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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NJDA and NJDEP to Address Pesticide License Recertification Issues

NJDA Secretary Fisher recently shared a memo regarding a number of private pesticide licensees who have not received their current licenses from the NJDEP Pesticide Bureau. Following is most of the text of that memo.

Through a recent meeting between NJDA and the NJDEP Pesticide Bureau staff, we have identified two primary areas that may need your particular attention to ensure your license remains active:

1.) Not receiving nor submitting their invoices via the postal service through the mail. In this case, licensees can get their invoices online through the NJDEP pesticide website by submitting their invoices to NJDEP for processing when received, even if there is a $0.00 (zero) dollar value.

2.) Lack of credits through either Core or PP2, or a combination of both. There is a 5-year time period for all licensees to get enough credits for their license. Courses are available online for licensees to get credits. Once the coursework is completed online, it should take approximately two weeks for the unit to process the information to post on their website. Directions below explain how to locate and pay for invoices (which must be submitted back to the unit for processing, even if it is a $0.00 [zero] dollar invoice).

Licensees can check on the number of credits they have acquired by going to the NJDEP pesticide webpage and following the directions posted there.

Below are the directions necessary to look up invoice numbers and then use said numbers to pay for a license online. Once again, we remind you paying your invoice online is a faster way to receive your license. All invoices, even if it’s $0.00 (zero) dollars need to be processed, otherwise your license will not be issued.

Please follow the NJDEP directions below:

Directions to locate an invoice number

  • Go to www.pcpnj.org
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page. Under heading About Us click on “Pesticides”
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page and “Click here to view Links.”
  • Under the heading Online Payments and Reports Click on the link labelled “Invoice Numbers for Unpaid License Invoices”
  • Enter License number (make sure to capitalize any letters at the end or your license number) and other items
  • Click Submit

Directions to pay for license online

  1. Go to www.pcpnj.org
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Under heading About Us click on “Pesticides”
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and “Click here to view Links.”
  4. Under the heading Online Payments and Reports, click on the link labelled “Pay For Your License Online”
  5. Enter Invoice number (found on paper invoice, or previously located using our website using directions above)
  6. Enter License number (make sure to capitalize any letters at the end or your license number)
  7. Click Submit and follow prompts from there

Sincerely,

Douglas H. Fisher

Early Season Tree Fruit Pest Control for 2022

  • Dormant season oil sprays
  • Dormant season copper sprays
  • Dormant season urea sprays

[Read more…]

SAVE THE DATES!

New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Meetings

Meetings will be held in virtual formats and split over the course of two morning sessions.

Wednesday March 2, 2022 9 AM – 12 PM

Wednesday March 9, 2022 9 AM – 12 PM

Tune in for a number of topics including:

Pesticide safety updates,  peach disease updates, general apple and peach pest updates, apple nutrition management, peach, cherry and apple frost management strategies, soil fertility management, Rutgers University peach variety evaluations, Rutgers University apple maturity evaluation website, and more!

The full program will be sent out by the end of the week!

Pesticide credits are anticipated.

In-person twilight meeting dates and locations to be announced shortly!

Chlorpyrifos: Revocation of All Food Tolerances Effective February 28, 2022

In August 2021, EPA released a final rule revoking all “tolerances” for chlorpyrifos, which establish an amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food. In addition, the agency issued a Notice of Intent to Cancel under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to cancel registered food uses of chlorpyrifos associated with the revoked […]

EPA Requires Cancellation of Pentachlorophenol to Protect Human Health

[Friday 2/4/2022]. Today, EPA issued a final registration review decision requiring the cancellation of pentachlorophenol, a wood preservative used primarily on utility poles. During the registration review process, EPA found that given the emergence of viable alternatives, the risks pentachlorophenol poses to workers’ health outweigh the benefits of its use. Following EPA’s March 2021 proposal […]

2022 NJ Ag Convention & Trade Show Update – Pesticide Credits Posted

The final program agenda for the educational sessions of the 2022 NJ Ag Convention & Trade Show with assigned pesticide re-certification credits has been posted at the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ website:  vganj.com on the ‘Schedule’ tab. Pesticide credits will only be issued to those attending and signing the roster in the educational sessions in Atlantic City. There are no options for viewing presentations online.

There has been some confusion about COVID-19 protocols for attending. The NJ Department of Agriculture/State Board of Agriculture sessions and meal functions (luncheons and banquet) will have strict masking and pre-testing requirements to enter those rooms per memo from Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher earlier this week. There will be some on-site testing opportunities available in case you are unable to be tested before getting to Atlantic City.

However, these mandates are not requirements, though highly recommended, for attending the educational sessions or the trade show portions of this event. There will be some masks available throughout the conference venue.

Hope to see you there!