On-Farm Food Safety Section

Keep up with the latest news on this dynamic topic that impacts growers on multiple levels. Developing a farm food safety plan is a good idea for all growers, and may be required as part of food safety audits if you sell to certain buyers.

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September 2, 2022

Rabbit Owners. Protect Wild Rabbits from Emerging Rabbit Disease

Pennsylvania has detected a case of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) case in domestic rabbits in Western Pa. This follows on the heels of a New Jersey detection in March of 2022. RHDV has been evolving and spreading in pet rabbits since cases were first detected in North America in 2000.

Because this is an emerging disease, it is possible we can limit widespread infection in domestic and wild rabbits by practicing biosecurity measures at home and not releasing or disposing of domestic rabbits into the wild.

Example Timeline of RHDV1 Strain Detections in North America | and evolution into RHDV2 Strain

  • 2000 (Iowa)
  • 2001 (Utah, Illinois, New York)
  • 2005 (Indiana)
  • 2008 (Maryland)
  • 2010 (Minnesota)
  • 2016 (Quebec, Canada) detection of the more contagious RHDV2 strain*
  • 2018 (Ohio) detection of the more contagious RHDV2 strain*
  • 2018 (Pennsylvania)
  • 2019 (Vancouver, Canada) detection of a different strain of the contagious RHDV2 strain*
  • 2019 (Washington) detection of the more contagious RHDV2 strain*
  • USDA APHIS notice on 2019 outbreak link is here
  • In recent Canadian outbreaks of RHDV2, the death rate was close to 90%.
  • 2020 Outbreak of (RHDV2) associated disease occurred in the southwestern United States following its first detection in New Mexico in March
  • 2020 (New York City, 13 cases linked to a veterinary hospital) RHDV2 strains*
  • 2022 (New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon)
  • 2022 (New Jersey)

* This new strain is able to infect a wider variety of rabbit species including wild rabbits.

If you notice these symptoms in rabbits, isolate them and contact your veterinarian and your state’s Division of Animal Health. If you see dead wild rabbits that lack explanation, contact your state Game and Wildlife Division:

  • Rabbits die suddenly without symptoms
  • Rabbits have a fever
  • Rabbits are uncoordinated, excessively excited, have convulsions, paddling, or paralysis
  • Rabbits have difficulty breathing just before death
  • Rabbits have bloody discharge from nose or stools
  • Rabbits have eye hemorraghes

To protect the wild rabbit population, do not release domestic rabbits into the wild and do not dispose of dead rabbits in the wild.

For more information about measures in New Jersey see the state press release: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2022/approved/press220513.html

If you are traveling between or through states, be aware of the interstate-intrastate quarantine regarding domestic rabbit movements in Pennsylvania. The PA “Interstate and International Order of Quarantine is applicable to all States, Commonwealths and territories of the United States of America and any foreign country in which the dangerous transmissible disease RHD exists or there is a reasonable suspicion it exists.”

New Jersey residence who suspect RHDV2, should alert the NJDA, Division of Animal Health at 609-671-6400. The 24-hour number to report a foreign animal disease to USDA APHIS VS Area Veterinarian in Charge is 866-536-7593.

Biosecurity measures rabbit owners can take regarding Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease can be found at:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-rhdv2.pdf

USDA APHIS Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Resources 

USDA (RHDV) Cleaning Guidance July 2020 

National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials (NASAHO) – RHDV Biosecurity Guidance 

NASAHO – RHDV Shows and Exhibitions Guidance 

 

 

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops
September 1, 2022

Accelerated Irrigation Funding Now Available for New Jersey Producers

SOMERSET, N.J., Sept. 1, 2022 – The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey is now accepting applications for accelerated Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ACT NOW funding for irrigation.

Through this unique opportunity, producers and landowners can convert their existing overhead systems to low flow, high-efficiency systems such as drip or pivot which will efficiently and uniformly apply irrigation water, maintain soil moisture for plant growth, prevent contamination of ground and surface water, and improve poor plant productivity and health. Irrigation may also be combined with soil health practices to improve soil quality.

While NRCS accepts applications year-round, NRCS-NJ has established an evaluation period cut-off date for ACT NOW Irrigation funding of October 1, 2022. Applications submitted prior to the cut-off will be assessed and ranked as soon as the applicant has made treatment decisions through a conservation plan. Land offered for enrollment in EQIP must have been irrigated for at least two out of the last five years to qualify for irrigation-related conservation practices.

Based on fund availability, application assessments with a ranking score of 70 points or greater will be preapproved immediately, allowing the applicant to ACT NOW and achieve contract approval to begin practice installation without being evaluated against other submitted assessments. Application assessment ranking scores less than 70 points will be batched and funded in ranking order as funding allows.

For more details on EQIP, please contract your local USDA Service Center or visit https://www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
August 23, 2022

2023 Farmer Grant Proposals from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Do you hGrapevinesave an idea you would like to try on your farm that is related to sustainable agriculture? Stephen Komar, Rutgers SARE Coordinator and Sussex County Agricultural Agent, would like to announce that Northeast SARE will open the website for 2023 applications for Farmer Grants on October 1st. Approximately $750,000 has been allocated to fund projects for this grant cycle. Individual awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration. Projects must be related to sustainable agriculture and results are to be shared through a final report to SARE along with some type of outreach by the farmer as part of the project. 

The online system for submitting proposals will open on Oct 1, 2022. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on November 15, 2022. Go to Northeast-SARE-Farmer-Grant-Call-for-Proposals.pdf for more information. 

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants provide the resources farmers need to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind. Northeast SARE funds projects in a wide variety of topics, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, climate-smart agriculture practices, urban and indigenous agriculture and more.

The goals of SARE Farmer Grants are to help farmers try new things that could improve their operations and to share that information with others. There are also some other restrictions for budget items. Funds can be used to conduct the research project including paying farmers for their time, for project-related materials, for project costs like consulting fees or soil tests, and any communications or outreach expenses associated with telling others about project results. This grant program is not meant to help start or expand farm businesses. Farmer Grant funds cannot be used for capital costs associated with building a barn, greenhouse, or other major farm fixture, nor can funds be used to start a farm, purchase durable equipment like tractors or computers, or for any utility, telephone, or other costs that would be there in the absence of the project.

Farmer and employee wages can be included in a Farmer Grant budget for work done specifically on the grant project. Applicants should include a reasonable wage for their work on a grant project. In New Jersey, the current adverse wage rate used for the H2-A farm worker program is currently $15.54 per hour and could help gauge wages for employees time on the project. For farmer/project manager) wages, the rate to use would be higher and could be based on the complexity of the tasks on the project. 

In addition, each project must include a technical advisor to assist with the project. Technical advisors can be anyone who is an agricultural service provider, such as your local cooperative extension agricultural agent, USDA personnel, an agricultural consultant, etc. In New Jersey and other states, SARE Coordinators are not eligible to be technical coordinators due to a conflict of interest of leadership in the program. Therefore, Agricultural Agents, Stephen Komar (Rutgers SARE Coordinator) and Michelle Infante-Casella (Rutgers SARE Assistant Coordinator) are not able to be technical advisors to grants. However, if you have questions about the grant process, they both can help answer questions or point farmers in the right direction to identify technical advisors. 

A SARE Farmer Grant informational webinar featuring Tommye Lou Rafes, who has received multiple SARE Farmer Grants, will take place at 12:00 p.m. on October 4, 2022. This webinar information will help farmers thinking of applying for a SARE grant to learn about the process and types of projects that fit this program. To register for the webinar go to northeast.sare.org/farmergrantwebinar

The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Like other SARE Grants, Farmer Grants are competitive and will be judged against other applicants in the region.

To learn more about SARE project in New Jersey see New Jersey State Fact Sheet (sare.org) 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
August 9, 2022

Postharvest Backflow Prevention Strategies for Produce Farms

Listen to Wes Kline discuss how to build a one-way street for water in produce packinghouses.  The fundamentals of water distribution, the FSMA PSR, and practical ways of implementing backflow prevention are covered. Click on the image below to access the YouTube video.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
July 19, 2022

FDA Proposes Compliance Date Extension for Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements

On July 18, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined in the recent 2021 agricultural water proposed rule.

The 2021 agricultural water proposed rule, if finalized, will require farms to conduct annual systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. The FDA is now proposing extended compliance dates for those proposed pre-harvest requirements and is also providing clarifying information about the enforcement discretion policy for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements.

The supplemental rulemaking proposes to establish the following compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts:

  • 2 years and 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for very small businesses;
  • 1 year and 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for small businesses; and
  • 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for all other businesses.

Note:  These compliance dates only go into effect when the rule is finalized which we have no information when that will occur!

Compliance Dates for Harvest and Post-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements

The 2021 pre-harvest agricultural water proposed rule did not propose substantive changes to the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements in the Produce Safety Rule; however, the FDA recognizes that prior to the proposal, stakeholders did not have clarity on whether FDA might propose to change the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements. In addition, the FDA recognizes that adequate training and technical assistance are needed to fully recognize the benefits of the harvest and post-harvest requirements. Therefore, we intend to continue enforcement discretion for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements of the Produce Safety regulation until the following dates:

  • January 26, 2025, for very small businesses;
  • January 26, 2024, for small businesses; and
  • January 26, 2023, for all other businesses.

We are reopening the comment period only with respect to the proposed compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions until September 19, 2022. Comments should be submitted to docket FDA-2021-N-0471 on Regulations.gov.

As has been done with other FSMA rules, the FDA plans to take an “educate before and while we regulate” posture as we begin implementing the harvest and post-harvest requirements. For the first year of compliance, the FDA intends to work closely with state, other regulatory, and industry partners to advance training, technical assistance, educational visits and on-farm readiness reviews to prepare both growers and state regulators for implementing these provisions prior to initiating routine inspections verifying compliance. The FDA will provide further communications as additional resources become available.

Additional Information

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
July 8, 2022

Herbicide Plant-Back Restrictions Explained: Purpose and Application

Are you crystal clear on the purpose of plant-back restrictions and on the length of time required between a herbicide application and the planting of your next crop or cover crop? If not, the guidance below should help. It was developed based on a poster presentation made during the 2022 annual meeting of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). For further information regarding the plant-back restrictions for vegetable crops, please refer to Pest Management section (p. 110-118) of the 2022/2023 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.

  • What is a plant-back interval?
    A plant-back interval is the minimum period of time between a pesticide treatment and the planting of your next crop. The EPA establishes plant-back intervals as label requirements for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators and other types of pesticides.
  • What’s the purpose of a plant-back interval?
    EPA’s primary focus in setting plant-back intervals is to protect human health by preventing over exposure to pesticide residues in crops – including fruits and vegetables. Regulatory experts include all residue sources when assessing human dietary exposure.
  • Do plant-back intervals also address crop phytotoxicity concerns?
    While pesticide registrants may choose to add label instructions to address potential crop injury or phytotoxicity concerns, these instructions are independent of EPA-mandated plant-back restrictions that focus on limiting human exposure to pesticide residues. If your crop is intended to be harvested for human or animal consumption, you must still comply with the minimum residue-based plant-back intervals, regardless of whether phytotoxicity guidance is given.
  • How are plant-back intervals established?
    EPA requires that pesticide registrants submit residue studies to document pesticide levels and related metabolites. Study data is then used to develop appropriate plant-back interval guidance based on allowed tolerance levels in the plant-back crop. All residue sources from pesticides applied within the current and previous growing seasons are included when assessing human dietary exposure. It is important to note that the plant-back intervals specified by EPA are crop specific. The interval specified for tomato, for example, might vary from that established for cole crops.
  • What should I do if I’m planting a crop that isn’t specified on the label?
    Crops that are not specifically addressed on the label fall into the “other crops” category and require the maximum plant-back interval indicated on the label.
  • Do plant-back intervals apply to both my rotational crop and my cover crop?
    If the crop is harvested for human consumption or is grazed by or fed to livestock that will be consumed by humans, the crop is considered a “rotational crop” and requires an appropriate plant-back interval to protect human health.
    Seasonal plantings that will not be consumed directly by humans or by livestock that will then be consumed by humans are considered “cover crops.” Cover crops such as ryegrass or hairy vetch are grown to improve soil quality, reduce erosion or manage weeds. Since there is no risk of dietary exposure, plant-back restrictions do not apply when planting cover crops.
  • How do I calculate the plant-back interval?
    To comply with the mandated plant-back interval, use the date of the last pesticide application as a starting point. If, for example, the crop selected has a 365-day plant-back interval, the 365-day window begins on the day after the last pesticide application to the previous crop. You can plant that next crop 365 days later.
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,