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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November 20, 2020

Integrated Weed Management Workshops (with functional registration link)

An Integrated Weed Management workshops organized by Virginia Tech, University of Delaware, and University of Maryland will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday Dec. 8th (first half of the meeting) and Tuesday Dec. 15th (second half of the meeting). On both days, participants can choose the time that works best for them: 8-10 am OR 6-8 pm.  These workshops are free, but participants will need to register.

Session One: Tuesday Dec. 8th from 8-10 am OR 6-8 pm

  • Herbicide Resistance- What is It?
  • Mechanisms of Action-How to Choose Herbicides
  • Creating Effective Herbicide Plans

Session Two: Tuesday Dec. 15th from 8-10 am OR 6-8 pm

  • Integrated Management of Palmer Amaranth, Common Ragweed, and Marestail
  • Local Farmer Perspectives on Resistance Weed Management
  • Putting It All Together: Creating a Weed Management Plan

<a style=”background-color: #ffff00;” href=”https://ume.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_572VSpGgXvPk6e9″>Register here

Flyer available here

Program materials including an IWM guide, factsheets on herbicide resistant weeds, identification guides, and a special “Fight Weeds” facemask will be mailed to each participant prior to the meeting. Please include a valid mailing address.

Pesticide and CCA credits have been requested, but may not be available for all states.

Participants seeking CCA credits will need to confirm that they viewed the material to receive credit. State level programs require participants to correctly answer 4 of 5 webinar specific content questions to receive credits. Links to complete the quiz will be sent to the participants shortly after the scheduled session has been completed. In addition, a QR code (to navigate to the evaluation link) will be shared at the end of each webinar. NOTE: Only registered participants can access the questions and receive credit for attending the webinars.  Only one completed quiz will be allowed for each registered email.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
November 18, 2020

What produce safety concerns keep you up at night?

Work in or around produce safety?  We have a new project that wants to know what produce safety concerns keep you up at night.  In this anonymous online survey you will be asked toWilted crops rank your top five produce safety risk management areas that need improvement.  The information collected will be used to guide Extension work nationally and the development of resources to help manage risks and comply with regulations.

This survey should take about ten minutes to complete and there is no direct benefit to you for completing this survey.  The first survey question, the informed consent, must be answered yes in order to proceed through the survey. The informed consent will give you more details about the nature of the survey,  the handling of any information collected, and contact information should you have questions about this survey. Anyone involved in the produce industry who is at least 18 years of age may take this survey.  Please click on the link below to enter the survey.  https://go.rutgers.edu/4tuxsrdf

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
November 12, 2020

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for Livestock Producers

CowBy, Stephen Komar and Michelle Infante-Casella

Livestock producers are eligible for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2). If you commercially raise animals for food, fur, fiber, or feathers, you may be eligible for assistance. Check to see if you raise eligible livestock through the USDA’s Eligible Commodities Finder.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency will accept CFAP 2 applications through December 11, 2020.

Learn more at https://www.farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock Tagged With: ,
November 5, 2020

Soil Health Webinars Featuring Dr. James White Rutgers University Plant Pathology Professor, November 17th and 18th

SoilYou may have seen this information in the November 5th “Morning Ag Clips” edition. If not, please see this information being reposted here about webinars on soil health being held on November 17th and 18th.

Healthy soil is within the reach of every farm and ranching operation. The principles that govern healthy, productive soils are simple: nourish, build and leverage the soil microbiome—work with nature instead of against it.
Exemplifying the belief that soil health is an opportunity and responsibility for every farm, Heliae® Agriculture has announced a virtual 2-day educational event: Rethinking Soil Productivity, to showcase soil health opportunities that farms in every geography, of all scope and scale, can take advantage of.

The live webinar experience will kick-off on November 17th at 11 a.m. eastern standard time with an in-depth discussion with renowned Rutgers University plant pathology professor, Dr. James White, who will be joined by Heliae Chief Revenue Officer, Norm Davy and Vice President of Agriculture Science, Dr. Karl Wyant. The trio will explore the soil’s microbiome through discussion and the examination of Dr. White’s research on the Rhizophagy Cycle. The session promises to offer insight into the newly discovered process of a plant’s ability to “farm” the beneficial microbes it needs and fundamental management strategies that can be implemented within any production model.

Day 2 on November, 18th, brings the Heliae® Agriculture science, research and sales team together in a discussion that focuses on the creation of a healthy soil biome. Here, the team will take a deeper look at the multitude of benefits that come from working with nature rather than against it, sharing the timeline of the PhycoTerra team’s research and discovery, and the efficacy and return on investment a regenerative approach brings to any farming operation. Both sessions will feature a dedicated live Q&A segment to allow viewers to submit questions to the panels of professionals for real-time answers, and will offer participants the opportunity to earn four Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) continuing education units (CEUs) in the following areas:

Approved CEUs (4 Total)
Nutrient Management: 1
Soil and Water Management: 1
Crop Management: 1
Professional Development: 1

Each day will also feature breakout sessions that focus on showcasing regional PhycoTerra® trial results. Breakout sessions will be hosted and presented by the Heliae® Agriculture team with live Q&A provided for every session.

Sessions will include:

NOVEMBER 17TH:

Florida & Georgia – Berries, Leafy Greens & Potatoes
•Time: 2:00 PM EST

Canada – Wheat & Canola
•Time: 3:00 PM EST

Midwest – Corn & Beans
•Time: 4:00 PM EST

NOVEMBER 18TH:

Spanish Speaking
•Time: 2:00 PM EST

Pacific Northwest – Potatoes & Wheat
•Time: 3:00 PM EST

Arizona & California – Strawberries, Almonds & Leafy Greens
•Time: 4:00 PM EST

For more information on the 2-Day Webinar experience: Rethinking Soil Productivity or to register visit: https://bit.ly/3euoMnW

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
November 2, 2020

NJ PPE Access Program For NJ Businesses

On the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub, there is news that NJ Businesses can receive discounts to purchase PPE from approved retailers. There is a 10% discount on PPE products for all businesses, and qualified small businesses may receive an additional 25% discount. If you are planning your PPE purchases for the winter or next season, this may be an opportunity to save some money in the process. The site links to participating vendors, has tools to determine if you qualify for additional discounts and estimating your PPE needs, as well as letting you sign up for notifications of future discount programs.

If you have questions about the program, you can ask them at SmallBusinessPPE@njeda.com.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
November 2, 2020

Univ California Survey on Uses of Specialty Asian Produce

Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, Ph.D., Small Farms and Specialty Crops Farm Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in Fresno and Tularie Counties is conducting a national survey of growers and consumers of specialty Asian produce.

The purpose is to identify which types of specialty Asian produce are almost always cooked before eating, so that Southeast Asian and other small-scale farmers can receive exemptions from federal food safety regulations for low-risk crops. She would appreciate your help by both taking the survey and also sharing it widely with consumers of these crops, so she can gather data to provide to the FDA on whether they are eaten cooked or raw.

Click here to take the survey and enter to win a $50 gift card

Food safety regulations have exemptions for produce that is usually cooked instead of eaten raw, because the risk to consumers from human pathogens is much lower. Crops like potatoes, pumpkins, or lima beans that are almost always cooked before eating have a much lower risk than leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach that are frequently eaten raw.

The FDA’s current list of “rarely consumed raw” produce does not include many types of produce that are culturally important to diverse communities of consumers across the US, because the FDA does not have data on how they are eaten. Because these crops are not on the list, small-scale farmers growing specialty produce cannot receive the exemptions that mainstream crops do, even if their crops are never eaten raw.

We now have an opportunity to submit data to the FDA on additional crops that usually are cooked, pickled, or fermented to kill any disease organisms before eating. Data will be shared with the FDA to recommend additional culturally important crops to be added to the “rarely consumed raw” list, so that these crops can receive the same exemptions as mainstream “rarely consumed raw” crops under the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Please help us contribute to making federal food safety regulations more inclusive of diverse communities of farmers and consumers. Click here or on the link above to take the 15-minute survey, and please share widely with any individuals or organizations who might be interested.

As a thank you for completing the survey, respondents can enter a drawing to receive one of ten $50 gift cards.

Thank you for helping to support. This effort will help diversified farmers here in NJ as well!

If you have questions about the survey, you may contact Dr. Dahlquist-Willard at:

Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, Ph.D.
Small Farms and Specialty Crops Farm Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension, Fresno and Tulare Counties
Voicemail: 559-241-7513 (working remotely)

http://smallfarmsfresno.ucanr.edu/

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