Fruit Crops Edition

Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting tree fruit and small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
 
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January 9, 2018

Upcoming Event – ACGA Winter Meeting

Event – American Cranberry Growers Association (ACGA) Winter Meeting

Date – Thursday, January 18, 2018

Location– Rutgers EcoComplex, Bordentown NJ

(For more information, please contact Cesar Rodriguez-Saona at crodriguez@aesop.rutgers.edu)

Agenda

8:30-8:45 Welcoming Remarks– Shawn Cutts, President, ACGA
Treasurer’s Report – Shawn Cutts

8:45-9:00 Cranberry Statistics
Bruce Eklund, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Trenton, NJ

9:00-9:25 Cranberry Institute – An Update
John Wilson, Cranberry Institute, Carver, MA

9:25-9:50 Potential New Varieties with Enhanced Fruit Rot Resistance
Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese and Nicholi Vorsa, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

9:50-10:15 Understanding the Role of Flowers in Fungal Infections Leading to Cranberry Fruit Rot. William S. Haines Senior Research Endowment
Timothy Waller, Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-10:55 Identifying and Implementing Methods for Improving Berry Quality Parameters
Peter Oudemans, Professor, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

10:55-11:20 Assessing Soil Health using Next-generation Sequencing Technology
James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS; P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

11:20–11:50 Bio-insecticides and Mating Disruption in Cranberries
Shawn Steffan, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS; University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:30 BOGS – a Tool for Record Keeping
Brian Wick, Executive Director, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association

1:30–1:55 Carolina Redroot Control with Pre-emergence Herbicides and Effect on Fruit Yield and Quality
Thierry Besancon, ‎Weed Science Extension Specialist, Rutgers University, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

1:55-2:20 Management of Cranberry Insect Pests: Leafhoppers and Toadbugs
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Professor, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Vera Kyryczenko-Roth, and Robert Holdcraft, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

2:20-2:50 Farm Safety with Pesticides
George Hamilton, Professor, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Patricia Hastings, Program Associate, Pest Management, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

2:50 Adjournment- ACGA Board of Directors Meeting

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
January 8, 2018

Save the Date – 2018 South Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Meeting

Dear Growers,

The 2018 South Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Meeting has been scheduled for February 15. The meeting will be held at, Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 121 Northville Road, Bridgeton NJ.

The meeting will consist of presentations on the horticulture, entomology, and pathology of tree fruits during the morning, followed by an included lunch. The Full program will be published in the upcoming weeks.

Pre-registration is required and a fee will be charged to cover the cost of morning coffee/pastries and lunch.

Pesticide Credits Category: Core (2); 10 (6); 1A (07); 3A (07); 3B (01); & PP2 (07)

For registration call or email:

Susan Bradbury at bradbury@aesop.rutgers.edu or (856) 455-3100 x 4101 or

Joan Medany at jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or (856) 307-6450 x1

For program details contact: Hemant Gohil at 856-418-6538 or email at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
December 27, 2017

New Tax Law’s Impact on Agriculture

Distinguished Professor and Rutgers Cooperative Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management Dr. Barbara O’Neill spent the last week before the holiday break analyzing the newly passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). In the process, she found some information about the law’s impact on farmers. She says basically there are 4 key impacts for agriculture:

  • Increased (doubled) federal estate tax exemption:  $11.2 million for individuals and $22.4 million for a couple (2018 figures), with proper estate planning.
  • 20% deduction on co-op payments to farmer members.
  • Lower tax rates for pass-through business income (new Section 199A deduction); “pass through” businesses include partnerships, LLCs, S corps, and sole proprietorships.
  • New farm equipment depreciation schedule: five years instead of seven.

Many of these changes are complex so first and foremost, she advises consulting your professional tax advisor to determine how they affect you personally.

There was also much debate among her peers about prepaying state and local taxes in 2017 in case they are eliminated or capped in the new law. The final conclusion is that if your municipality is able to collect property  taxes, prepayments are allowed and will be deductible on your 2017 tax bill. However, state and local income taxes are specifically excluded in the new law, so prepayment of 2018 income taxes are NOT deductible on your 2017 tax bill. Again, consult your professional tax advisor to determine if prepayments will benefit you.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
November 3, 2017

Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing & Spacial Analysis Presents DIY GPS & Drone Workshops

Wondering if/how you can use drones and GPS data on your farms/business? Workshops at Rutgers University Inn/Conference Center in New Brunswick will help you decide if you want to try it yourself –
Dec 11 – Use your Smartphone/Tablet for High-Precision GPS Data Collection
Dec 12 – Learn to Do-it-Yourself – Accurate Drone Mapping Made Easy
Register for one or both days here (preregistration discount ends Nov 15). Detailed agendas are online here or download the Workshop Brochure & Agenda (pdf).

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
October 12, 2017

Food Safety Survey Looking for Responses from NJ Growers
A National Grower and Processor Needs Assessment currently underway is seeking additional input from the Northeast farmers and food processors who serve local markets. The Local Food Safety Collaborative aims to provide specialized training, education, and outreach. They are conducting a food safety survey until October 31, 2017 to help direct their resources to best enhance fundamental food safety knowledge and help small farmers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
How will this work benefit the Northeast? The overall results of this survey will be shared with the region but with enough local responses, specific information relative to the NE can be determined, including identified barriers to implementing food safety practices, such as types of material and training needs for growers and processors.
The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete, is available in English and Spanish, and participants can choose to enter a raffle to win 1 of 20 $100 gift cards.  Responses are anonymous and confidential. The survey can be found at www.localfoodsafety.org/survey.
The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) is an FDA-funded Regional Center (RC) hosted by University of Vermont Extension, led jointly with co-directors from Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania State University and The University of Maryland and in partnership with stakeholders from the Northeast Region.

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
September 15, 2017

NJ DEP Surveying Irrigation Water Certs & Logs

A call from a local farmer late last week indicated an NJ DEP inspector had stopped by to ‘survey’ water use and had asked to inspect his irrigation records. The call was to say, “Thank you!” for having given him earlier in the year an irrigation pump log sheet to use. He had made a couple of copies and given them to his irrigation manager who has been recording the hours pumped every day. The inspector was happy to see that. The farmer was happier. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops