Each year for the New Jersey Vegetable Meeting, Rutgers Cooperative Extension publishes a proceedings book with summaries of presentations given during the educational sessions. The 2021 proceedings book is now posted on the Rutgers Vegetable Online Resources webpage. All proceedings books dating back to 2009 are also archived on this site and can be found by scrolling down to the bottom left corner of the webpage.
The 2021 Proceedings Book is dedicated in the memory of William Roberts who passed away on May 21, 2020 at the
age of 88. After completing his college degree at Rutgers, Bill served our country in the military until 1955 where he earned the rank of First Lieutenant. He then returned to Rutgers, Cook College, to teach and later became an Extension Specialist in Agricultural Engineering. Early in his career, he invented the air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene film system for covering the roof of a greenhouse. Today, approximately 65 percent of all commercial greenhouses in the United States use the air-inflated system. This innovation won Bill many awards and tremendous gratitude from the industry. On a personal note, Bill was most known for his tremendous faith and love for family; especially wife Dottie. For more information about Bill Roberts, please see the beginning pages of the proceedings book for 2021.
We hope you will take the time to read the summaries included in the 2021 proceedings book. Robin Brumfield, Rutgers Extension Specialist in Agricultural Economics, recommends that anyone participating in the “Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options” morning and afternoon sessions on Monday, February 22nd, utilize her proceedings summaries on pages 19-25 (morning session) and pages 42-47 (afternoon session) while attending.
Also of interest – to obtain an online copy the 2020-2021 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide a free download is available on the Rutgers NJAES Publications website. The guide is the same as in 2020 and a “critical updates” document is also available online for changes – mainly pesticide recommendations updates.
On-Farm Food Safety Section
Keep up with the latest news on this dynamic topic that impacts growers on multiple levels. Developing a farm food safety plan is a good idea for all growers, and may be required as part of food safety audits if you sell to certain buyers.
View NJAES On-Farm Food Safety Publications
Proceedings Book – Speaker Summaries for February 22-25th NJ Vegetable Meeting
Rutgers Online Pesticide Applicator Exam Portal is Open
To streamline NJ’s pesticide exam process, Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education has announced that the new online Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER) system is available for your use immediately.
How the new system benefits YOU:
- Online Access: Web-based PACER application is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- No More Snail Mail: Upload your support documents online and eliminate the time and expense required to mail them.
- Quick Review Turnaround: Your application will be reviewed within 48 business hours and you will be notified of any problems or concerns with your documentation promptly via email.
- Immediate Exam Scheduling: Online exams are available 24/7. Once in-person exams resume, YOU choose your exam date and location when you register; no more waiting to hear which of your exam date and time choices were available.
- Fast Exam Results: See your exam grades within 7 business days of exam completion.
- More Exam Times and Locations: Due to COVID-19, all exams are currently being offered online. When restrictions are lifted, online exams will continue and in-person exams will resume. New facilities will be added around the state to give you more options for added convenience. In-person exams will be administered weekdays, evenings and on Saturdays to better accommodate your schedule.
- Manage Others’ Exams: Are you responsible for your organization’s employees? Now you can easily track and manage exam applications and scheduling for multiple people in PACER! Set up an account in PACER then provide us with the information listed below so we can upgrade your account to Business Manager. Send information to: pacer@njaes.rutgers.edu. (A commercial pesticide applicator business license number is required to establish a Business Manager account; a business license number begins with “9”).
- Business Manager Name; Business Manager Email Address
- Company Name; Company Address; Company Business License #
- Support: Responsive, courteous help desk support is available Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Phone: 848‐932‐9271, Option 7; Fax: 732‐932‐1187; E‐mail: pacer@njaes.rutgers.edu
Examination Fees are $115 per each Category exam and the Core exam; $50 for the Private licensing exam:
- Pay online via credit card or e-check, with no extra surcharge
- Purchase Orders will also be accepted via upload
- Exam payments are not refundable and online exams have minimum computer requirements detailed on the website
Please note that all exams are CLOSED book and the NJDEP no longer offers any pesticide certification exams.
The PACER website also has step-by-step instructions to create an account before registering for the exam, and user and hardware requirements to successfully complete the exam (Google Chrome internet browser, webcam, wired / Ethernet connection, ample bandwidth for Proctorio download and use, etc.). Also, make sure you choose a quiet and comfortable location to take your exams, as earphones or headphones are not permitted during the exam.
Please Visit the NJDEP website for information regarding pesticide licensing, policies, procedures, credits, and for payment and status of your license. For frequently asked questions regarding pesticide licensing please click here.
Visit PACER today!
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Harmonized Food Safety Audit Training
We are offering a final, for this spring, online Harmonized Audit Training Course on March 2, 2021 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. If you will need to obtain a USDA Harmonized Audit this year or want a refresher this is the course for you.
This three-hour virtual class will cover each question on the USDA Harmonized Audit allowing participants to hear how questions are interpreted by auditors. New Jersey Department of Agriculture Auditors will also discuss how someone signs up for an audit and review common issues that auditors found during 2020. Participants will have the opportunity have their questions answered to help make their audit run more smoothly.
The deadline to register for the class is Friday February 26. The registration form is on the Eventbrite page at rutgersonfarmfoodsafety.eventbrite.com
2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention Update 2
My apologies for some of the confusion from my initial update regarding the educational sessions of our 2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention will be held virtually the last week of February. While the entire up-to-date program was, and is, available to view on the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ website – VGANJ.com/schedule, I forgot one critical point in that last post. The link for signing up for pesticide re-certification credits was not ready to go at that time.
It is ready now.
(One other clarification – when you join the VGANJ and pay your membership dues at either the full or daily rate, you are also registered for these educational sessions.)
Registration for Pesticide License Re-certification Credits
If you want to receive pesticide re-certification credits for attending any of the sessions offering them, you must supply identification information that will allow us to confirm your participation and to let DEP know which sessions you attend. You do not have to sign up for individual sessions, but you must supply these required pre-registration details or you will not receive credit. If supplied, you will receive credits for any session you attend in its entirety as described in our guide.
If you are attending for credits, you will need to be signed in to the Zoom meeting within 10 minutes of the start, remain attentive and responsive to random polls, and logged into the session until it ends. You will not get credit if you leave to join another Zoom session. There will be some allowance and support if there are technical issues, but otherwise, leaving a meeting early will disqualify you for credits.
Before you start to register for credits, please have the following ready before you start:
- A photo, scan or screen-shot (your ID and license may be submitted as one photo or two) of:
- your Government-issued ID, and
- NJ Pesticide applicator status
- copy of your current license, OR
- status page from the NJ DEP <https://go.rutgers.edu/t0hiphuz>- search for your name in either the “Commercial Certified Pesticide Applicators by Name” or “Private Certified Pesticide Applicators by Name” menu selections on the page.)
NOTE: If you are NOT looking for credits, DO NOT enter your license and ID information. You will be able to move from Zoom session to Zoom session.
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – Produce Safety Alliance Training Course
The Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under the standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration’. This is the only training recognized by the FDA at this time!
The course is being offered virtually over two days on March 9 and 10 from 10:45 am to 3:30 pm. All participants must preregister by February 23 at rutgersonfarmfoodsafety.eventbrite.com. Once registered a training manual will be sent to each person and the registrant must have the manual to show at the training.
Fruit and vegetables growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and co-management of natural resources and food safety should also attend this training.
The course is divided into seven modules that cover:
- Introduction to Produce Safety
- Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
- Soil Amendments
- Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
- Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water)
- Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
- How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan
In addition to learning about produce safety best practices, parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements are outlined within each module and are included in the grower manual provided.
2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention Update
By now you’ve probably heard from many venues that the educational sessions of our 2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention will be held virtually the last week of February. Members of the Rutgers NJAES Vegetable Working Group and our colleagues that cover other commodities have developed a comprehensive program covering a wide range of topics. The entire up-to-date program can now viewed on the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ website – VGANJ.com/schedule.
As you will see on the program, concurrent two and a half hours-long, commodity-oriented sessions and workshops are scheduled each morning and afternoon. There will be sessions offering pesticide recertification credits. To accommodate the limitations of the Zoom platform, category credits will be available in afternoon sessions only, while two lunchtime sessions (Tues and Thurs) offer CORE credits.
Morning sessions may carry over into lunchtime Q&A discussions with speakers, if demand warrants, but on Wed, Feb 24, please join VGANJ President John Banscher for a special Tribute to New Jersey Farmers. We thank you for all your essential work during the pandemic of 2020, and we thank the VGANJ for sponsoring this educational event.
As we have offered at previous conventions, we are partnering with the NJ Dept of Health to offer their required training to those farmers/market managers who participate in the WIC & Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. However, so as not to interfere with afternoon sessions, this has been scheduled as a separate Zoom meeting from 4-6pm. More details will follow.
To obtain credits via a virtual meeting requires a couple of extra steps on your part. Please view and familiarize yourself with the steps to be followed in this guide, which will also be available if you sign up for credits after registering with VGA. If you are not looking for credits, you will be able to move from session to session, but those wanting credits will need to be signed in to the Zoom meeting within 10 minutes of the start, remain attentive and responsive to random polls, and logged into the session until it ends. There will be some allowance and support if there are technical issues, but otherwise, leaving a meeting early will disqualify you for credits.
