January 14, 2025 and

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. 




Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: ,
December 18, 2024

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.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With:
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: , , , , , ,
November 27, 2024

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.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: ,
November 14, 2024

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program wraps up its first year of crops research in New Jersey

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program is a multidisciplinary group of Rutgers faculty and staff committed to designing and conducting applied agrivoltaics research and outreach for stakeholders in New Jersey and throughout the region.

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP) was initiated over 3 years ago with the signing and passage of the Dual Use Solar Act by the New Jersey legislature. In 2023, agrivoltaics (AV) research installations were established at three Rutgers-New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Stations (NJAES). One at the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ; one at the Animal Farm on the Rutgers New Brunswick (SEBS) Campus, and one at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ. Members of the Rutgers RAP Team in collaboration the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, NJ Department of Agriculture, and NJ-DEP are now in the process of implementing the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program.

 

Specialty crops being grown in a double panel AV plot at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

An image of specialty crops being grown in a single AV panel plot at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

 

The agrivoltaics research at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, New Jersey was designed to study the effects of agrivoltaics systems on the production of specialty and agronomic crops. This year eggplant, bell pepper, fresh-market tomato, and soybeans were grown under three different treatments: single-axis tracking array with one row of panels, single-axis tracking array with two rows of panels, and no panels (conventional production as a control) to determine the effects of the panels on crop yield and quality.

Soybeans were grown in two whole blocks at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, NJ in 2024.

Soybeans being harvested between double AV panel arrays at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgton, New Jersey.

 

At the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ the effects of single-axis tracking arrays with one row of panels on forage growth was studied to measure potential impacts on hay yield and quality. There were three cuts of the hay this season along with sampling for forage quality.

Hay being cut in mid-May at the Snyder Research and Extension Farm in northern New Jersey.

Cut hay being wind-rowed at the Snyder Research and Extension Farm in northern New Jersey.

 

At the Rutgers SEBS Cook Campus Animal Farm in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which hosts equine and livestock facilities, research was done to study pasture forage production and animal grazing patterns in combination with vertical bifacial solar panels. In early fall, four gestational cows (led by Buttercup) were introduced to the AV array research pasture for the first time. The research pasture also includes shelter and drinking water for the animals.

Buttercup (on the right) leading the small herd into the field of vertical bifacial panels at the Cook Campus Animal Farm on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Buttercup and friends at the watering hole.

The ribbon cutting ceremony held on 30 Sep 2024 at the Cook Campus Animal Farm on the SEBS campus of Rutgers University celebrating the accomplishments Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program.

 

On 30 Sep., over 80 people attended the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program ribbon cutting ceremony at the Rutgers Animal Farm in New Brunswick, NJ where State officials, University leaders, and invited guests applauded the research and outreach efforts of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and discussed the potential impacts of agrivoltaics for both the agricultural and solar industries in New Jersey.

Results from all three Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program research sites will be presented at upcoming Extension meetings this winter and spring across New Jersey and the region.

UPCOMING PPRESENTATIONS

Dan Ward will be presenting at the New England Fruit and Vegetable Conference on 18 December 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Multiple RAP Team members will be presenting in the morning Agrivoltaics Session at the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City on 5 February at Harrah’s Resort.

More to be announced!

For more information on the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and more AV resources please visit the new RAP website by clicking here. Stakeholders interested in keeping up the what’s going on can now subscribe to the new website and have information send directly to their email account. Just go to our contact page and follow the instructions to subscribe! 

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAP Team only – For Permission contact RAP at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.

 

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
September 3, 2024

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program launches a new website

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program is a multidisciplinary group of Rutgers faculty and staff committed to designing and conducting applied agrivoltaics research and outreach for stakeholders in New Jersey and throughout the region.

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP) was initiated over 3 years ago with the signing and passage of the Dual Use Solar Act by the New Jersey legislature. In 2023, Agrivoltaics research installations were established at three Rutgers-New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Stations (NJAES). One at the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ; one at the Animal Farm on the Rutgers New Brunswick (SEBS) Campus, and one at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ. Members of the Rutgers RAP Team in collaboration the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, NJ Department of Agriculture, and NJ-DEP are now in the process of implementing the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program.

The agrivoltaics research at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, New Jersey has been designed to study the effects of agrivoltaic (AV) systems on the production of specialty crops and soybeans. This year eggplant, pepper, fresh-market tomatoes, and soybeans are being grown under three three different treatments: single-axis tracking array with one row of panels, single-axis tracking array with two rows of panels, and no panels (conventional production as a control) to determine the effects caused by the presence of the panels on specialty crop and soybean plant growth and yield.

At the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ the effects of a single-axis tracking array with one row of panels on hay production is being studied.

At the Rutgers SEBS Campus Animal Farm in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which hosts equine and livestock facilities, the AV research has been designed to study pasture forage production and animal grazing patterns in combination with vertical bifacial solar panels.

For more information on the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and more AV resources please visit the new website by clicking here. Stakeholders interested in keeping up the what’s going on can now subscribe to the new website and have information send directly to their email account. Just go to our contact page and follow the instructions to subscribe! 

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program in collaboration with the American Farmland Trust will be holding upcoming workshops for those stakeholders in New Jersey interested in learning more. Please click here for more information on these upcoming events.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,