Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

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 21, 2021

NJDEP Notice to Ag Businesses Regarding Open Burning April 21 2021

Due to the low temperatures predicted this evening April 21, 2021, the New Jersey DEP has issued an Open Burning Permit for Agricultural Businesses.

Note:The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots is warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties.

 

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape
April 21, 2021

Communicating the Value of COVID-19 Vaccines With Your Farm Employees

CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Posters available in multiple languages – “Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In an effort to increase participation in the COVID-19 vaccination program among farm workers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), through the national Extension Foundation, is working with Cooperative Extension across the country to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated. Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director Brian Schilling has enlisted a team of County Agents and Specialists to answer the call from the CDC to participate in this EXCITE program. Through a variety of communications channels we will be providing informational posters and other educational materials in several appropriate languages that you can hand out or post in locations where your workers can easily read them (like on or near your Worker Protections Standards bulletin boards or in your labor camps).

“Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic” posters from the CDC are now available on the COVID-19 page of the Rutgers NJAES On-Farm Food Safety website <https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/covid-19-information/> with the direct links to these multiple language editions:

You can also share this Spanish language video <https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/un-rayo-de-esperanza> from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services with your workers to help explain where they can get more information about COVID-19 vaccines. There are several other informational videos available at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Video, as well as posters/fliers from https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Poster%20%E2%80%93%20Flyer (mostly English), and factsheets at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Fact%20Sheet.

EXCITE PNG

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , ,
April 20, 2021

New Harmonized and Harmonized Plus+ standards go into effect May 1

This is the time of year when growers start to think about scheduling there USDA Harmonized and Harmonized Plus+ Audits.  There have been changes to both audits which take affect May 1.  Growers should download the latest versions from https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp/harmonized.  The Harmonized Audit is version 2 dated February 8, 2021 and the Harmonized Plus+ with the same date is version 3.  If anyone is still getting the GAP/GHP audits there are no changes.

There are changes to both the Harmonized and Harmonized Plus+.  New questions for the Harmonized Audit include:  G-8.2, G-10.7, G-12.1, G-12.2, P-3.1, P-8.2 and P-8.4.  Amended questions include: G-3.2, G-10.1, G-10.3, G-10.6, G-10.8, G-10.10, G-10.12, G-10.16 and G-10.19.  All of these apply to the Harmonized Plus+ in addition to four new questions:  F-8.2.c, P-6.5.a, P-3.1.a and P-9.4.a.  Two questions were also amended:  G2.2.2 and G-6.1.a.

Other than the new questions which must be reviewed and addressed in the food safety plan there are certain things audits will be stressing this year.  One is G-3.2 related to documentation and protection of those documents.  Documents must be maintained for two years and be available for review.  The one document which has not been assessed in the past is the portable toilet record.  This year they will be checking for it.  There are two ways growers can comply.  First make sure the starting and ending dates are on your contract for the portable toilets.  Also, take a picture of the log inside the toilet door at least at the end of the season.  It may make sense to do it mid-season and at the end.  Maintain those photos with your other documents.

The second is F-8.2 related to cleaning and sanitizing equipment, vehicles, tools and utensils and their storage.  There needs to be a schedule for those activities and records must include the date and method of cleaning and sanitizing.  One thing that gets overlooked at times are knives for field harvesting of vegetables and herbs.  These must be included, and the auditors will be looking for the logs this year.

Example templates are being updated on the Food Safety website https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/ that will include most of what would be needed for an audit.  These can be modified to fit any operation.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 15, 2021

Tractor Safety – “No Seat, No Rider”

There is no argument that tractors have forever changed agriculture. The use of tractors has long replaced the presence of draft horses on almost every farm in America. It is estimated that cultivation of land with a modern tractor allows 64 acres to be plowed in the time it took to cultivate one acre with a draft horse. The use of tractors also comes with a dark side. As long as farmers have been using tractors they have been injured and killed by them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 274 transportation related deaths, which includes tractor deaths in 2018. In any given year half of all tractor fatalities are from overturns, almost another one-fourth are from runovers. Many have a tradition of allowing extra passengers to ride on tractors. Sometimes trying to transport a worker from one task to the next or possibly saving them from walking back to the barn. Some even allow children to come along for a ride – a very dangerous practice. Whether it be on the tongue, side steps, fender or extra passenger in the cab, remember these places are not designed for riders. As we enter one of the busiest seasons in agriculture remember one of the most important safety rules NO SEAT, NO RIDER!

  • Riders that fall off are immediately in danger of being run over by a tractor wheel
  • On rough or uneven ground, riders are first to bounce off (especially children)
  • Riders distract the driver and can bump controls
  • Rollover Protective Structures are designed to protect drivers, not riders

Do not ever think “it won’t happen to me.” Every farmer can tell a story of an incident that happened to someone they know in the farm community that involves a tractor. Make sure everyone makes it through the harvest – NO SEAT, NO RIDER!

Posted on behalf of Bill Bamka, Agricultural Agent, RCE-Burlington County.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
April 14, 2021

Ask the Expert Series Orchard Edition

Ask the Expert Series Orchard Edition

Please Join us for an Interactive Discussion on Tree Fruit Insect Pests

April 21: 9AM-10AM

Zoom Link: https://go.rutgers.edu/eu5ps890

Meeting ID: 970 1440 2692

Password: 989229

Join by Phone: +1 646 558 8656

 

Expert Panelists
Anne Nielsen Ph.D. Associate Extension Specialist in Entomology,
Rutgers University
and
Arthur Agnello Ph.D. Professor, Cornell University
will be discussing tree fruit pests, and the latest management options

 

Remember this is intended to be an INTERACTIVE discussion.

 

Prior to Wednesday April 21, Please E-mail ALL of your Tree Fruit Insect Questions to:
Megan Muehlbauer muehlbauer@njaes.rutgers.eduOr
Hemant Gohil gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu

Prepare to have a lively interactive discussion between the experts and your fellow New Jersey tree fruit growers!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Tree Fruit
April 11, 2021

A spray tank’s last check list visual aide for corn and soybean weed management

Back in March, regional weed extension professionals discussed creating a visual aide chart for herbicide selection for the big three problematic weeds (palmer amaranth, common ragweed and marestail) in corn and soybean.

Below are two url links to “A Spray Tank’s Last Checklist in Soybean“; and “A Spray Tank’s Last Checklist in Corn” courtesy of Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist, University of Delaware Research and Education Center.

Note, these are not meant to replace anything extension has available already, rather to supplement and be coupled with herbicide resistance charts in the Agronomy Guide and the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Field Crop Weed Management Guide noted in this MARCH 5, 2021 post by Thierry Besancon, Rutgers Extension Weed Specialist

These supplemental charts are meant to be used as the spray tank is being filled, to ensure the right products are in the tank – thus the title “Last Check Chart”. These are not meant to be comprehensive for all herbicides and weeds, rather what extension weed experts in our region are recommending for the BIG 3 in corn and soybean. Always refer to the individual product label for weed and crop height and growth stage restrictions.

Ultimately plans are to have a wall-chart that can be distributed next extension season.

Soybean: http://www.udel.edu/008288

Corn: http://www.udel.edu/008287

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock