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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April 1, 2022

In-Person Private Applicator Exam Scheduled

Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education has announced an in-person session of the Private Applicator exam, exclusively for our farmers and growers, to be hosted on Wednesday, April 6 at the Burlington County office of Rutgers Cooperative Extension at 2 Academy Drive, Westampton, NJ 08060.

Each session (10:00 am and 12:30 pm) can accommodate up to 30 people, so if the demand is there, 2 sessions will be held that day. Only private applicator exams will be offered for this in-person testing event.

All examinees must be preregistered by the end of the day Monday, April 4 (details below), no walk-ins are allowed and no refunds will be given. If you register for April 6 and do not come to take the exam you will have to re-register and pay again.

All examinees must be registered ahead of time in PACER. Growers should register for an online exam, pay the $50 fee online, and then contact Jill Sullivan by phone at 848-932-7443 or by email by the end of the day on Monday, April 4 to say they want to take the exam in-person. Jill will provide registered growers with the time of the exam and location. This will also allow Jill time to create the exam answer sheets for Wednesday, April 6 and create a registration list.

For those who need help registering in PACER, there will be a second date announced for later in April, again at the Burlington County RCE office. Jill has created a registration document that you can print out, complete, and fax to Jill at 732-932-1187 or complete the information requested in the MSWord document and then email the completed form to Jill at pacer@njaes.rutgers.edu and she will register the grower and then call for the sensitive information (SSN and credit card information). The registration form is currently available through your local RCE office.

Thanks to Melissa Bravo, RCE of Salem County, for inquiring for an in-person test opportunity for our growers, to OCPE for accommodating this request and offering this opportunity for our growers, and to Burlington County RCE for hosting these exams.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
April 1, 2022

Weed Science Webinar Series

Weed Science Webinar Series

USDA – ARS and the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) are co-hosting 10 webinars on weed science and research. Beginning April 5, presentations will be given by ARS weed science research experts.

The webinars will occur every Tuesday from 2-3p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and include an interactive Q&A session.

Register Here Today!

Two people conducting research in a field

Weed Science Webinar Series Schedule

April 5
ARS Weed Science: Past, Present, and Future: Steve Duke, Principal Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, Steve Young, National Program Leader – Weeds and Invasive Pests, WSSA Representatives and ARS Administrators

Meeting Information:

Zoom Meeting Link

Webinar ID: 831 3320 1055

Passcode: 825921

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Theme I: Tactics

April 12
Integrated Weed Management in Cropping Systems: Marty Williams, Ecologist at the Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit in Urbana, IL

April 19
Non-Crop Systems: Advancements in Weed Biocontrol Tools: Melissa Smith, Research Ecologist at the Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, FL

April 26
New Technology for Weed Identification and Control: Steven Mirsky, Research Ecologist at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, MD

Theme II: Mechanisms

May 3
Role of Plant Physiology in Weed-Crop Competition: Dave Horvath, Research Plant Physiologist at the Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit in Fargo, ND

May 10
Molecular Basis for Controlling Invasive Plants: Matt Tancos, Research Plant Pathologist at the Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit in Fort Detrick, MD

May 17
Addressing Herbicide Resistance with Alternative Chemistries: Scott Baerson, Molecular Biologist at the Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford, MS

Theme III: Impacts

May 24
Spread and Distribution of Invasive Plants: John Madsen, Research Biologist at the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Unit in Albany, CA

May 31
Climate Change Effects on Weeds and Management: Dana Blumenthal, Ecologist at the Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit in Fort Collins, CO

June 7
Restoration for Managing Invasive Plants: Roger Sheley, Ecologist at the Range and Meadow Forage Management Research Unit in Burns, OR

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , ,
March 28, 2022

South Jersey Integrated Vegetable Crop Management Meeting April 7, 2022

Integrated Vegetable Crop Management Twilight Meeting

NOTE – change of date from earlier announcements

THURSDAY, April 7, 2022

6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

East Vineland Fire Hall

4931 Landis Ave., Vineland, NJ

across from the Savoy Restaurant

(please park behind the building and enter conference room door in rear)

6:30 pm    Tools for Pesticide Safety & Regulatory Compliance for Growers & Pesticide Handlers

  • Pat Hastings, RCE Pesticide Education Program Coordinator

7:00 pm    Understanding the New FSMA Water Rule

  • Wes Kline, RCE Cumberland

7:20 pm    Cover-crops for Fertility Management

  • Michelle Infante-Casella, RCE Gloucester

7:40 pm    Cover-crops and Other Weed Management Strategies for Plasticulture Crops

  • Thierry Besancon, RCE Specialty Crop Weed Specialist

8:10 pm    Disease Control Options for Spring Vegetable Crops

  • Andy Wyenandt, RCE Vegetable Plant Pathologist

8:40 pm    Pepper Weevil & Early Season Diamond Back Moth Management Options

  • Joe Mahar, Vegetable IPM Coordinator

9:10 pm    COVID-19 and New Roles for Extension Going Forward

  • Rick VanVranken, RCE Atlantic

9:30 pm    Adjourn

Pesticide Recertification Credits 

PP2 (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)     04
CORE (BASIC SAFETY & HANDLING)          01
1A (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)                       04
10 (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)         03

Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Richard VanVranken, Agricultural Agent, Atlantic County

Wesley L. Kline, Agricultural Agent, Cumberland County

Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent, Gloucester County

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
March 21, 2022

NJ Pesticide Credits. March 24th Weed Management Webinar

For NJ applicators in 10, 1A and PP2

4 category credits.

A virtual workshop will be held on March 24 from 8 am to 11 am for farmers interested in learning how to use integrated weed management (IWM)) techniques to control  troublesome weeds in their fields. This is the fifth year for the workshop series, which is a collaborative effort between the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and the University of Delaware.

Education regarding weed identification and integrated management strategies continues to be critically important to enable early intervention and effective management options.  2022 is shaping up to be especially challenging with anticipated shortages of many commonly used herbicides. The 2022 workshop series will provide tactics to manage important weeds given limited herbicide availability and increased input prices. Material covered will target row-crop production systems, but tactics learned may be applicable to other systems. These workshops are free, but participants will need to register at https://go.umd.edu/IWM.

Pesticide credits will be available for MD, DE, NJ and WV. Two hours of CCA continuing  education credits will be offered for each session.

For more information, contact Kurt Vollmer at (443) 446-4260 or Ben Beale at (301) 475- 4481.

If you are attending from NJ, contact Melissa Bravo to upload your pesticide license and photo i.d. at 856-340-6582. This meeting counts as an ‘in person’ meeting as long as you stay on camera. If you cannot stay on camera the entire time, no credits will be awarded. 

NJ Applicators remember, attendees of online courses can earn 25% of their credits for each category from online sources.  Only those whose 5-year recertification period is ending 10/31/2022 are eligible to earn 100% of their credits online.  Attendees can check their eligibility online at www.pcpnj.org.

—

Kurt M. Vollmer, Ph.D.

Extension Specialist-Weed Management
University of Maryland
Wye Research and Education Center
124 Wye Narrows Drive
Queenstown, MD 21658
(443) 446-4260
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops
March 18, 2022

Are Your Produce Buyers Talking about Third-Party Audits?

An increasing number of farms are being asked by their wholesale produce customers to comply with a third-party audit.  What do you need to know if a buyer asks you to have a third-Baskets of tomatoesparty audit?

Who would ask for a third-party audit? Current buyers of your product may notify you that you need a third-party audit in order for them to continue to purchase your product. Or a prospective buyer may tell you that in order to start purchasing your product you will need to pass a third-party audit.

What is a third-party audit? A third-party audit is an assessment of your production practices in compliance with a set of produce safety standards.  Requirements include educational training in produce safety, a written food safety plan (including written policies, standard operating procedures, documentation of activities, and records) specific to your operation that meet the standards of the audit your buyer requires. A third-party audit is conducted by an audit firm or outside agency.  The audit can take from several hours to several days based on your operation. The farm pays the audit fees and receives a certificate of compliance, the audit is required annually. Farms may have multiple buyers who require different audits, resulting in multiple audits annually.

Who conducts third-party audits? Auditing firms that buyers may rely on: USDA GAP, USDA Harmonized, Primus, Global GAP, BRC, SQF, etc. In New Jersey USDA audits are conducted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Division of Marketing and Development.

What questions should you ask of the buyer?
– What audit firm are they requiring you to use?
– What commodities do they require the audit to cover?
– When do they require you to have the audit completed?
– What type of training is required of the farm and how often is required?

Third-party audits should not be confused with the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, a federal regulation that most growers of produce that is typically consumed raw must comply with.

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety
March 11, 2022

Permitting Procedure for Importation of Poultry, Hatching Eggs, or Poultry Waste from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) States

Producers, please be aware of the following permit requirements. The updated list of states with detections can be accessed at

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/2022-hpai

The following information is from the NJ Dept. of Agriculture

https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/diseases/avian_influenza.html

  • Only poultry or hatching eggs moving into New Jersey live bird markets, from HPAI states, require a permit and 72 hour test.
  • The collection date, collection time, laboratory result, laboratory accession number and laboratory name must be recorded on the CVI
    accompanying the shipment.
  • A copy of the laboratory report must also accompany the shipment.
  • No poultry waste shall be imported from HPAI states, without prior approval and permit issued by the State Veterinarian.
  • For information about testing please refer to the N.J.A.C. 2:3-7.4 (b) at the link below:
    http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/pdf/NJACChapter3.pdf

STEP ONE:

  • Print and complete the form below and send to the Division of Animal Health by email or fax.
    Email –state.veterinarian@ag.nj.gov
    Fax – 609-671-6413
  • This form is to be used to facilitate the receipt of information. Submission of this form is not a permit for movement.

STEP TWO:

  • Call the Division of Animal Health at 609-671-6400, Monday through Friday, with the exception of holidays, from 8:45 AM to 4:45
    PM (EST), to confirm the Division’s receipt of the information.

STEP THREE:

  • If the application is complete, a permit number will be issued and a copy of the completed form with permit number will be
    emailed or faxed back to the requester.

“Folks who plan to import poultry product into NJ are recommended to call the Division of Animal Health (609-671-6400) to inquire if their intended purchase requires a permit. If yes, we can walk them through the process. The need for a permit might depend on the product, the location of the origin site, testing, etc…” – NJ Animal Health communication

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: