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.

June 25, 2021

Additional Vaccination Opportunities Across the State This Weekend

Last Friday, Governor Murphy announced that the State has reached the goal of having 70% adults fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, many areas across New Jersey still see vaccination rate below 70%. In addition to the Atlantic City rodeo event announced yesterday, the NJ Dept of Health shared these additional vaccination events/sites that will occur throughout the state this weekend:

  • The Mobile Command Center (vaccination van) will be in Irvington on Saturday 6/26, at Irvington Park, Lyons Avenue and Grove Street, from 10:30AM to 1:30PM
  • In Trenton on Saturday 6/26 there will be COVID-19 vaccines, music, giveaways, and a lot of fun at 416 Bellevue Avenue, Trenton, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Vaccine clinic at Rodeo in Atlantic City on Sunday 6/27 at Surf Stadium, 545 North Albany Avenue, Atlantic City, 3PM to 7PM.

Additionally, this weekend and early next week, there will be pop-up vaccination sites in Trenton, Camden, Ewing, Woodbridge, Long Branch, Lakewood, Hackensack, and Paterson.

Saturday 6/26, Grateful for the Shot pop-up clinics –

  • Ewing Township, 10am to 1pm – Faith Deliverance Cathedral Church, 15 Keswick Ave, Ewing Township, NJ 08638
  • Woodbridge Township, 1pm-4pm – Muslim Community of New Jersey, 15 South Second Street Fords, NJ 08863
  • Long Branch City, 10am-12pm – St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, 800 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740
  • Lakewood, 9am-5pm – Lakewood Town Square, Clifton Avenue & Third Street, Lakewood, NJ 08701

Sunday 6/27, Grateful for the Shot pop-up clinics –

  • Trenton, 9am to 11am – Parish of Our Lady of the Angels, 540 Chestnut Ave Trenton, NJ 08611
  • Hackensack, 2pm to 5pm – Redeemed Christian Church of God The King’s Court, 81 Trinity Pl, Hackensack, NJ 07601
  • Orange Township, 11am to 3 pm – First Shiloh Baptist Church, 424 Main St, City of Orange, NJ 07050

Monday 6/28, Grateful for the Shot pop-up clinics –

  • Paterson City, 4pm to 7pm – Templo Shalom, 586 Main St, Paterson, NJ 07503

Tuesday 6/29, Grateful for the Shot pop-up clinics –

  • Paterson City, 3pm to 6pm – Calvary Baptist Church, 575 E 18th St, Paterson, NJ 07514
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
June 24, 2021

Free Vaccinations at Atlantic City Rodeo Event – Sunday, June 27

On Sunday, June 27, there will be a free COVID-19 vaccination event during a rodeo being held at the Surf Stadium (545 North Albany Ave, Atlantic City). No appointments are needed and walk-ups are welcome. Both Pfizer for those ages 12 and older (1st and 2nd doses) and J&J for those 18 and older will be available. No ID documentation is required and there will be no impact on immigration status. More details are available in the attached flyers (in English and Spanish) that can be printed, posted and/or handed out for you, your family and farm employees.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and free. Get vaccinated!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
June 24, 2021

New Jersey Farmland Preservation Seeking New Applications for State Acquisition Program

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher recently announced that the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program is accepting new applications for farm owners wishing to permanently preserve their land. The State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), the agency that administers the program, is accepting new applications through its State Acquisition Program in which landowners coordinate directly with the SADC office to preserve their farms.

If you are interested in exploring preservation, the SADC acquisition regional coordinators are ready to help.

  • Stefanie Miller (covers Hunterdon county) stefanie.miller@ag.nj.gov
  • Amy Mandelbaum (covers Atlantic, Cape May, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Camden, Gloucester counties) amy.mandelbaum@ag.nj.gov
  • Katie Mazzella (covers Salem, Cumberland counties) katie.mazzella@ag.nj.gov
  • Rachel DeFlumeri (covers Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Warren counties) rachel.deflumeri@ag.nj.gov.

You may also call the SADC’s main number at 609-984-2504 or visit the SADC’s website at www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/farmpreserve/.

 

Click to access 2021.6.21SADCAnnouncesSeekingDirectEasementApplicationsFINAL.pdf

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
June 23, 2021

COVID Delta Variant and NJ Agriculture

As the farming season progresses so does concern for the increased prevalence of the COVID Delta variant in the region.  We asked Don Schaffner, Extension Specialist, about the Delta variant and if we should be concerned about it.  If you or your farm workers are in need of a vaccine please email njfarmvax@njaes.rutgers.edu and an Extension team member will assist you with finding local vaccination locations and/or determine if an on-farm vaccine clinic is possible for your workers.  If you have questions about the vaccine visit the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Vaccine Education for Growers website for information in multiple languages.

Meredith Melendez: Are we seeing an increase in cases of the COVID Delta variant in New Jersey or the region?

Don Schaffner: Yes. According to CDC, Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) had only 3.1% of all infections due to the Delta variant for the week ending 5/22/21. This percentage had jumped to 17.7% week for the week ending 6/5/21. There are not further updates at this time.

Also according to the CDC in NJ 3.4% all infections were due to the Delta variant for the week ending 5/22/21. No further New Jersey specific updates are available at this time.

MM: How is the Delta variant different than the COVID cases we saw over the past year?

DS: There are a number of reasons why there is increased concern over the Delta variant. Epidemiological data shows that the variant has increased transmissibility (i.e. it is more easily spread from person to person) than the original strain. Estimates indicate that it is about 60% more transmissible. This means that for every one person infected by the original virus, on average for the same conditions the Delta variant would spread to about 1.6 people.

One of the ways of combating the virus once someone is infected is with monoclonal antibody treatments. There is evidence that the Delta variant is more resistant to this important treatment.

There is also evidence that the Delta virus is not as readily neutralized by post-vaccination sera. Sera contain the antibodies in people that are vaccinated.

MM: Are the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines as effective against the Delta variant?

DS: Yes.  The Johnson & Johnson vaccine appears to be about 60% effective against the delta variant. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 88% effective after the second dose (vs. over 90% for other variants). So while the vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant, it is still much better to be vaccinated than not.

MM: Why should someone get vaccinated now if they haven’t already?

DS: Unvaccinated individuals are vulnerable to all variants of the virus. These variants arise through the natural evolution when the virus replicates inside a sick person. Since the vaccines can stop some people from getting infected, the more people that are vaccinated the better control we will have over these variants and stop new variants from evolving.

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Vegetable Crops
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: , , , ,