Gretchen Wall of the Produce Safety Alliance talked with growers at the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade show about agricultural water and produce safety under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. This recorded talk is now available at the Rutgers NJAES YouTube channel.
Commercial Ag Updates + Farm Food Safety
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April 27, 2017 Andy Wyenandt
UMaine to Hold International Potato Disease Summit Nov. 9, 2017
Orono, Maine — Two bacteria threatening the potato industry worldwide will be the focus of a Potato Disease Summit Nov. 9 in Bangor, Maine, convened by the University of Maine.
Plant pathologists, researchers and scientists from The Netherlands, Scotland and five U.S. states will present the latest information on the bacteria — Dickeya and Pectobacterium — that cause blackleg disease, an emerging potato seed problem.
In the past three growing seasons, Dickeya, a bacterial pathogen of potatoes, has caused significant economic losses in seed nonemergence and crop loss nationwide. In addition, an associated pathogen, Pectobacterium, has caused potato crop losses in the field and in storage. The bacteria have caused losses to the potato industry in Europe for an even longer period.
“The University of Maine is responding to this situation by holding an international summit focused on the latest research and what steps are needed to help the potato industry,” says University of Maine President Susan J. Hunter. “As Maine’s only public research university, we are a longstanding partner with the state’s potato industry in addressing its needs, including the growing threat posed by Dickeya and Pectobacterium.”
The Potato Disease Summit, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Nov. 9 at the Cross Insurance Center, 515 Main St., Bangor, Maine, is designed for scientists, consultants, regulatory officials, and potato seed growers and buyers. It will focus on such topics as current advances in detection and diagnosis of Dickeya; an overview of Pectobacterium in the U.S.; and management of Enterobacteriaceae spread and risk.
The $80 per person fee includes materials, lunch and breaks. Registration deadline is Oct. 2 and is available online: extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/programs/dickeya-and-pectobacterium-summit.
For more information or to request a disability accommodation, contact Steve Johnson, 207.554.4373, stevenj@maine.edu.
April 19, 2017 Wes Kline
Updated USDA Harmonized Audit Standards
The updated USDA Harmonized Audit Standards and Checklists are to be used starting on May 1, 2017. The USDA has made changes to the Harmonized audits. Most changes are minor. Listed below are the section numbers with major changes for each audit.
Field Operations and Harvesting Standard:
2.1.3, 2.4.3.4, 2.4.3.5, 2.4.3.6 and section 5 has been added
Post-harvest Operations:
1.5.3, 1.12.1 (moved from 1.23.2 and numbers shifted down one), 1.13.12, section 4 added
To obtain the updated Harmonized Standards that are to be used with the new Harmonized checklists starting on May 1, 2017, please go to the United Fresh’s website. Also, there is a redline version of these Standards that show the items that were changed on the United Fresh website.
For the checklists that go with the standards go to the USDA Audit Services webpage and select the version for 5/1/17.
April 13, 2017 Rick VanVranken
East Vineland Vegetable Twilight Tuesday 4/25
Our annual Vegetable Integrated Crop Management Twilight Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the East Vineland Fire Hall, on Landis Ave. across from the Savoy Restaurant (use 4931 Landis Ave, Vineland, NJ 08360 for your GPS, and please park behind the building to enter conference room door in rear).
Agenda
Pesticide Recertification Credits have been requested for this meeting.
Hope to see you there!
April 11, 2017 Rick VanVranken
Checking Your Pesticide Recertification Credits and Course History
Roberta Lang is the Ag Resource Specialist at the NJ Dept of Agriculture who arranges the pesticide container recycling program. She reports there was a request at the Hammonton collection last Friday to provide the link to DEP’s pesticide control program where applicators can check the status of their credits and the courses that have been taken. I’ve also had recent calls from growers requesting this and it takes some searching to find it. Below are the instructions Roberta sent. You might want to bookmark whichever site below gets to the information you need most directly.
To review course history:
- go to www.pcpnj.org
- click on “Pesticides” in the middle of the page (this page has lots of other useful info, like pesticide training and exam dates, beekeeper notification registry, etc, as well as the link to recertification records)
- under “Credits and Courses” – click on
- follow instructions to get course history info (you’ll need your birth date, last 4 digits of your social security #, and pesticide license #).
April 10, 2017 Pat Hastings
The ONE Date Jersey Licensed Pesticide Applicators NEVER forget – May 1st!!!!!!!!!
All licensed pesticide applicators, as well as dealers, who store pesticides are required by law to send a copy of their storage inventor(ies) with an explanatory cover letter to the local fire company by May 1st each year. In New Jersey, all licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who store pesticides are required per N.J.A.C. 7:30-9.5 […]
