Christmas Trees Edition

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Seasonal pest alerts and news about insects, diseases, and weeds impacting Christmas Tree production including Commercial Ag Updates (meetings and marketing); and Pesticide Program updates from the Rutgers Pest Management Office News Blog.

Companion Website Links:

Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.

Nursery IPM.

2024 National Agritourism Survey

The 2024 National Agritourism Survey is now collecting responses, and you are invited to participate! All agricultural operations that welcome visitors – whether for on-farm education, direct sales, entertainment, recreation, special events, and more – are invited to complete the survey.  So, if you offer education or rent event space on your farm, have a farm stand, a petting zoo, offer pick-your-own, farm stays, or other on-farm experiences, your insights are crucial.

By participating in this survey, you’ll help us pinpoint the types of support farmers like you require – whether it’s business assistance, developing networks, applying for grants, or navigating zoning and liability issues. Our goal is to help build the resources you need, improve your access to critical information and opportunities, and shape policy decisions that impact your industry.

This survey is part of a collaborative project led by Penn State with the University of Vermont, Oklahoma State University, the University of Maine, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, and other partners across the country.

We recognize that your time is valuable, which is why the survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Your insights are invaluable to us, and we sincerely appreciate your willingness to participate.

To take part in the survey, please visit: National Agritourism Support System Survey | Qualtrics Survey |

If you have questions about the survey, please contact Claudia Schmidt from Penn State Extension at cschmidt@psu.edu

USDA Memorandum to U.S. Growers on Use of Chlorpyrifos Insecticide Products in Food Crops for 2024

Courtesy of Dr. Anne Nielsen SEE ORIGINAL USDA EMAIL Memorandum to U.S. Growers on Use of Chlorpyrifos Insecticide Products in Food Crops for 2024 Background: On February 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published an “Update on the Use of the Pesticide Chlorpyrifos on Food.” This EPA update referenced a Federal Register Notice […]

NJ DEP issues Open Burn Permit through Tuesday, March 26, 2024

To Agriculture and Agribusiness Representatives:

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is issuing this notice concerning open burning due to colder spring overnight temperatures presently forecasted for areas of New Jersey from Tuesday, March 19, through Tuesday, March 26, 2024, which could adversely affect fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops in bloom or near bloom around the state. The DEP intends to exercise its authority and discretion under the Air Pollution Control Code, N.J.A.C. 7:27, et seq., and other applicable authorities to permit the following procedure for open burning or the use of smudge pots to assist farmers to protect their crops in low temperatures. These cold events could adversely affect some of the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops. [Read more…]

EPA Update on Existing Stocks Provisions for Three Chlorpyrifos Products (with Editor commentary)

[EPA OPP Post Date 03 15 2024].The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an update on existing stocks provisions for three chlorpyrifos pesticide products made by the company Adama – Pyrinex Chlorpyrifos Insecticide (EPA Reg. No. 11678-58), Chlorpyrifos 4E AG (alternate brand name Quali-Pro Chlorpyrifos 4E) (EPA Reg. No. 66222-19), and Vulcan (EPA Reg. […]

EPA Update on Existing Stocks Provisions for Three Chlorpyrifos Products (with Editor commentary)

[EPA OPP Post Date 03 15 2024].The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an update on existing stocks provisions for three chlorpyrifos pesticide products made by the company Adama – Pyrinex Chlorpyrifos Insecticide (EPA Reg. No. 11678-58), Chlorpyrifos 4E AG (alternate brand name Quali-Pro Chlorpyrifos 4E) (EPA Reg. No. 66222-19), and Vulcan (EPA Reg. […]

Endangered Species Act: What will soon change for pesticide labelling and uses?

Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: How will pesticide labels change to protect endangered species?

Wednesday, March 20 at 11 a.m – Webinar

Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires all federal agencies to consider the impact to threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat when making decisions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has faced numerous lawsuits for its failure to consider the Act when issuing pesticide registrations—resulting in a 2023 commitment from the Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs that puts the ESA at the forefront of all future registrations and some registration renewals.

The NYS IPM program at Cornell will be hosting Dr. Bill Chism, Chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee for the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), to give a webinar on March 20th (at 11 a.m.) with the following objectives:

  • • Inform us about the history of Endangered Species Act (ESA),
  • Discuss the requirements of all Federal agencies to comply with the ESA,
  • Describe the EPA’s current workplan (including the proposed Herbicide Strategy) to meet their statutory obligations,
  • Explains what this might mean for future pesticide labeling efforts.

Registration: Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: An Example | CALS (cornell.edu)

About the Speaker


Bill Chism is the chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). He retired after more than two decades with the EPA, where he conducted assessments on the benefits of pesticides to farmers as part of the registration review process. Bill grew up working on a vegetable farm in the Salinas Valley of California. He worked in extension researching weed control research on vegetable crops before earning his PhD in Weed Science from Virginia Tech and spent 10 years working for a pesticide registrant.