December 18, 2024

Register Before December 31 for Bonuses at the 2025 NJ Ag Convention

Have you signed up for the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show yet?
Visit the VGANJ Convention Website and register today!

It’s incredibly simple! Here’s a pro tip: Become a member of the Vegetable Growers Association to enjoy all the benefits, even if you don’t grow vegetables, and save on convention registration fees by becoming a member. Everyone must register to enter the trade show and participate in educational sessions and other events sponsored by the VGANJ. 

Make sure to register by December 31st to receive two complimentary drink tickets (per registered individual) for use at the trade show bars after 2 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a $100 gift card for meals during your time in Atlantic City!

Don’t forget to check the VGANJ website for the exciting new educational sessions for 2025.

Also, on Tuesday there will be a special free “Lunch and Learn” program to engage with vendors and participate in a Q&A session with the new Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn.
*FREE lunch tickets only for the first 100 farmers Tuesday who sign up for the “Lunch and Learn” at the registration desk on Tuesday morning. Lunch starts at 12:00.

On Wednesday, February 5th the VGANJ will be honoring the NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year. For 2025 the honoree is Brian Porch from Salem County, NJ. Come help us celebrate our awardee and the NJDA awardees at the banquet. Tickets are now available online through VGANJ. See the VGANJ Convention Website to sign up for the banquet and other special events.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With:
December 17, 2024

NJDA Memo – First Theileria orientalis Ikeda Positive Cattle Case in New Jersey

I’ve included for you a memo from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture regarding Theileria orientalis subtype Ikeda found in NJ.

Theileria orientalis Ikeda is a tickborne protozoan infection in cattle (but can impact sheep and goats) that is most commonly spread through the bite of an ixodid tick. An emerging vector for this disease is the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis), a tick that was first identified in Hunterdon County in 2017 and has since been detected in 21 states and DC. This tick is active in New Jersey from March through October or early November (Ticks Don’t Take a Winter Vacation).

Well, what will happen if animals get bitten by an infected tick?

  • The T. orientalis Ikeda protozoa will infect the red and white blood cells, which results in anemia in affected animals.
    • Due to anemia, infected cattle may appear similar to those affected by anaplasmosis.
  •  Common clinical signs include weakness, inappetence, pyrexia (elevated body temperature), mucosal pallor (pale gums/mucus membranes), jaundice, and elevated respiratory and heart rates.

T. orientalis Ikeda infections have been reported to cause mortality in 1- 5% of infected cattle but can be as high as 50%. Pregnant heifers and calves are particularly susceptible to infection. While there are several types of T. orientalis found in the United States, to date, only T. orientalis genotype Ikeda has been shown to cause severe illness in animals.

How do you control it?

  • There is no approved treatment or vaccine for T. orientalis in cattle in the United States.
  • The best method of prevention is tick control. Recommended strategies include:
    • Veterinary-approved pesticide treatment (such as pour-on and ear tags)
    • Regular tick inspections
    • Clearing of bushes
    • Keeping pastures and grass mowed short.

A useful document can be found here: Managing the Asian Longhorned Tick: Checklist for Best Management Practices for Cattle Producers

The NJDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (AHDL) is currently working to coordinate diagnostic testing for T. orientalis. For further information on testing, veterinarians should contact the laboratory at (609) 406-6999 or via email at jerseyvetlab@ag.nj.gov. As an emerging disease in New Jersey, knowing detected cases of T. orientalis can help determine the impact of this disease on New Jersey cattle.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock
December 4, 2024 , , and

Draft Rules For Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program & Public Information Session

On December 2, 2024, the NJ Board of Public Utilities posted draft rules for the Dual-Use Solar Energy (agrivoltaics) Pilot Program that was enacted by the NJ State Legislature. The purpose of the posting is to elicit public input by the January 31, 2025 deadline. The draft rules in the NJ Register are available to review here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/Dual-Use-Solar-Rules
There will be a public information session (presentation and Q&A) about the draft rules on the morning of December 17. More details about this session are available here: https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/public/
Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , ,
December 4, 2024

Farmworker Housing and Firefighters: Free Webinar, Dec. 6

Something to share with your colleagues at local fire companies, from www.morningagclips.com –

Many first responders are unaware of the various mandates surrounding farmworker housing

ONLINE — Farmworker housing poses unique challenges to rural fire departments in terms of both fire code inspections and emergency response. Furthermore, many first responders are unaware of the various mandates surrounding farmworker housing.

A free webinar, noon-1 p.m. (Central Time) on Dec. 6, will introduce firefighters, other first responders, and health and safety professionals to incident prevention and emergency response considerations, and increase understanding about farmworkers and relevant housing standards so that the agricultural community can better engage in risk mitigation and emergency pre-planning activities.

The webinar is being co-hosted by the Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety and Health (RF-DASH) team at the National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wis.; and the National Center for Farmworker Health. The webinar is free but registration is required. To register, and for more information, visit Farmworker Housing and Firefighters Webinar – RF-DASH

Speakers include:

  • Casper Bendixsen, director, National Farm Medicine Center
  • Bethany Alcauter, director, Research and Public Health Programs, National Center for Farmworker Health
  • Aaron Andre, fire prevention coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
  • Kathryn Mueller, chief, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Program and Planning Section, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
  • Dennis Dederich, chief, Vesper Volunteer Fire Department
  • Jerry Minor, chief, Pittsville Fire Company

There are approximately 2.9 million agricultural workers in the United States, including seasonal and migrant farmworkers. It is estimated that nearly a third of farmworkers live in crowded housing conditions and as many as 15 percent live in employer-provided housing.

–National Farm Medicine Center

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
November 27, 2024

Get Ready for the 2025 NJ Ag Convention – February 3-6

It is that time of year again to sign up for the annual NJ Agricultural Convention, co-sponsored by the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Visit the VGANJ website at https://vganj.com/convention-tickets to register.

For 2025 there are new and exciting opportunities to learn about all aspects of the agricultural industry at the educational sessions and from vendors at the trade show. If you came last year, you also saw many new improvements to the convention – more vendors, more educational sessions, a complimentary lunch (limited free tickets) on Tuesday highlighting “what’s new from industry”, a complimentary hot buffet at the Tuesday happy hour/charity auction, youth programs for FFA, and co-convention events with the NJ Department of Agriculture. These offerings and more are coming for 2025. New events like Monday afternoon workshops, a livestock session, an agricultural policy session, an environmental session, and others are confirmed for this coming year. Licensed pesticide applicators will see an increase in recertification credits on the program for 2025. 

To check out the educational programming and NJDEP recertification credits for pesticide applicators see https://go.rutgers.edu/ConvProgram2025 – this is a draft program. Also, note that some events need special sign-up so read the program carefully to see what events need pre-registration.

NJ State Board of Agriculture information for the convention is coming soon. Check out their website at Department of Agriculture | Conventions.

If you have any questions about the VGANJ registration, go to https://vganj.com/#contact. If you need more information about the educational programs please contact the Rutgers Co-Chairs for the convention – bamka@njaes.rutgers.edu Bill Bamka, Agricultural Agent in Burlington County, or minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent in Gloucester County.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: ,
November 14, 2024

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program wraps up its first year of crops research in New Jersey

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program is a multidisciplinary group of Rutgers faculty and staff committed to designing and conducting applied agrivoltaics research and outreach for stakeholders in New Jersey and throughout the region.

The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP) was initiated over 3 years ago with the signing and passage of the Dual Use Solar Act by the New Jersey legislature. In 2023, agrivoltaics (AV) research installations were established at three Rutgers-New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Stations (NJAES). One at the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ; one at the Animal Farm on the Rutgers New Brunswick (SEBS) Campus, and one at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ. Members of the Rutgers RAP Team in collaboration the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, NJ Department of Agriculture, and NJ-DEP are now in the process of implementing the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program.

 

Specialty crops being grown in a double panel AV plot at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

An image of specialty crops being grown in a single AV panel plot at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

 

The agrivoltaics research at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, New Jersey was designed to study the effects of agrivoltaics systems on the production of specialty and agronomic crops. This year eggplant, bell pepper, fresh-market tomato, and soybeans were grown under three different treatments: single-axis tracking array with one row of panels, single-axis tracking array with two rows of panels, and no panels (conventional production as a control) to determine the effects of the panels on crop yield and quality.

Soybeans were grown in two whole blocks at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, NJ in 2024.

Soybeans being harvested between double AV panel arrays at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgton, New Jersey.

 

At the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, NJ the effects of single-axis tracking arrays with one row of panels on forage growth was studied to measure potential impacts on hay yield and quality. There were three cuts of the hay this season along with sampling for forage quality.

Hay being cut in mid-May at the Snyder Research and Extension Farm in northern New Jersey.

Cut hay being wind-rowed at the Snyder Research and Extension Farm in northern New Jersey.

 

At the Rutgers SEBS Cook Campus Animal Farm in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which hosts equine and livestock facilities, research was done to study pasture forage production and animal grazing patterns in combination with vertical bifacial solar panels. In early fall, four gestational cows (led by Buttercup) were introduced to the AV array research pasture for the first time. The research pasture also includes shelter and drinking water for the animals.

Buttercup (on the right) leading the small herd into the field of vertical bifacial panels at the Cook Campus Animal Farm on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Buttercup and friends at the watering hole.

The ribbon cutting ceremony held on 30 Sep 2024 at the Cook Campus Animal Farm on the SEBS campus of Rutgers University celebrating the accomplishments Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program.

 

On 30 Sep., over 80 people attended the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program ribbon cutting ceremony at the Rutgers Animal Farm in New Brunswick, NJ where State officials, University leaders, and invited guests applauded the research and outreach efforts of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and discussed the potential impacts of agrivoltaics for both the agricultural and solar industries in New Jersey.

Results from all three Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program research sites will be presented at upcoming Extension meetings this winter and spring across New Jersey and the region.

UPCOMING PPRESENTATIONS

Dan Ward will be presenting at the New England Fruit and Vegetable Conference on 18 December 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Multiple RAP Team members will be presenting in the morning Agrivoltaics Session at the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City on 5 February at Harrah’s Resort.

More to be announced!

For more information on the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and more AV resources please visit the new RAP website by clicking here. Stakeholders interested in keeping up the what’s going on can now subscribe to the new website and have information send directly to their email account. Just go to our contact page and follow the instructions to subscribe! 

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAP Team only – For Permission contact RAP at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.

 

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: