Organic Farm Advisory

The Plant & Pest Advisory serves NJ growers by reporting on important pests and recommending responses that are grounded in reproducible trials.

Articles in this section contain information helpful to the NJ commercial organic grower.

Sharing organic practice trial results between land-grant universities is a cost effective way to create a common knowledge base built on the strengths of individual programs. In the sidebar, find institutions with programs in organic agriculture which augment knowledge developed at the Rutgers New Jersey Ag Experiment Station.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Field Guides: These concise guides help with decision making from pre-planting to harvest. For each crop listed, learn what pests to proactively look for as the season progresses, how to look for them, and when to take action.

Field Guide List

July 21, 2026 and

Specialty Crop Twilight Meeting August 20

Join us at the Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Station on Thursday August 20, 2026 for a Specialty Crop Twilight Meeting. The event will run from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and will be held at 283 Route 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514.

This event will be a great opportunity for growers to see a demonstration of eight biodegradable plastic mulches and various ornamental nursery crops in a field setting. The full agenda is below.

This event is free, but pre-registration is required:

Please RSVP by August 13th to reserve your spot:

Contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County

at 732-431-7260 or Catherine.vanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

Pesticide recertification credits have been requested and will be assigned soon.

 

5:30 PM – Sign-In, Light Dinner Served

5:55 PM – Welcome Remarks

6:00 PM – Pesticide Safety: Reading the Label and Selecting the Proper Product

David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County

6:30 PM – Biodegradable Plastic Mulch for Tomato Production (Field Tour)

David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County

7:00 PM – Blight Resistant Boxwoods and Alternative Shrubs (Field Tour)

William Errickson, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County

 

Special thanks to the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey for sponsoring dinner!

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
July 20, 2026 and

August Twilight Meeting for Vegetable Growers

Roadside sign for the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm.Join us for a Research Twilight Meeting at the picturesque Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm on Wednesday, August 12, 2026!

Attendees will gain practical information on management of corn earworm and cucurbit downy mildew paired with timely reminders on resistance management. We will tour the research plots and share updates on the current research activities underway, including new technology (drones, biodegradable mulch, autonomous robots) and updates on the IR-4 and tomato breeding programs. Pesticide recertification credits have been requested for CORE, PP2, 1A, and 10. See the full agenda below.

The meeting will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Arrive on time for a light dinner thanks to sponsorship from the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey.  Please note the address of the farm is 140 Locust Grove Rd, Pittstown, NJ 08867. 

We request that you RSVP by August 10 so we may plan for the meal and the number of wagons needed. To RSVP, please complete this form or contact Ashley Higgins at higgins@somersetcountynj.gov or 908-526-6293.

5:00 PM – Sign-In at Main Building, Load Wagon, Welcome Remarks 

5:15 PM – Insecticide Resistance: Recognition and Management (30 min) 

  • Grayson Tung, Senior Coordinator, Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP), Rutgers University 

5:45 PM – Corn Earworm Management: Bt Corn Variety Trial & Alternative Insecticides (30 min)  

  • David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County 
  • Amanda Quadrel, Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 

6:15 PM – Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Evaluation in Tomato (15 min) 

  • David Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County 

6:30 PM – Drone-Seeded Cover Crops into a Standing Pumpkin Crop (15 min) 

  • Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County 
  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

6:45 PM – Cucurbit Downy Mildew: Monitoring and Management (30 min) 

  • Amanda Quadrel, Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 
  • Andy Wyenandt, Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers NJAES 
  • Stephen Komar, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Sussex County 
  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

7:15 PM – Updates from the Scarlet Sunrise Tomato Breeding Program (15 min)  

  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County 

7:30 PM – Organic, Interrow Weed Management in Bell Pepper: An Economic Comparison (15 min) 

  • Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County 
  • Meredith Melendez, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County 
  • Sophie Lee, Extension Specialist in Farm Viability, Rutgers NJAES 
  • Thierry Besanҫon, Extension Specialist in Weed Science for Specialty Crops, Rutgers NJAES 

7:45 PM – Overview of the IR-4 Project and On-Site Trials (15 min) 

  • Peter Nitzsche, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County  
  • Jennifer Fisher, Field Research Director, IR-4 Project, Rutgers University 

8:00 PM – Return to Main Building, Sign Out, and Depart 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
July 17, 2026 and

Vegetable IPM Update 7/17/26

Greetings from the Veg IPM team! Read more for the latest pest and disease updates.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 10, 2026 and

Vegetable IPM Update 7/10/26

Greetings from the Veg IPM team! Read more for the latest pest and disease updates.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 3, 2026 and

Vegetable IPM Update 7/3/26

Greetings from the Veg IPM team! We hope everyone is staying cool in these extreme temperatures as we move into July. Read more for the latest pest and disease updates.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 1, 2026 and

Pepper weevil alert 07/01/2026

This week we saw our first pepper weevil of the season in Hammonton NJ. It’s a good idea to be on the lookout for pepper weevil — read more to learn what to look for.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,