When asked for the links to some of the videos I shared in this presentation at the 2018 NJ Agricultural Convention, I found that I had only included about half of the videos that illustrated my talk in the Proceedings book which will be available on the NJ Veg Crops Online Resources site shortly. What follows is the amended version of that abstract with all of the (complete) video links and/or company websites that I mentioned. It’s ‘complete’ now because I had used only small portions of many of these videos that are online, so you’ll have much more content to view than what you would have seen in my talk. [Read more…]
Commercial Ag Updates + Farm Food Safety
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Ag Agents provide updates on what they see in the field, upcoming events, and other important news that affects your operation, such as developments in on-farm Food Safety. Subscribe if you wish to be notified about workshops, meetings, and upcoming commercial ag events.
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February 13, 2018 Rick VanVranken
Robots in the Field – Online Videos Illustrate Automation from Seedling Production through Harvesting
January 30, 2018 Rick VanVranken
Be Counted – 2017 Ag Census Includes Questions On Value-Added Sales & Agritourism
Bruce Eklund, NJ State Statistician for the U.S.D.A’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, shared this reminder to please complete the Census of Agriculture by Feb 5, and
for winery operators, direct marketers and other value-added and agritourism operations, be sure to pay attention to a few special questions:
- Include wine and other value-added product sales under (Section 24) Practices (Item 2);
- Other Income From Farm-Related Sources (Section 32) includes Agri-tourism (Item 4); and
- Production Expenses (Section 30) are important as it shows this contribution from agriculture to the general economy.
With the once every five year census started, your participation is important to accurately represent the New Jersey’s specialty crop industries. USDA/NASS mailed 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture questionnaires to known farmers in December.
If you have any questions regarding the survey, or if you may have been overlooked, please call 1-888-424-78288 or 717-787-3904, or visit https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/, where you you can complete the survey online. Growers who have already completed the survey online format found that it saved time!
Remember that individual responses to the Census of Agriculture are required to be kept confidential by law, and only aggregate data are used for publication. Census results are important in showing the economic impact and significance of agriculture for your County, your Congressional District, and New Jersey. Agricultural advocates will use your combined information to inform decision makers and the public about the importance of agriculture.
More information on the Ag Census is available at:
http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2017/approved/press171206.html
and… https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Partners/index.php.
Please help by reminding your neighbors and thank you for taking the time to be counted.
January 29, 2018 Meredith Melendez
Ultra-Niche Crops Series: Pick Your Own Blueberries
Have a small plot of land? Want to diversify? New to farming?
Learn how to grow, market and sell Pick-Your-Own blueberries and make more money on less land!
Join us on Thursday, February 22, 2018 for a two and a half hour class that will include:
• Virtual Fieldtrip
• Crop Profile
• Q & A Session with a specialist, farmer and buyer of the product.
• Networking
• Dinner
By the end of the class you will know if growing Pick-Your-Own blueberries is right for you. Dinner will be served at 5:30. Pesticide recertification credits available for all Ultra-Niche Classes. Purchase tickets online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ultra-niche-crops-pick-your-own-blueberries-tickets-38006277800
Three locations available: Please select location of choice when buying tickets.
• Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County, 355 Court House/So. Dennis Road (Route 657), Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
• Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County, 310 Milltown Rd. Bridgewater, NJ 08807-3587
• Rutgers EcoComplex, 1200 Florence Columbus Road, Bordentown, NJ 08505
For more information call Jenny Carleo, Agricultural Agent at (609) 465-5115 or email Jennifer Matthews at jmatthews@aesop.rutgers.edu.
Deadline to register is February 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm.
January 26, 2018 Rick VanVranken
2018 NJ State Ag Convention Educational Programs Now Online
The 2018 NJ State Ag Convention and Trade Show will be open February 6-8 at the Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Convention Center in Atlantic City. The final version of the educational program developed by Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension faculty and staff in conjunction with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ and the NJ Dept of Ag has now been posted at njveggies.org/convention. In addition to the agenda of educational sessions and workshops, you will find links to membership/registration and meal reservation information. As in the past, Tuesday and Wednesday programs are chocked full of concurrent sessions mornings and afternoons, followed by a day of more intensive workshops on Thursday. Please pay special attention to that day’s Food Safety and Fumigation Certification workshops that require separate pre-registration. Instructions are detailed in each of those workshop agendas.
A special added feature of this year’s convention will be a produce buyers discussion panel moderated by NJDA Division of Markets Director Tom Beaver in the Trade Show area at 5pm on Tuesday afternoon.
If you will be attending as a delegate to the policy sessions of the State Board of Agriculture, a separate program and registration materials are available from the NJ Department of Agriculture’s website.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
January 5, 2018 Meredith Melendez
Rutgers Ultra-Niche Crop Series: Farming Roselle
Rutgers Cooperative Extension continues its Ultra-Niche Crop Series with the upcoming workshop “Farming Roselle.” This workshop, the ninth class in the Ultra-Niche educational series for farmers seeking new crop opportunities, will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at the Rutgers Eco Complex in Bordentown, New Jersey.
This workshop will feature a 20-minute “Virtual Field Trip” video on the production and marketing of roselle. In this session, farmers will learn how to grow, market and sell roselle and other ethnic crops and how to make practical decisions on marketing and crop production. This potentially lucrative market for farmers will require a marketing plan to determine what buyers want. Dr. Ramu Govindasamy, Extension Specialist from Rutgers University, will present on marketing ethnic crops and Dr. Albert Ayeni, Ethnic Crop Specialist at Rutgers University, will be answering questions related to crop production of roselle.
Participants at the Farming Roselle class will be led through worksheets to help them determine whether or not growing this crop is right for them, their acreage, and their situation. The cost for this workshop is $20 and includes a dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the program at 6 p.m. Additionally, pesticide recertification credits are available:
1A (Ag plant) 3 credits
PP2 (Private Applicator) 3 credits
For more information, contact Jenny Carleo at (609) 465-5115 or email Jennifer Matthews at JLM479@njaes.rutgers.edu.
To register by January 19, 2018, go to Eventbrite: https://rutgerscmcag.eventbrite.com
To find out more about the Rutgers Ultra-Niche Crops Project, please go to https://njaes.rutgers.edu/ultra-niche-crops/.
December 27, 2017 Rick VanVranken
New Tax Law’s Impact on Agriculture
Distinguished Professor and Rutgers Cooperative Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management Dr. Barbara O’Neill spent the last week before the holiday break analyzing the newly passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). In the process, she found some information about the law’s impact on farmers. She says basically there are 4 key impacts for agriculture:
- Increased (doubled) federal estate tax exemption: $11.2 million for individuals and $22.4 million for a couple (2018 figures), with proper estate planning.
- 20% deduction on co-op payments to farmer members.
- Lower tax rates for pass-through business income (new Section 199A deduction); “pass through” businesses include partnerships, LLCs, S corps, and sole proprietorships.
- New farm equipment depreciation schedule: five years instead of seven.
Many of these changes are complex so first and foremost, she advises consulting your professional tax advisor to determine how they affect you personally.
There was also much debate among her peers about prepaying state and local taxes in 2017 in case they are eliminated or capped in the new law. The final conclusion is that if your municipality is able to collect property taxes, prepayments are allowed and will be deductible on your 2017 tax bill. However, state and local income taxes are specifically excluded in the new law, so prepayment of 2018 income taxes are NOT deductible on your 2017 tax bill. Again, consult your professional tax advisor to determine if prepayments will benefit you.
