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.

December 9, 2025

Empowering Farmers Through Knowledge: Annie’s Project 101 Launches in January 2026

Empowering Farmers Through Knowledge: Annie’s Project 101 Launches in January 2026

As agriculture continues to evolve, so do the challenges and opportunities faced by farmers—especially women and beginning farmers. That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of the Annie’s Project 101 Course, a comprehensive farm business management training series kicking off in January 2026.

Hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension and supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Project, this six-week webinar series is designed to equip farmers with the tools they need to thrive in today’s dynamic agricultural landscape.

📅 Course Overview

  • Dates: Wednesdays, January 7 – February 18, 2026
  • Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  • Format: Live webinars + asynchronous learning
  • Fee: $45
  • Registration: Click here to register

🎓 What You’ll Learn

Each session focuses on a key area of farm risk management, featuring expert-led presentations and practical strategies:

  • Legal Risk (Jan 7): Lease agreements and legal foundations for farm operations
  • Financial Risk (Jan 14): Agritourism pricing and profitability analysis
  • Market Risk (Jan 28): Marketing plans and niche development
  • Human Resource Risk (Feb 4): Farm crew management and wellness strategies
  • Production Risk (Feb 11): Food safety and equipment selection
  • Legal & Financial Risk Wrap-Up (Feb 18): Insurance and business planning essentials

🧭 Special Note

There will be no webinar on January 21 to allow participants to attend the Northeast Ag Expo at Harrah’s Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

Whether you’re a beginning farmer, a seasoned producer, or someone exploring agribusiness, Annie’s Project 101 offers valuable insights and connections to help you grow your farm with confidence.

📌 Don’t miss out—register today and invest in your farm’s future!
#AnnieProject101 #FarmBusiness #WomenInAg #RutgersExtension #AgWebinarSeries #FarmSmart

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
October 30, 2025

Workshops on Taxes, Estate, and Succession Planning

A flyer promoting workshops on taxes, estate, and succession planningThe NJ Department of Agriculture, State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) has two upcoming workshops on ‘Taxes, Estate, and Succession Planning’ as they relate to farmland preservation. These in-person workshops are best suited for farmers, farm owners, and their professional advisors. This is not a series – select the workshop location closest to you. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
October 27, 2025

South Jersey Farmers – Stop the Bleed Training – February 2, 2026

STOP THE BLEED TRAINING
FOR FARMERS AND THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY
REGISTRATION REQUIRED – NO COST

REGISTER USING THIS LINK OR QR CODE:
https://go.rutgers.edu/stopthebleed


DATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026 TIME: 9:00AM
LOCATION: GLOUCESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES
1200 N. DELSEA DR., CLAYTON, NJ

Rutgers Cooperative Extension’ Farm Health and Safety Team has partnered with the Gloucester County Emergency Services to provide “Stop the Bleed” training for the farming community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the life-saving skills of pressure application, wound packing, and use of tourniquets. The first 25 registrants will also receive a complementary bleeding control kit.

Space is limited, register today.

If you have questions contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County 856-224-8040 ext. 1 or email minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Team:
Agricultural Agents: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, William Bamka, and Stephen Komar

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, training, Turf, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
October 17, 2025

Networks to Reduce Risk: Food Innovation Center on November 19

Register by November 12: https://go.rutgers.edu/n2sc89zn

 

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
October 8, 2025

Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education – Farmer Grant Applications Available – Due December 9, 2025

The Call for 2026 Northeast SARE Farmer Grant applications is now available. Awards of up to $30,000 are available, depending on the complexity of a project. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on December 9, 2025. The NJ SARE Coordinator is Stephen Komar, Agricultural Agent in Sussex County and Michelle Infante-Casella is the Assistant Coordinator for SARE in NJ. If you have questions you can send an email to Steve or Michelle, or contact your local county Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents who can assist and also provide technical assistance.


Northeast SARE Farmer Grants provide the resources farmers need to explore new concepts agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Projects address issues that affect farming with long-term practical impacts in mind.
Farmer Grants are designed to be a strong starting point for farmers interested in pursuing grant funding of projects. Before starting their proposals, potential candidates identify a Technical Advisor who can provide non-farming expertise in areas such as research design, troubleshooting, and promotion. The Technical Advisor acts as a go-to support person throughout the grant project, making it easier on first time grantees and forging new relationships in agricultural communities across the Northeast.


Northeast SARE funds projects in a wide variety of topics, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, hydroponics, silvopasture, and more.


Northeast SARE covers the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.


The Farmer Grant program is specifically for farmers. Northeast SARE will be releasing calls for proposals for other grant programs in the coming months.

For applications, tutorials on farmer grants, and other important information about this grant program see the NESARE Farmer Grants Webpage.

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Nursery, Organic Production, Turf, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
October 7, 2025

Networks to Reduce Risk: Food Innovation Center on November 19

Register by November 12: https://go.rutgers.edu/n2sc89zn

 

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,