The proceedings from the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention educational sessions are now available online. Visit the Vegetable Crops Online website for this year, and previous years, proceedings.
February 6, 2025 Megan Muehlbauer
North Jersey Commercial Vegetable Growers Meeting Program and Registration
NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL
VEGETABLE GROWERS MEETING
February 19, 2025
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Hunterdon County Complex
314 State Route 12, Bldg. 1
Flemington, NJ
Program
Program Chair
Peter Nitzsche, Agriculture and Resource Management Agent
Cooperative Extension of Morris County
8:30 – Registration
Coffee and pastry 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 – Small Pumpkin Variety Trial and Nutrient Management
Michelle Infante-Casella, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County
10:10 – Beyond Butternut and Zucchini, Other Varieties of Squash & Pumpkin for NJ
Thomas Andreas, Independent Researcher
10:30 – Update on Farm Service Programs
Laura LaFevre, County Executive Director, Hunterdon/Somerset Office, Farm Service Agency
10:40 – Biodegradable Plasticulture in Habanero Peppers
William Sciarappa, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension
11:00 – What is New from Industry
11:20 – Updates on Disease Control in Vegetable Crops
Andrew Wyenandt, Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Cooperative Extension
11:50 – Drones in Agriculture: Evaluating the Potential
Stephen Komar ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Sussex County
Adam Kyle, Teaching Administrator – Precision Agriculture, Warren County Community College
12:10 – LUNCHEON (pre-registration required)
1:00 – Sweet Corn Weed Control
Mark VanGessel Weed Specialist, University of Delaware
1:30 – Thrips Parvispinus: An Emerging Pest in Horticulture
Patricia Prade, Extension Entomologist, Penn State Extension
2:00 – Proper Pesticide Procedures Precautions and Protocols
Spencer Kerkhof, Pesticide Control Program Outreach Representative, NJDEP
2:30- Update on Agrivoltaics Research and the BPU Dual-Use Solar Pilot Program
David Specca, Assistant Director, Rutgers EcoComplex, NJAES
2:50- Food Safety Modernization Act, Produce Safety Rule Agriculture Water Update
TBD, Cooperative Extension
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
Click here and fill out this form to register for the meeting then fax or email to:
Fax: (908) 806-4735
E-mail: kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us
If you have any question please call Kim Crommelin: (908)-788-1338
January 14, 2025 Michelle Infante-Casella and Bill Bamka
REGISTER TODAY – NJ Ag Convention Coming Soon
We are only days away from the start of the 2025 NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show at Harrah’s in Atlantic City starting on February 3rd to February 6th. The convention has evolved over the years to include much more than vegetable topics. See the graphic below or the VGANJ website convention program for a list of expanded topics.
Nursery growers – we have a full day for you. Do you raise livestock? We have a new session for you. Want to learn about agricultural policies? Come to the session on Tuesday morning hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director, Brian Schilling and colleagues from the State Agricultural Development Committee. Need to learn about Food Safety Regulations, we have both a session and a workshop for you. USDA will be hosting sessions on Tuesday to promote programs for farmers. There are too many more topics to put into text so please check out the program on the VGANJ website.
Need pesticide recertification credits? This year the workshops and sessions will help you fulfill the obligation to obtain those credits. Monday afternoon hosts a 6-CORE credit workshop that requires a separate special registration. Check out the program and how to register on the VGANJ website.
Have you registered for your hotel rooms yet? If not please use the room block and register online at https://book.passkey.com/GO/SHVEG5 or call to make Room Reservations on the phone at 1-888-516-2215 (8:00am-2:00am EST, 7 days a week), Group Name: New Jersey Vegetable Growers. Group Code: SHVEG5. There are plenty of rooms left in the room block, but the pre-registration ends soon, so reserve your rooms today. Please reserve your rooms through the group block to help us meet our obligations for the convention contract.
Don’t miss the great Tuesday events. There is a FREE “Lunch and Learn” on Tuesday (sign up for tickets at registration on Tuesday, limited to 100 participants) in the back area of the trade show hall with time to meet with vendors and also discussion with the new NJ Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn. Tuesday night hosts a charity auction and if you attended last year, you know how great this event is with food, drink, and time to catch up with old friends and make new friends in farming. Thanks to VGANJ Secretary, Darcy Perehinys the Tuesday events will once again have amazing food! Lots of prizes from our sponsors will be available for bid at the Charity Auction. If you haven’t attended this event in the past, don’t miss it this year as it is much improved from years past. Tuesday is a big day and with the Lunch and Learn and Charity Auction Happy Hour – if you attend both these events you can eat for free!!!!
One more event you won’t want to miss is the annual awards banquet on Wednesday night. Tickets can now be purchased online on the VGANJ website. This year’s NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year award goes to Brian Porch, of Porch Farms in Salem County, NJ. The award will be presented by VGANJ President, Jim Abma. Come help us celebrate Brian and all the other award winners who will be honored by the NJ Department of Agriculture.
December 18, 2024 Michelle Infante-Casella
Register Before December 31 for Bonuses at the 2025 NJ Ag Convention
Have you signed up for the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show yet?
Visit the VGANJ Convention Website and register today!
It’s incredibly simple! Here’s a pro tip: Become a member of the Vegetable Growers Association to enjoy all the benefits, even if you don’t grow vegetables, and save on convention registration fees by becoming a member. Everyone must register to enter the trade show and participate in educational sessions and other events sponsored by the VGANJ.
Make sure to register by December 31st to receive two complimentary drink tickets (per registered individual) for use at the trade show bars after 2 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a $100 gift card for meals during your time in Atlantic City!
Don’t forget to check the VGANJ website for the exciting new educational sessions for 2025.
Also, on Tuesday there will be a special free “Lunch and Learn” program to engage with vendors and participate in a Q&A session with the new Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn.
*FREE lunch tickets only for the first 100 farmers Tuesday who sign up for the “Lunch and Learn” at the registration desk on Tuesday morning. Lunch starts at 12:00.
On Wednesday, February 5th the VGANJ will be honoring the NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year. For 2025 the honoree is Brian Porch from Salem County, NJ. Come help us celebrate our awardee and the NJDA awardees at the banquet. Tickets are now available online through VGANJ. See the VGANJ Convention Website to sign up for the banquet and other special events.
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/
November 27, 2024 Michelle Infante-Casella
Get Ready for the 2025 NJ Ag Convention – February 3-6
It is that time of year again to sign up for the annual NJ Agricultural Convention, co-sponsored by the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Visit the VGANJ website at https://vganj.com/convention-tickets to register.
For 2025 there are new and exciting opportunities to learn about all aspects of the agricultural industry at the educational sessions and from vendors at the trade show. If you came last year, you also saw many new improvements to the convention – more vendors, more educational sessions, a complimentary lunch (limited free tickets) on Tuesday highlighting “what’s new from industry”, a complimentary hot buffet at the Tuesday happy hour/charity auction, youth programs for FFA, and co-convention events with the NJ Department of Agriculture. These offerings and more are coming for 2025. New events like Monday afternoon workshops, a livestock session, an agricultural policy session, an environmental session, and others are confirmed for this coming year. Licensed pesticide applicators will see an increase in recertification credits on the program for 2025.
To check out the educational programming and NJDEP recertification credits for pesticide applicators see https://go.rutgers.edu/ConvProgram2025 – this is a draft program. Also, note that some events need special sign-up so read the program carefully to see what events need pre-registration.
NJ State Board of Agriculture information for the convention is coming soon. Check out their website at Department of Agriculture | Conventions.
If you have any questions about the VGANJ registration, go to https://vganj.com/#contact. If you need more information about the educational programs please contact the Rutgers Co-Chairs for the convention – bamka@njaes.rutgers.edu Bill Bamka, Agricultural Agent in Burlington County, or minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent in Gloucester County.
