New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources is offering the following grant opportunity:
Nutrient Management Assistance Grants
Available Funding: Up to $25,000
Application Deadline: June 16, 2025
Funding Period: Three Years
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources is pleased to announce a funding opportunity to support manure spreader purchase and maintenance, and to establish a community use program for the manure spreader. This grant aims to advance nutrient management Best Management Practices (BMPs) across New Jersey farms by enabling the shared use of properly maintained equipment.
Eligible Applicants:
• New Jersey-based individuals
• Agricultural businesses
• Cooperatives
• Not-for-profit organizations (NFPs)
• Government agencies
Applicants should demonstrate a strong working relationship with local agricultural producers and must be committed to supporting nutrient management in their communities.
Program Highlights:
• Purchase and maintain a manure spreader
• Establish a community use program for the manure spreader with a minimum of five farms
• Support the implementation of Animal Waste Management Plans (AWMPs) with Nutrient Management Plans or nutrient budgets where the manure spreader will be used
• Implement all funded activities over a three-year period
For application materials and additional information, please visit: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/grants/njdanutrientmanagementgrants.html
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.
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
Need a Manure Spreader? Nutrient Management Assistance Grants – Deadline 6/16/25
2025/2026 New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guides are Available (Print and Electronic)
Print copies of the 2025/2026 New Jersey Tree Fruit Production Guides are available at your local Cooperative Extension Offices for $25 per copy.
The guides are also available for FREE online. E002: 2025/2026 New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide
If you have any trouble obtaining a guide from your local office please contact: Kim Crommelin: kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us or 908-788-1338.
North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I
North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I
In collaboration with the
New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association
May 1, 2025
4:30 PM-7:30 PM
VonThun Farms
438 Route 57 West
Washington, NJ 07882
4:15 PM – Registration
4:30 PM – Strategies to Reduce Pesticide Exposure in Applicators
Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent III, Rutgers NJAES
5:00 PM – Using Web-Based Decision Tools for More Targeted Pesticide Use
Janine Spies PhD, State Fruit IPM Program Leader, Rutgers NJAES
5:30 PM – Tree Fruit Insect and Disease Update
Kaitlin Quinn, North Jersey Tree Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers NJAES
6:00 PM – Seasonal Tree Fruit Thinning Considerations
Megan Muehlbauer, Agricultural Agent II, Rutgers NJAES
6:30 PM – Light Refreshments
7:00 PM – Wagon Tour of Farm and Presentation to New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association
Tim VonThun VonThun Farms
Light refreshments will be served.
The following pesticide recertification credits will be awarded
1 Unit CORE 3 Units 1A 3 Units 10 3 Units PP2
Please RSVP for the meetings with a call to:
Kim Crommelin at 908.788.1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us
Reminder of HPAI Information for Backyard Flock Poultry Owners
As HPAI continues to spread across the United States, poultry owners are urged to review their biosecurity practices and remain on alert for clinical signs of HPAI in their flock. Multi-species operations, particularly those with both poultry and ruminants on-site, are encouraged to mitigate areas in which the spread of disease between species may be at risk.
Clinical signs can include:
- Sudden death
- Decrease in feed or water consumption
- Respiratory signs such as coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge
- Swelling around the eyes
- Open-mouth breathing
- Darkening of the comb/wattles
- Reddening of the shanks or feet
- Decreased egg production
- Lethargy
HPAI spreads through contact with bodily secretions, including feces, ocular, nasal, or oral secretions from infected birds. The virus can spread on vehicles, equipment, shoes, etc. Biosecurity is particularly important for those residents of New Jersey who keep backyard poultry flocks, which are typically smaller flocks and can include mixed bird types. Backyard flocks often have constant or frequent access to the outdoor environment by nature of their housing style, which increases the likelihood of direct encounters with wild birds or their feces. Wild birds can enter backyard flock enclosures, increasing the risk of direct contact. Potential exposure to wild birds via sharing waterers, feeders, or swimming areas is another source of disease risk to domestic poultry. Practicing good biosecurity can help prevent the spread of HPAI onto a farm.
For resources regarding biosecurity plans, please refer to the memo from Dr. Amar Patil, DVM, MVSc, Ph.D., Diplomate ACVM, Director of the Division of Animal Health/State Veterinarian: 2025 HPAI Letter to BYF Poultry Owners.
Here are other websites that contain more information and guidance:
- Department of Agriculture | Animal Health
- H5N1 – Bird Flu
- Avian Influenza | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Defend the Flock
HPAI is a reportable disease. If you suspect HPAI in your poultry, please alert the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health at 609-671-6400.
Last Call: Farmer Resource Fair in Somerset County
All New Jersey farmers are invited to attend this Farmer Resource Fair which will feature an array of agricultural service providers. In-between a light breakfast and a hearty lunch, there will be engaging presentations and opportunities to visit with service providers at their table displays. The program schedule, as well as a preliminary list of service providers who’ve confirmed their attendance, is included below.
The event will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm at the Ted Blum 4-H Center located at 310 Milltown Road, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
Click here to register for this free event (registration is required). Please register by April 1, 2025.
This collaborative event is being organized by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County, Somerset County Agriculture Development Board, and the State Agriculture Development Committee Next Gen Program. We hope you will join us! [Read more…]
Last Call: Stop the Bleed Training in Burlington County
Rutgers Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ and the Rutgers NJ Medical School, will host a Stop the Bleed training on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Rutgers EcoComplex located at 1200 Florence Columbus Rd, Fieldsboro, NJ 08505.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the life-saving skills of pressure application, wound packing, and use of tourniquets. Attendees of this free training will also receive a complementary bleeding control kit. Space is limited, register today! Please complete our pre-registration form by Monday, April 1.
Questions? Email Kate Brown, RCE-Somerset County Ag Agent, at kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu or call 908-526-6293.