Fruit Crops Edition - Blueberry Section

Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
 
Subscription is through the general Fruit feed available via EMAIL and RSS.

April 30, 2023

North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I

North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I

May 3, 2023

5:00 PM-7:30 PM

Melicks Town Farm
19 King Street Oldwick, New Jersey 08858

5:00 PM – Registration / Light Refreshments

5:15 PM –Begin to load into wagons for the farm tour and educational talks

5:20 PM –Updates from the Blueberry and Tree Fruit IPM program

Carrie Manuse, Agriculture and Natural Resources Sr. Program Coordinator
Kaitlin Quinn, North Jersey Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of
Hunterdon County

5:40 PM –Apple Fruit Rots

Norm Lalancette PhD, Associate Specialist in Tree Fruit Plant Pathology Rutgers NJAES

6:10 PM –Vegetable Insect Pest and Disease Updates

Kris Holmstrom, IPM Program Associate, Vegetable

6:30 PM – Pesticide Safety, and Compliance

Patricia Hastings, Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator for Rutgers NJAES

The following pesticide credits will be awarded

2 CORE   2 CAT 1A   3 CAT 10   2 CAT PP2

Please RSVP to Kim Crommelin at 908.788.1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us by May 2, 2023

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 25, 2023

SAVE THE DATES! North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meetings

SAVE THE DATES!

North Jersey Tree Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting

May 3, 2023

Melicks Town Farm
19 King Street
Oldwick, New Jersey 08858
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

&

North Jersey Tree Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting

June 7, 2023

Terhune Orchards
330 Cold Soil Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Program and registration details forthcoming

 

Questions? Please contact: Kim Crommelin (Hunterdon County Cooperative Extension) at 908-788-1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit
April 24, 2023

South Jersey Wine Grape Twilight Meeting

May 11 (Thu) 4:15 pm
Auburn Road Vineyards and Winery
117 Sharptown-Auburn Rd, Pilesgrove, NJ 08098

Pesticide Credits Approved: CORE (1); PP2 (5); 1A (5); 10 (4)
4:30 pm   Welcome Remarks and Updates and Social  
Bird Management – Demonstrations and Interactive session on challenges and successes in bird control
Aaron T. Guikema, State Director, USDA – APHIS Wildlife services

Potassium Fertilizer Chemistry for Wine Grape
Joseph Heckman, Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility, Rutgers NJAES.

2023 Recommendations for Wine Grape Disease Management
Peter Oudemans, Extension Specialist, Small Fruit Pathology, Rutgers NJAES

Brief Overview of Alternative Options to Paraquat for Postemergence Weed Control.
Thierry Besancon, Extension Specialist, Weed Science, Rutgers NJAES

Early Season Field Observations from the IPM Program
Dave Schmitt, IPM Program Associate, Rutgers NJAES.  

Spotted Lantern Fly and Other Vineyard Insects Management
Anne Nielsen, Tree Fruit Entomologist, Rutgers NJAES

7:30 pm    Pesticide re-certification credits
 
Light fare will be provided. Please email Joan Medany at jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or 
call 856-224-8030 if you are planning to attend. This site is accessible to the physically impaired. 
For the additional assistance, please contact Hemant Gohil at 856-224-8029 before the meeting.
Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With:
April 12, 2023

National Survey on Spotted-Wing Drosophila

Dear Berry Growers:

You have been identified as a berry grower whose perspectives matter in helping to shape the future of the industry. We request your participation to complete an online survey to determine the impact of USDA funded projects conducted by land-grant university faculty on the sustainable management of Spotted-Wing Drosophila (SWD).

Over the past 15 years, SWD has negatively impacted the U.S. berry and cherry industry, which has led to rejection of crops and significant losses on the farm. A group of highly committed researchers has been engaged in a multi-state initiative to develop and test different control practices for SWD. Some of the products are commercially available, while others are awaiting approval.

This survey seeks to determine your level of awareness and adoption of these new techniques, and to capture your experiences with the new technologies introduced by the research team.

To complete the survey, please click on the link Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9B5kHcjLIRgW9gO

Also, please forward this letter to others in your community who have mitigated SWD to increase our data pool.

This study is being conducted by a professional evaluation team from the University of Florida, Mr. Damilola Ajayi and Dr. Kay Kelsey, on behalf of Drs. Ashfaq Sial, Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Hannah Burrack, Hannah Levenson, Vaughn Walton, Frank Zalom, Elizabeth Beers, Greg Loeb, Kent Daane, Philip Fanning, and Kim Hoelmer representing University of Georgia, Rutgers University, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, University of California-Davis, Washington State University, Cornell University, University of California Berkeley, University of Maine, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

This study was reviewed and approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board for the protection of human subjects (IRB# 202300289). In case you have any questions, please contact Damilola Ajayi, 706-588-2697, d.ajayi@ufl.edu or Kay Kelsey, 706-247-2492, kathleen.kelsey@ufl.edu

Sincerely,
Damilola Ajayi, Graduate Assistant, UF|IFAS.
Kay Kelsey, Professor, UF|IFAS.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Wine Grape
April 10, 2023

NJ Department of Environmental Protection Issues Burn Permit for Frost Protection – Through April 14

(TRENTON) – With the state expected to experience colder spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJ Dept of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect crops from damage beginning Friday, April 7, through Friday, April 14.

These cold events could adversely affect some of the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops.

Note: The NJDEP and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots is warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
April 6, 2023

NJ Dept of Health Scheduled Training for Farmers Participating in the NJ Farmers Market Nutrition Program

A MESSAGE FROM NJ SECRETARY of AGRICULTURE DOUGLAS FISHER:

The New Jersey Department of Health will be hosting three face-to-face and one virtual mandatory training sessions for farmers who participate in the New Jersey Farmers Market Nutrition Program. The three regional trainings, one each in the Northern, Central and Southern sections of the state, will take place April 24, May 1, and May 3, and there will be a virtual training on May 10. Go to https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/md/prog/wic.html to see the complete schedule as well as the farmer/grower vendor agreement and the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program Application. [or you may download the attached official notice and application forms here:]

Letter from Secretary Fisher

DOH Farmer/Grower Vender Agreement

DOH Application for Participation

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,