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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Webinars: Considerations for Agritourism Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Monday, August 31, 2020 07:00 PM
And
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 07:00 PM

For more information see: https://agritourism.rutgers.edu/training/

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agritourism Working Group developed considerations to assist NJ farmers with agritourism operations on their farms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This document is designed to help operators manage strategies for compliance with State executive orders and federal/state/local safety guidelines. The team will host 2 webinars on 8/31 and 9/1 at 7:00PM to discuss the considerations and provide an opportunity for farmers with agritourism operations to network

To Participate:
Click the link below. We suggest visiting at least 10 minutes before the session start time to confirm system requirements
https://go.rutgers.edu/sfk96jlp

Or participants can join in by phone:
1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 912 2343 8378

For more events hosted by Rutgers see: https://events.rutgers.edu/njaes/

CFAP Webinars for Additional Eligible Commodities

Join the USDA Farm Service Agency this afternoon, Wednesday August 19th at 3 pm, for the “Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Producer Webinar: Additional Eligible Commodities Added.” USDA Farm Service Agency will discuss additional commodities that are now eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), providing detailed examples on nursery crops, specialty crops, cut flowers, eligible aquaculture, and more. Registrations for this webinar are being accepted here.

The New Jersey Farm Service Agency (FSA) will be hosting an informational Nursery/Cut Flowers Stakeholders Webinar on Thursday, August 20th at 10 am regarding nursery and cut flowers eligibility for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This webinar will be held by a virtual Teams Meeting. Instructions on how to enter a Teams meeting using a computer or smartphone can be viewed here. If you are unable to attend virtually via Teams, you may dial in to hear the presentation. Slides to be presented are available here, although they are subject to modification prior to the event.

Please contact Lindsay Caragher at Lindsay.Caragher@usda.gov or 609-438-3133 with any questions about Teams Meeting or the webinar in general.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency is accepting applications through September 11, 2020 for the CFAP program which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Additional “Guidance and Compliance Assistance on Farmworker Safety & Pay During the Pandemic” Offered by US Dept of Labor – Wage & Hour

The following message was shared by Shavonne Person, Community Outreach & Resource Planning Specialist (CORPS), and Steven Risko, Assistant District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Wage & Hour Division, Southern New Jersey District Office in Lawrenceville:

“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces some of our nation’s most comprehensive labor laws for agricultural workers, [Read more…]

USDA Announces More Specialty Crops, Nursery Crops, Cut Flowers Eligible for CFAP Payments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that additional specialty crops, including nursery crops and cut flowers, are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and that the deadline to apply for the program is extended to September 11th. [Read more…]

Free Farm Succession Planning Webinar: August 26th – Pre-Register by August 24th

AgrAbility WebinarRoots of the Soil: Strategies and Resources for Succession Planning
A LIFE Project Webinar
Wednesday, August 26
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

This webinar notification was made available by the National AgrAbility Project. It will focus on basic strategies and first steps for succession. Succession planning begins with conversations; communication in the succession process is crucial to its success. Presenters will discuss the importance of open communication, aligning goals, documenting the plan, and collaborating with stakeholders. Resources to aid in the succession process as well as steps to take along the way will also be discussed.

Presenters:

Maria Marshall conducts an applied research, teaching, and Extension program in small and family business management, food marketing, and entrepreneurship. Dr. Marshall is the Director of the Purdue Institute for Family Business (PIFB). Her research focuses on small business development and family business management. Her small and family business research is focused on areas such as the resource exchange between the household and the business, family business management, and marketing. She is particularly focused on the resource exchange between household and business when each system experiences a normative and non-normative shock. Dr. Marshall’s outreach and teaching programs seek to increase economic development through entrepreneurship.

Renee Wiatt serves as the Family Business Management Specialist for the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, namely for the Purdue Institute for Family Business (PIFB). She works on extension and applied research in family business management and collaborates with partners such as centers focused on agriculture and families, Extension teams focused on agriculture and farm management, and researchers to develop funded programming focused on family business management. She is a team member of the Purdue Succession Planning Team and serves as the department representative for the Purdue Cooperative Extension Specialists’ Association (PUCESA).

A question & answer period will follow the presentation.
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To participate in this free webinar, click here to access the online registration form by Monday, August 24. Instructions for accessing the session will be sent to registrants by Tuesday, August 25. Please pass on this invitation to others you believe may be interested. Contact AgrAbility at 800-825-4264 or email agrability@agrability.org if you have questions.
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The National AgrAbility Project is supported by USDA/NIFA Special Project 2016-41590-25880. This webinar also supported by USDA award number A0192501X443G013.

The Show Must Go On(line) – 2020 Ag Progress Days Virtual Experience

Continuing a 50-year tradition, Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, brought to you by their College of Agricultural Sciences, is a one-stop shop this week, August 9-12, 2020, for the latest research, management practices, and regulations in agriculture.

This year, Penn State Extension educators and faculty have come together to provide a FREE virtual learning program filled with the latest in Ag research and best practices. This event is being offered at no charge to participants, but registration is required to receive the link to access a webinar. Even if you missed a day or a session, all registrants will receive access to the webinar recordings.

Online registrants can choose from more than 46 live webinars and get questions answered by the experts. Just check out the the live webinar schedule and register online. [Read more…]