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February 18, 2026

2026 Grape Expectation – New Jersey Grape and Wine Symposium

Date:    March 12 (Thu)
Venue:   Forsgate Country Club, 375 Forsgate Dr, Monroe Township, NJ 08831
Fees:    Please see the details on registration fees and payment methods at the end of the program.
Credits: CORE, 1A, PP2, 10

PROGRAM

08:30 am   Registration and Continental Breakfast
09:00 am   Welcome, Introductions, and Symposium Overview. Dr. Gary C. Pavlis – RCE of Atlantic County
09:10 am   Managing Grape Diseases: What to Watch and What to Do?
           Nancy Sharma, Extension Specialist in Fruit Pathology, Rutgers NJAES.
09:40 am   Beyond the Garden State: How Emerging Wine Regions Overcome Perception, Policy, and Market Barriers.
           Seth Porter, Chief Innovation Officer, Dean of the Kraemer Family Library, Colorado State University.
10:10 am   What’s New from the Industry

10:25 am   COFFEE BREAK

10:45 am   The Evolution of Long Island Viticulture, 1973-present
           Alice Wise, Ag Program Director - Viticulture Research, Cornell Cooperative Extension.
11:30 am   Mystery Wine Challenge

12:00 pm   BUFFET LUNCH FEATURING NJ WINES

01:00 pm   Active Frost Protection in the Vineyard – Panel Discussion.
           The Panel: Larry Sharrott (Sharrott Vineyards), William Heritage (William Heritage Winery), Nick Sharko 
           (Alba Vineyards), Lewis DeEugenio (Summit City Farms and Winery), and Moderator, Hemant Gohil (Rutgers).
01:45 pm   Early Season IPM for NJ Grapevines
           Janine Spies, Statewide Fruit Integrated Pest Management Agent, Rutgers NJAES.

02:15 pm   Coffee Break

02:30 pm   New Weed Management Technology in Grape
           Thierry Besancon, Extension Specialist, Weed Science, Rutgers NJAES
03:00 pm   NJDEP’s Pesticide Safety and Regulations – CORE Credit
           Spencer Kerkhof, Pesticide Enforcement Officer, NJDEP
03:30 pm   Decreasing Fungicide Sprays with the New PIWI Grape Varieties
           Eric Amberg, Founder, Amberg Grapevines, Clifton Springs, New York  
04:00 pm   Beyond the Bottle: Refining Visitation in Wine
           Susan Dematei, President, WineGlass Marketing
04:30 pm   End of the Session, Pesticide Recertification Credits, Q and A
Registration: Non-Industry members - $110
              Winery Personnel - $110 for the first person and $90 for each additional winery members.
              At the Door registration $130
              Vendors $160
              For online registration and payment, please use the web link https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=96808 


Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , 
February 16, 2026 
South Jersey Commercial Fruit Growers Meeting


Venue:         RCE of Gloucester County
               254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020
Date:          March 5, 2026 (Thu)        
Registration:  Pre-registration required. Please call (856) 224 – 8030 or Email: jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us
               $20 per person. Checks only. Payable to Rutgers University.

Pesticide Credits: CORE,PP2, 10, 1A


PROGRAM

08:30 am   Registration and Coffee and pastries
08:50 am   Welcome and Opening Remarks. Hemant Gohil, Rutgers NJAES
09:00 am   Ambrosia Beetle Management in the Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
09:30 am   Woolly Apple Aphid Management in Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
10:00 am   Introducing Dr. Nancy Sharma, new Extension Specialist, Fruit Pathology, Rutgers Uni.

10:15 am   Coffee Break

10:30 am   Industry Updates  
10:45 am   Current Trends in Tree Fruit Pest Management. Janine Spies, Rutgers NJAES
11:15 am   Pesticide Safety Update: Exposure, ​Recordkeeping, and Storage. Kate Brown, Rutgers NJAES.
11:45 pm   From Field to Current – Harnessing Electricity for Sustainable Weed Control. Thierry Besancon, Rutgers NJAES.

12:15 pm   Lunch 

1:00 pm    Mycorrhizae Products that Enhance the Root Systems of Young Apple Trees. Megan Muehlbauer, Rutgers NJAES
1:30 pm    Updates and Recommendations for Scale Management. Anne Nielsen, Rutgers NJAES
2:00 pm    Peach Varieties Comparisons – New and Standard. Hemant Gohil and Daniel Ward, Rutgers NJAES.
2:30 pm    Grower Open Forum and Pesticide recertification credits
           Adjourn 

For questions, please get in touch with Hemant Gohil at 856-418-6538 or email at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu


Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , 
February 13, 2026 
Farm Safety Needs Assessment


The Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group is conducting a survey to evaluate the priority needs of New Jersey farmers for training and resource development related to safety and health.  As a New Jersey farmer, you are invited to complete this survey. Click here to access the survey and learn more.  [Read more…]


Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , 
February 12, 2026 
SAVE THE DATE: Sprayer Equipment Calibration Workshops for Specialty Crop Growers March 24 & 25


 




North Jersey Equipment Calibration Grower Meeting


March 24, 2026


3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


Clifford E. & Melda C. Snyder Research & Extension Farm


New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station


140 Locust Grove Road


Pittstown, NJ


 


South Jersey Equipment Calibration Grower Meeting


March 25, 2026


3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


Rutgers Agricultural Research & Extension Center


121 Northville Road


Bridgeton, NJ


 


Agenda, Registration and Pesticide Credits will be announced shortly.


 




Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape 
January 20, 2026 
Salem County Pesticide Safety Meeting – Pesticide Credits Available – February 20, 2026 – Woodstown


Salem County Pesticide Safety Meeting


February 20, 2026

51 Cheney Rd., Woodstown, NJ


To register for morning, afternoon, or both

856-769-0090

molly.english@salemcountynj.gov


Link to PDF








Morning Session: 9 am – Noon.  Credits: | CORE: 01 | 1A: 02 | 1B: 01 | 10: 03 | PP2: 02 |




Farmland Preservation in Salem County
State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) staff




Pesticide Safety, Storage, Labels, Application
Raman Sharma, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Disease Control in Vegetable Crops
Andy Wyenandt, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Early Season Pest Management in No-till Corn
Maria Cramer, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Animal Agricultural Pest Control
Hassan Warriach, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




USDA Program Updates
USDA – NRCS / FSA staff




Afternoon Session: 1 pm – 4:30 pm.  Credits: | 1A: 03 | 10: 03 | PP2: 03 |




Weed Control in Pastures and Forages
Matthew Elmore, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Corn Fertility for Yield and Quality
Raman Sharma, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Commodity Market Outlook
Nathaniel Bruce, Delaware Cooperative Extension




Agricultural Safety and Emergency Response
Robert DiGregorio, Salem County Sheriff Office




Agrivoltaics
Dan Ward, Rutgers Cooperative Extension




Forage Quality of Hay and Silage
Tess Stahl, Rutgers Cooperative Extension










Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 
January 20, 2026 
H2A Farm Labor Meeting – February 2, 2026 – Upper Deerfield, Cumberland County


Learn about H2A, the federal farm labor program.


Insights about costs, legal considerations, and practical matters, from experts, growers, and NJ Farm Bureau.


February 2nd, 2026


121 Northville Road

Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302


The Event is provided free of charge, but you must RSVP


Lunch and refreshments will be provided


To register, please contact Karen Adams:

adams@udel.edu

302-831-3328


Link for PDF








9:30 – 10:00
Check-in / Registration





10:00 – 10:10
Welcome





10:10 – 10:55
Real Cost of H2A Workers
Nate Bruce, University of Delaware




10:55 – 12:00
Legal Aspects of the H2A Process
Brandon Davis, Phelps Dunbar LLP

Paul Goeringer, University of Maryland		




12:00 – 12:45
Lunch





12:45 – 1:10
New Jersey Considerations for H2A Workers
Ben Casella, New Jersey Farm Bureau




1:10 – 1:30
Experiences with the H2A Program and Q&A
Henry Bennett, Bennett Orchards




1:30 – 1:45
Evaluations









Speakers, times, and availabilities subject to change.


This work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2024-70027-42540, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.


This event is brought to you jointly by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, a service of the UD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, a service of the UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources — both are land-grant institutions and are equal opportunity providers. If you have special needs that need to be accommodated, please contact the office two weeks prior to the event.




 


Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , ,