Yield in Strawberry Production

Peter Nitzsche, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent I, Rutgers NJAES

7:00 PM – Managing Thrips in Vegetable Crops

Amanda Quadrel, North Jersey Vegetable IPM Senior Program Coordinator, Rutgers NJAES

The following pesticide recertification credits will be awarded 

1 Unit CORE    3 Units 1A    3 Units 10    3 Units PP2

Please RSVP for the meeting by April 27 with a call to:

Kim Crommelin at 908.788.1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
February 18, 2026

North Jersey Commercial Vegetable Growers Meeting Program and Registration

NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL
VEGETABLE GROWERS MEETING

March 11, 2026
8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Harvest Hall, Alstede Farms
100 Route 24
Chester, NJ 07930

Program

 

Program Chair
Peter Nitzsche, Agriculture and Resource Management Agent
Cooperative Extension of Morris County

8:30 – Registration
Continental breakfast compliments of industry sponsors

9:00 – Welcome and Introductions

9:10 – Vegetable IPM Update
Amanda Quadrel, Senior Program Coordinator – Vegetable IPM, Cooperative Extension

9:40 – Developing a Targeted Worker Training Program for Produce Safety
Meredith Melendez, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Mercer County

10:10 – Update on Farm Service Programs
Kristen Lake, County Executive Director, Farm Service Agency

10:20 – Jersey Fresh Marketing Update
Christine Fries, Coordinator of Agricultural Marketing, Division of Markets, NJ Dept. of Agriculture

10:30 – Strawberry Disease Management: How Environment Changes the Game
Nancy Sharma, Specialist in Fruit Pathology, Cooperative Extension

11:00 – Resistance Management and the Pesticide Label – What You Need to Know
Kate Brown, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Somerset County

11:30 – What is New from Industry

11:40 – Next-Generation Weed Management Innovative Solutions for Specialty Crop Productions
Thierry Besancon is an Extension Specialist in Weed Science for Specialty Crops

12:10 – LUNCHEON (pre-registration required)

1:00 – Updates on Disease Control in Vegetable Crops
Andrew Wyenandt, Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Cooperative Extension

1:30 – Update on Rutgers/NJAES Agrivoltaics Crops Research
Daniel Ward, Associate Research Professor, Dept. of Plant Biology, NJAES

2:00 – New and Emerging Vegetable Pests
Patricia Prade, Extension Entomologist, Penn State Extension

2:30- Specialty Winter Squash for NJ Growers
David Hlubik, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Burlington County

3:00 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn.  Attendees must be present for the entire program in order to apply for NJDEP credits

NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS ARE ANTICIPATED

North Jersey Veg Meeting Registration 2026 then fax or email to:
Fax: (908) 806-4735
E-mail: kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

PRE-REGISTRATION BY MARCH 4, 2026 REQUIRED FOR LUNCH

Directions:
Harvest Hall, Alstede Farms 100 Route 24, Chester, NJ 07930
Look for the Harvest Hall sign at the entrance to the driveway.
The entrance to the Harvest Hall driveway is directly across the street from Chubb Park ~¼ mile east of the farmstand.

If you have any question please call Kim Crommelin: (908)-788-1338

 

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, pesticide credits, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
January 31, 2025 and

SAVE THE DATES!

North Jersey Commercial Vegetable Grower Meeting

February 19, 2025

&

North Jersey Commercial Fruit Grower Meeting

March 5, 2025

Hunterdon County Complex

314 State Route 12, Bldg. #1

Flemington, New Jersey 08822

8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Program and registration details forthcoming

Filed Under: Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
December 4, 2024 , , and

Draft Rules For Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program & Public Information Session

On December 2, 2024, the NJ Board of Public Utilities posted draft rules for the Dual-Use Solar Energy (agrivoltaics) Pilot Program that was enacted by the NJ State Legislature. The purpose of the posting is to elicit public input by the January 31, 2025 deadline. The draft rules in the NJ Register are available to review here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/Dual-Use-Solar-Rules
There will be a public information session (presentation and Q&A) about the draft rules on the morning of December 17. More details about this session are available here: https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/public/
Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , ,