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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June 11, 2021

Montclair State Univ Seeking Participants for Survey on Farm Marketing Distribution Channels

Renata Blumberg, PhD, Associate Professor in the Dept of Nutrition & Food Studies at Montclair State University is conducting a survey of farmers who engage in direct-to-consumer marketing (farmers’ markets, CSA, etc.) about their distribution practices and any changes that have occurred since the start of the pandemic. [The survey also implies she wants to know if you’ve switched from wholesale to direct marketing methods over the past year as well.] The survey should take only about 20 minutes of your time.

To participate in the survey, please click here.

Please note that you must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the survey. There is also an incentive gift card if you participate.

This study has been approved by the Montclair State University Institutional Review Board (IRB- IRB-FY20-21-1996).

Dr. Blumberg thanks you in advance for your participation! 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
June 11, 2021

Gleanings from SM – CA Virtual Strawberry Field Day; Robots in the Field

From LinkedIn.com:

  • Surendra Dara, Entomology & Biologicals Advisor at UC Cooperative Extension, San Luis Obispo County, California, announced that registration is now open for the Virtual Strawberry Field Day on July 14. Please see the agenda at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PSU/files/352199.pdf and register at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=35066
  • TTS BV, a company from the Netherlands, posts videos of their TTS automatic transplanters on their website and shares on LinkedIn.com:  At TTS we care a lot about technology and innovation! ⁠Our robotsystem makes sure that you can plant several lines at once, up to at your own preferred distances and depth. ⁠⁠The can be combined with nearly all planting trays or even with your own existing toolbar, so no need for a lot of changes. See www.automatictransplanting.com for videos and photos highlighting their technologies, including a transplant ‘grabber’ similar to one invented right here by a Rutgers agriculture engineer 30+ years ago.
  • Back to CA, PlantTape Inc. <https://www.planttape.com/> also shares videos and stories on LinkedIn.com about their planting system that speeds up semi-automatic transplanting using paper-tape connected planting cells that slip into the ground at amazing speeds.

 

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Strawberry, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
June 10, 2021

Be Proactive, Keep Youth Safe on the Farm

How often do you say this: “do as I say, not as I do”?

The farm can be a fun, engaging, and nostalgic place to raise children; however, life on the farm comes with inherent risks that require certain precautions to make the farm a safe place for kids. The curious nature of children makes this especially difficult, as they often exhibit a lack of fear or a clear understanding of danger. According to the Children’s Safety Network, 42% of fatal injuries to youth on U.S. farms involve machinery and motor vehicles (e.g. tractors, ATVs, etc.) while another 16% of fatal injuries are due to drowning. As the school year comes to a close and your own children and grandchildren spend more time on the farm, use your actions and attitude to establish safety as a priority.

In addition to being a positive role model, make time to identify hazards around the farm and implement changes to improve safety. We have included some of these hazardous “hot spots” in the table below, along with recommendations for injury prevention.

Hazards for Children Recommendations to Prevent Injury
Workshops, chemical and grain storage areas Install gates, doors, or other locking systems to keep children out

Explain the meaning of warning signs around the farm

Clean and dispose of empty chemical containers

Establish designated safe play areas
Machinery and equipment Equipment should be turned off, disengaged, and inaccessible

Leave front end loaders and similar equipment in the down position

Lock vehicle cabs after use

Keep vehicle keys out of reach of children

Never allow children to play around machinery

Never allow children (or anyone) to be an extra rider on a tractor
Livestock Pens Only allow children to work with livestock under adult supervision

Secure livestock pens so children cannot wander into the area

 

If you’re looking for fun ways to talk with children about farm safety, check out this farm safety activity book created by the National Child Safety Council. The book includes games, puzzles, crafts, and more on a wide array of topics from livestock and tractor safety to first aid.

For more details on age-specific hazards, protective measures, and appropriate tasks for youth check out our NJAES factsheet titled “Farm Safety Tips for Children”.

Source: Brennan, M.F. and Brumfield, R.B. “FS937: Farm Safety Tips for Children.” Rutgers University, March 1999. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS937. Accessed on 10 June 2021.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
June 8, 2021

Needs Assessment Survey for RU Ready to Farm Beginner Farm Training Program

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Training Program-RU Ready to Farm is looking for input from beginner farmers on what types of subjects they would like to see covered. The 2022 season of RU Ready to Farm will feature in person workshops that are open to the general beginner farmer community, and the focus and content of these workshops will be designed according to community need and interest. If you have been farming for fewer than 10 years and would like to contribute to the development of this workshop series, the survey can be found here: RU Ready to Farm Needs Assessment. 

For more information about the RU Ready to Farm program, visit: https://rubeginnerfarmer.rutgers.edu/

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
June 7, 2021

Rutgers Resources to Help Your Customers Safely Preserve Your Farm Fresh Produce

Home Food PreservationOur Ag & Natural Resources (ANR) Chair Nick Polanin shared that our Rutgers Cooperative Extension Family & Community Health Science Department (FCHS) has developed social media posts (below) and the attached mini posters for use by on-farm & community farm markets to promote safe home food preservation. These direct users to the NJAES home food preservation webpage. The posters are provided in full color and less color versions for websites or printing.

Face Book:  Please share this Facebook  post:  https://www.facebook.com/SCNJFCHS/posts/2008602745963285

Instagram text to copy & paste the jpg photo attached  and the following text:

Preserve Your Farm Fresh Produce

With the help of @fchs.rutgers, you can now access a harvest of free information for preserving your farm fresh produce!

Filled with webinars, events, videos, and all kinds of other resources, the home food preservation website is great for making everything easy to understand and digest, all while helping you learn through tutorial, expert publications, and more.

You can access the full site here:  njaes.rutgers.edu/food-safety/home-food-preservation/

This is also a valuable way of finding specific classes or speakers, as well as learning more about your county’s local FCHS office, their programs and events.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
June 6, 2021

Management of italian ryegrass

Below is a pdf on ‘Italian Ryegrass Management in Soybeans’ by Take Action Partners on herbicide resistance management.

Italian rye grass and its hybrids are a common grass in head right now along field edges and in fall planted grains or as a weed of pure stands of hay crops. Ryegrass is difficult to control in most crops due to its emergence biology, tillering and resistance to herbicides.

“Technical editing for this publication was led by Larry Steckel, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Jason Bond, Ph.D., Mississippi State University, in partnership with other universities in the soybean-growing regions of the United States. Take Action is supported by BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Dow, FMC, Monsanto, Syngenta, Valent and corn, cotton, sorghum, soy and wheat organizations.” For more information and links to additional resources, visit www.IWillTakeAction.com.™

https://iwilltakeaction.com/uploads/files/57229-7-ta-hrm-factsheet-italianryegrass-r2-final.pdf

For management in forage hay crops, see the Oregon State publication “MANAGEMENT OF ANNUAL RYEGRASS CONTAMINATION IN TALL FESCUE AND ORCHARDGRASS GROWN FOR SEED” https://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/system/files/curtis_annual_ryegrass.pdf

 

 

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