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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May 8, 2020

Livestock Marketing Roundtable Regional Producer Discussion

Friday, May 8, 2020
7-8 PM

This web-based producer forum is being held to discuss the challenges and opportunities for livestock marketing in response to Covid-19. Join Rutgers Cooperative Extension faculty and staff, NJDA staff, producers and others interested in direct marketing of livestock and value-added meat and poultry products.

To Participate:
Click to join. We suggest visiting at least 15 minutes before the session start time to confirm system requirements.

Join by phone
+1-650-429-3300 USA Toll
Access code: 196 573 261

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock Tagged With:
May 7, 2020

COVID-19 Guidance For Farmworkers & Employers

An Important Message from Secretary Fisher (May 6, 2020)

“As mentioned during the Governor’s press conference this afternoon by Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, a group led by the Department of Health, working in coordination with the Departments of Agriculture and Labor, is finalizing a Guidance Document, “COVID-19 Guidance for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, Their Employers and Housing Providers.” As stated by the Health Commissioner today, this document is expected to be rolled out at the end of this week, with further communication about it coming next week.”

Details will be shared as soon as this guidance document is available.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
May 6, 2020

Printable Signage to Inform Customers of COVID-19 Policies

Communicating your policies to customers is critical during this season, especially about your COVID-19 policies.  Printable signs have been developed for use on New Jersey farms.  Click on the images below for a direct link to the letter-size paper printable of each sign. Visit the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety COVID-19 website for more resources.

Cloth face coverings and gloves must be made available to employees by the business.  Employees must wear a cloth face covering and gloves but may supply their own if they prefer.  Customers must wear a cloth face covering while on the property of essential retail businesses.  If a customer cannot or is not willing to wear a face-covering you must consider alternative methods of selling your food to them.  An order can be taken over the phone, or in a parking lot.  Options include phone ahead orders or parking lot orders where staff select the items for the customer.

Face coverings required to shop inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essential retail businesses must maintain social distancing in retail areas, and whenever possible in other areas.

Maintain social distancing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick your own operations to need to enforce face-covering use and social distancing in both indoor and outdoor areas of the farm.  Executive Order 122 requires the wearing of face coverings by staff and customers at essential retail businesses.  Prominent signage with your farm policies will help convey the message and ample posting on your social media sites.  You can create your own or use the one below.

Please follow our U-Pick Policy

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
May 5, 2020

New Jersey Statewide Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting

New Jersey Statewide Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting

May 12, 2020     5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

It has been a VERY busy spring for the tree fruit industry in New Jersey.  Let us all take an evening to sit and discuss field and industry updates.  Rutgers University Agricultural Agents and Specialists will assist us all in moving forward efficiently through the season.

In our efforts to continue to comply with COVID-19 guidelines and will be meeting as a statewide industry online.  A number of our statewide specialists and agricultural agents will provide presentations and lead discussions on the following topics which will include:

Guidance for Operating Farm Stands and ‘U-Pick’ Operations under COVID-19 Restrictions

Assessing Frost Injury on Tree Fruit

Weed Management and alternatives to Paraquat

IPM Updates around the state

Changes to the DEP Pesticide Code

To register for this training session

Go to https://rutgers.webex.com/rutgers/k2/j.php?MTID=t95666ca9e039986a46f10751ab184f05 and register.

Once you are approved by the host, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session.

Registration password: This session does not require a registration password.

To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link
https://rutgers.webex.com/rutgers/k2/j.php?MTID=t491ad60af7fd8c091b6436c659e4140e

NJ_Tree_Fruit_Twilight_Meeting_II_Agenda

For assistance contact Megan Muehlbauer at: muehlbauer@njaes.rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
May 5, 2020

US Small Business Admin Opens Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Programs to Agriculture

Today the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs. The EIDL portal reopened today as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers and ranchers are encouraged to apply immediately.

Only agricultural businesses are eligible to apply through the reopened EIDL portal. Agricultural businesses include those engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agriculture-related industries. All eligible agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees should begin preparing the financial information necessary for the application process.

Eligible agricultural businesses can apply for the EIDL loan here.

For agriculture producers who submitted an EIDL application prior to this change, the SBA will continue to process these applications; there is no need to apply again. All other EIDL loan applications that were submitted before the portal stopped accepting new applications on April 15 will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis. This expanded access for agriculture to the EIDL program is in addition to existing access for farmers and ranchers to the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, which can be applied for here.

For more information, agriculture producers may visit the SBA.gov disaster assistance page.

(Based on press release from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.)

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , ,
May 5, 2020

Sourcing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Your Farm Employees

PPE suppliers have been backlogged with orders for N95 facemasks, hand sanitizers, disinfectants and disposable gloves. Sourcing supplies for your essential agricultural workers may be a challenge. NJ Farm Bureau, with assistance of staff from Congressman Van Drew’s office, have been compiling lists of local and regional businesses that are able to supply PPE equipment (see table below).

Vendor Dave McDonough at General Chemical and Supply in Moorestown, strongly recommends farmers should “act fast”! Expect that as other businesses resume operations (i.e. reopen), demand will spike and cause delays. With this in mind, Pete Furey, NJ Farm Bureau Executive Director, suggests farmers should not sit on their hands and order at least a month’s supply of what is needed from where ever they regularly purchase PPE supplies.

Recognizing the rapid tightening of PPE supplies, the Fruit and Vegetable Assoc (FFVA) participated in a working group with the Dept of Homeland Security, FEMA and the FEMA Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force to prioritize and elevate the needs of the agricultural/food sector to gain access to additional personal protection equipment, as well as disinfectants and sanitation supplies, to protect the health and safety of employees within the ag sector. Attached is a spreadsheet shared by the FFVA listing additional sources of PPE and sanitation/disinfectant supplies.

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Lastly, in emergency situations, if farms cannot get PPE mask/gloves for their workers, they should contact their county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) who can request supplies from the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC). This is the public-private emergency response unit within the State Police emergency management headquarters that is handling the state supply of PPE.
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Sources of PPE Equipment & Supplies

Company Products Contact Address Phone Email
General Chemical & Supply masks David McDonough

858 North Lenola Road, Unit 1A

Moorestown NJ 08057

 856 778 5550 DMcDonough@GCSNJ.US

For ordering: Shannon@GCSNJ.US
Valken Sports masks Rob Pierce 856-207-2983
LD innovations masks David Reynolds 856-287-1602 Dir0614@gmail.com
Evolution – St. Louis hazmat suits, masks,  gowns, hand sanitizer & wipes John Elmuccio 908-868-8284 jelmuccio@evolutionstl.com

www.evolutionstl.com
Care and Wear masks, gloves, goggles, gowns Chaitenya Razdan 800-410-5505 (office)

509-356-9128 (fax)

 crazdan@careandwear.com

www.careandwear.com
Gempler’s masks, gloves, goggles, gowns 800-382-8473 gemplers.com

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , ,