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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December 18, 2024

Register Before December 31 for Bonuses at the 2025 NJ Ag Convention

Have you signed up for the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show yet?
Visit the VGANJ Convention Website and register today!

It’s incredibly simple! Here’s a pro tip: Become a member of the Vegetable Growers Association to enjoy all the benefits, even if you don’t grow vegetables, and save on convention registration fees by becoming a member. Everyone must register to enter the trade show and participate in educational sessions and other events sponsored by the VGANJ. 

Make sure to register by December 31st to receive two complimentary drink tickets (per registered individual) for use at the trade show bars after 2 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a $100 gift card for meals during your time in Atlantic City!

Don’t forget to check the VGANJ website for the exciting new educational sessions for 2025.

Also, on Tuesday there will be a special free “Lunch and Learn” program to engage with vendors and participate in a Q&A session with the new Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn.
*FREE lunch tickets only for the first 100 farmers Tuesday who sign up for the “Lunch and Learn” at the registration desk on Tuesday morning. Lunch starts at 12:00.

On Wednesday, February 5th the VGANJ will be honoring the NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year. For 2025 the honoree is Brian Porch from Salem County, NJ. Come help us celebrate our awardee and the NJDA awardees at the banquet. Tickets are now available online through VGANJ. See the VGANJ Convention Website to sign up for the banquet and other special events.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With:
December 18, 2024

Hurry – Apply for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program– Applications Due January 8, 2025 – Contact Your Local FSA Office Now

The MASC program, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) using Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds, provides eligible specialty crop producers with marketing assistance payments to help them engage in activities that aid in expanding domestic specialty crop markets or in developing new markets for their specialty crops in 2025.

SPECIALTY CROPS ELIGIBLE – Fruits (fresh, dried) Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture, Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed) Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices, Tree nuts, Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass, and grass seed. Payments are capped at $125,000 per producer, and if demand exceeds the allocated $2 billion, payments may be prorated. Final payment factors will be determined after the application period closes.

To be eligible for payments, persons or legal entities must:
• Be in the business of producing a specialty crop at the time of application and be entitled to an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025;
• Be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other organizational structure organized under State law, Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization, or a foreign person or foreign entity who meets certain eligibility requirements;
• Comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often called the conservation compliance provisions;
• Not have a controlled substance violation;
• Submit a complete MASC application form (FSA-1140) and provide all required documentation as specified in the documents section below.
To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $900,000 for tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023, unless the person or legal entity’s average adjusted gross farm income is at least 75 percent of their average AGI.

Eligible producers can apply by completing the FSA-1140, Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Application, and submitting it to any FSA county office by January 8, 2025.

FSA-1141, Marketing Assistance For Specialty Crops (MASC) New Producer Expected Sales Worksheet (New producers only)
New producers must complete and sign the new producer expected sales worksheet and provide along with their FSA-1140 to any Farm Service Agency county office nationwide.

See link for more information: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/tools/informational/fact-sheets/marketing-assistance-specialty-crops-program 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
December 17, 2024

NJDA Memo – First Theileria orientalis Ikeda Positive Cattle Case in New Jersey

I’ve included for you a memo from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture regarding Theileria orientalis subtype Ikeda found in NJ.

Theileria orientalis Ikeda is a tickborne protozoan infection in cattle (but can impact sheep and goats) that is most commonly spread through the bite of an ixodid tick. An emerging vector for this disease is the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis), a tick that was first identified in Hunterdon County in 2017 and has since been detected in 21 states and DC. This tick is active in New Jersey from March through October or early November (Ticks Don’t Take a Winter Vacation).

Well, what will happen if animals get bitten by an infected tick?

  • The T. orientalis Ikeda protozoa will infect the red and white blood cells, which results in anemia in affected animals.
    • Due to anemia, infected cattle may appear similar to those affected by anaplasmosis.
  •  Common clinical signs include weakness, inappetence, pyrexia (elevated body temperature), mucosal pallor (pale gums/mucus membranes), jaundice, and elevated respiratory and heart rates.

T. orientalis Ikeda infections have been reported to cause mortality in 1- 5% of infected cattle but can be as high as 50%. Pregnant heifers and calves are particularly susceptible to infection. While there are several types of T. orientalis found in the United States, to date, only T. orientalis genotype Ikeda has been shown to cause severe illness in animals.

How do you control it?

  • There is no approved treatment or vaccine for T. orientalis in cattle in the United States.
  • The best method of prevention is tick control. Recommended strategies include:
    • Veterinary-approved pesticide treatment (such as pour-on and ear tags)
    • Regular tick inspections
    • Clearing of bushes
    • Keeping pastures and grass mowed short.

A useful document can be found here: Managing the Asian Longhorned Tick: Checklist for Best Management Practices for Cattle Producers

The NJDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (AHDL) is currently working to coordinate diagnostic testing for T. orientalis. For further information on testing, veterinarians should contact the laboratory at (609) 406-6999 or via email at jerseyvetlab@ag.nj.gov. As an emerging disease in New Jersey, knowing detected cases of T. orientalis can help determine the impact of this disease on New Jersey cattle.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock
December 12, 2024

Survey on Corn Earworm Management Practices and Costs in Sweet Corn

If you are a fresh-market grower of sweet corn, the regional Corn Earworm IPM team would like your input! The CEW IPM team includes entomologists and extension specialists across multiple states and institutions, such as the Northeastern and Southeastern IPM Centers and universities in NJ, NY, DE, MD, NC, VA, and GA.

This short survey aims to gather information on your current CEW control practices and their associated costs. This information will be used to evaluate how alternative CEW control practices can affect grower costs, sales, and financial performance. Most importantly, your participation will help us help you; this information will guide future recommendations for more sustainable management practices you can implement on your farms.

Note that this survey is aimed at fresh-market growers; a separate survey will be sent out for those who grow sweet corn for processing.

To take the survey online, please use this link. If you prefer, here is a PDF version of the survey to print and fill out. For more information on the regional CEW team/project, visit CEWIPM.org for the latest updates. Your participation is greatly appreciated!

 

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
December 6, 2024

Nationwide Survey on Vectors through Iowa State Center for Food Security and Public Health

The Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) would like to hear from you and your colleagues! They are requesting participation in a 5-minute survey on vectors (ticks, mosquitoes, mites, and other arthropods of veterinary health concern) where responses will help guide resource creation. This survey is part of a project funded by USDA’s National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP).

CFSPH invites responses from anyone over the age of 18 who lives or works with animals (including honey bees). This includes: U.S. veterinary personnel, animal health professionals, farmers/producers, pet owners, and beekeepers.

Access to this survey will close on December 15th, 2024, so there is still time to participate.

If interested, here is the link to access the survey: Survey on Vectors

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates
December 4, 2024 , , and

Draft Rules For Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program & Public Information Session

On December 2, 2024, the NJ Board of Public Utilities posted draft rules for the Dual-Use Solar Energy (agrivoltaics) Pilot Program that was enacted by the NJ State Legislature. The purpose of the posting is to elicit public input by the January 31, 2025 deadline. The draft rules in the NJ Register are available to review here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/Dual-Use-Solar-Rules
There will be a public information session (presentation and Q&A) about the draft rules on the morning of December 17. More details about this session are available here: https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/public/
Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , ,