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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Be Sure to Read Those Pesticide Labels

From Weekly Crop Update

Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu

Remember that the pesticide label is a legal document. Those who apply or use the products need to read the label. Changes are often made to pesticide labels, and often those changes are not well publicized. Also, not all labels with the same active ingredients have the same wording. So read the label for the specific product you intend to use. Use rates and use restrictions can vary with geography, so information you get off the internet may not be accurate for your farm. You will only know that if you read the label. UD Extension does a great job of highlighting specific points that are on labels, but we might miss a specific point that pertains to your situation. So read the label.

Source: Weekly Crop Update

Is It Too Late to Spray for Weeds in Winter Wheat?

From Weekly Crop Update

Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu

A few phone calls have come in about treating weeds in winter wheat. First, a lot of the wheat is getting to a stage where it would be injured with some of the herbicides. Also, many of the weeds are probably too large for effective control. Finally, the wheat is getting large enough that it will intercept a lot of the herbicide spray, so will you get the spray coverage you need. Each field needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine if a spray should be made.

Source: Weekly Crop Update

Crop Insurance Update

By garden state crop insurance education initiative

April 11th is the earliest planting date for corn crop insurance policies

April 21st is the earliest planting date for grain sorghum crop insurance polices

April 30th is the contract change date for forage seeding policies

If you have any questions please contact your crop insurance agent or our office at 1-800-308-2449

Source: NJ Crop Insurance Education

Attention Master Gardener Coordinators:

Any product recommendations published in the Plant and Pest Advisory are made for licensed pesticide applicators, and specifically are NOT directed at homeowners. This information should not be distributed to other Master Gardeners; nor be distributed/recommended to homeowners. There is a statement on the bottom of the Plant and Pest Advisory homepage that directly cautions: “Recommendations on this site are for commercial operators and are NOT for home gardeners”.

If a homeowner wishes to apply restricted use pesticides on their own property, they must become certified and licensed as a “private pesticide applicator” by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Pesticide Control Program. If you have questions on this, please contact me.

Patricia D. Hastings
Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
93 Lipman Drive
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Crop Insurance Deadline for NJ Nursery

By Garden State Crop Insurance Education Initiative

Raleigh, North Carolina, March 25, 2013— USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announces New Jersey nursery producers should be aware that the final date for a new applicant to apply for 2014 nursery crop insurance is May 1, 2013.  New applications for crop year 2014 may be accepted until May 1, 2013, with coverage beginning 30 days after receipt of your signed application, a Plant Inventory Value Report (PIVR) for each insured practice, as applicable, and two copies of your most recent wholesale catalogs or price lists.  Premium will be prorated when PIVRs and/or catalogs or price lists are submitted with applications after the sales closing date.  For existing policies, coverage will automatically attach on June 1, 2013. [Read more…]

Updated Weed Management Guides for Field Crops

From Weekly Crop Update
Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu

Updated weed management guides are available online at http://extension.udel.edu/ag/weed-science/
The Guides for “Corn Weed Management”, “Soybean Weed Management”, and” Pasture and Hay Weed Management Guide” as well as other bulletins are available.