Please Join us for an Interactive Discussion on Orchard Soil Fertility and Tree Fruit Nutrition. Expert Panelists Dr. Robert Crassweller, Extension Specialist, Horticulture, Penn State Uni., Dr. Joseph Heckman, Extension Specialist, Soil Fertility, Rutgers NJAES. and Dr. Megan Muehlbauer, Extension Agent, RCE of Hunterdon County will be discussing orchard soil fertility and tree nutrition. [Read more…]
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.
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
April 23, 2021 Nick Polanin
USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
In an effort to boost enrollment and address climate change, the USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. [Read more…]
April 23, 2021 Hemant Gohil
Recordings of Webinar – Ask the Expert Series Orchard Edition
Please use the below links to view or listen to the recordings from the last two sessions of Ask the Expert – Orchard Edition.
Tree Fruit Meeting –III (April 7): https://go.rutgers.edu/tdi8pllm
Topics: Apple Thinning Using Plant Growth Regulators: Apple fruit thinning with plant growth regulators, crop load management, return bloom, Fruit growth model and Cornell Carbohydrate Models as tools for Thinning and update on PGR’s Available for 2021
Speakers: Jon Clements, Tree Fruit Extension Educator, Uni. of Massachusetts and Mr. Win Cowgill, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University, and owner Win Enterprises International, LLC
Tree Fruit Meeting – IV (April 21): https://go.rutgers.edu/eu5ps890
Topics: 2021 Tree Fruit Insect Pest – What’s the Buzz in the Orchard
Speakers: Arthur Agnello, Professor, Entomology, Cornell University, and Anne Nielsen, Extension Specialist in Entomology, Rutgers University.
April 22, 2021 Wes Kline
Scheduling a USDA Harmonized and Harmonized Plus+ Audit
Before scheduling an audit review the standards to understand what is required. Go to https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp/harmonized and download the latest versions dated February 8, 2021. There have been changes since the 2018 version so review carefully. Compare the new version with your written food safety plan and make the necessary changes. If you need technical assistance or want to discuss parts of the audit email “Ask the Experts” at onfarmfoodsafety@njaes.rutgers.edu. The on-farm food safety team can be contacted at the same address to schedule a walkthrough to assess your readiness for an audit if requested.
Once the food safety plan is complete and you are ready for an audit email fvinspection@ag.nj.gov to schedule the audit. You will receive an agreement to review and check which audit and audit sections you want audited. You will be asked to send certain documents for review prior to the on-site audit. This reduces the amount of time the auditors are on the farm for Covid considerations. The auditors want to see at least 10 days of records prior to the audit.
Again, this year the Harmonized and Harmonized Plus+ audits in New Jersey will be reimbursed 100% through the USDA Risk Management Agency. Once the audit is finalized, USDA will generate a bill to the auditee which summarizes the cost breakdown of the audit, and then showing a credit for that same amount. A note will be added to the bill stating, “Cost of your 2021 USDA Harmonized GAP Audit covered by a bill credit made possible through a grant from the USDA Risk Management Agency Agricultural Management Assistance Program”. For more details and frequently ask questions visit the AMS website mentioned above and look under resources.
Once the audit is complete it will be reviewed by USDA personnel and a certificate will be sent to the grower. Also, the farm name, address, date and commodities audited will be posted on the USDA AMS website.
April 21, 2021 Megan Muehlbauer
NJDEP Notice to Ag Businesses Regarding Open Burning April 21 2021
Due to the low temperatures predicted this evening April 21, 2021, the New Jersey DEP has issued an Open Burning Permit for Agricultural Businesses.
Please see attached for details. NJDEP Notice to Ag Businesses re Open Burning 21April2021
Note:The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 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.
April 21, 2021 Rick VanVranken
Communicating the Value of COVID-19 Vaccines With Your Farm Employees
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Posters available in multiple languages – “Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In an effort to increase participation in the COVID-19 vaccination program among farm workers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), through the national Extension Foundation, is working with Cooperative Extension across the country to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated. Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director Brian Schilling has enlisted a team of County Agents and Specialists to answer the call from the CDC to participate in this EXCITE program. Through a variety of communications channels we will be providing informational posters and other educational materials in several appropriate languages that you can hand out or post in locations where your workers can easily read them (like on or near your Worker Protections Standards bulletin boards or in your labor camps).
“Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic” posters from the CDC are now available on the COVID-19 page of the Rutgers NJAES On-Farm Food Safety website <https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/covid-19-information/> with the direct links to these multiple language editions:
You can also share this Spanish language video <https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/un-rayo-de-esperanza> from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services with your workers to help explain where they can get more information about COVID-19 vaccines. There are several other informational videos available at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Video, as well as posters/fliers from https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Poster%20%E2%80%93%20Flyer (mostly English), and factsheets at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Fact%20Sheet.
