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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January 15, 2021

Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!!

Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention will be held February 8-11, 2021 ONLINE!

This year’s Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference is 100% online.  There will be an excellent lineup of speakers from all over the country presenting on topics ranging from soil health to digital marketing.

New Jersey Pesticide Credits will be awarded (CORE, PP2, 1A, and 10).

Please note: TO ENSURE GROWERS RECEIVE PESTICIDE CREDITS THEY MUST

  1. Register as a New Jersey State Horticultural Society Member
  2. They must attend the ENTIRE credit bearing session.
  3. They MUST look for and follow the instructions on the follow-up E-mail, which will be sent to from Hunterdon County Agricultural Extension Secretary Kim Crommelin kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us following the meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the meeting or pesticide credits please reach out to Kim Crommeliln kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Register at the Link Below

https://amr.swoogo.com/mafvc2021/785984

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape
January 14, 2021

Free Webinar: Strategies to Help Ag Producers Plan During the COVID-19 Crisis

Eastern farmers and agricultural producers have experienced unprecedented challenges in handling the vulnerability of our food systems. As we move forward to plan for a new season and a new year during the COVID pandemic, there is an urgent need to seek and identify best strategies to support farmers and agricultural producers in adjusting goals and achieving prosperity. This Open Forum – January 20, 2021 at 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. – will provide practitioners, extension agents, farmers, and agricultural producers an opportunity to identify gaps, brainstorm ideas, and share examples to support each other. Presenters leading the discussions will share 1-2 best practices to assist farmers and agricultural producers, including value-added production, agritourism, and other operations types.

This event is free and open to anyone, but registration is required to get the Zoom link. Registration is available by clicking here.

eXtension is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
January 11, 2021

NJDEP & Rutgers OCPE Announce Roll Out of New Online Pesticide Exam Portal!

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Rutgers University are pleased to announce that the new online Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER) system is NOW AVAILABLE for your use.  Anyone interested in taking a Pesticide exam must register through the PACER system at pacer.rutgers.edu. The registration PACER system and exams are available 24/7.   All exams […]
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
January 7, 2021

Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program Now Available for Eligible Producers Affected by 2018, 2019 Natural Disasters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that signup for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program began Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, this new program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring in 2018 and 2019. The deadline to apply for QLA is Friday, March 5, 2021. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
January 7, 2021

Harmonized Audit From Start To Finish – January 19, 2021

If you need to know more about the USDA Harmonized Audits register for the virtual training on January 19, 2021.  This three hour class will cover each question on the USDA Harmonized Audit and USDA Harmonized Plus Audits.  New Jersey Department of Agriculture Auditors will discuss how someone signs up for an audit and review common issues that auditors found during 2020 audits.  Participants will have the opportunity have their questions answered to help make their audit run more smoothly.  To register for the class go to https://go.rutgers.edu/whfr8g1u

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
January 4, 2021

USDA to Conduct 2020 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the 2020 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey, beginning in January 2021.  First conducted in 2015, this Census of Agriculture special study will look at local and regional food systems and provide new data on how locally grown and sold foods in the United States are marketed. The results will be available in November 2021. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,