Vegetable Crops Edition

Seasonal updates and alerts on insects, diseases, and weeds impacting vegetable crops. New Jersey Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations updates between annual publication issues are included.
 
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NJ Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations

Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.

New Jersey Department of Agriculture Moves to New Building in Trenton

The New Jersey Department of Agiculture Administration and Staff have moved from their previous office building to a new location.

In the event anyone needs to drop off samples for testing or visit the NJDA for any reason, please be advised of this change of location.

The new building address for the NJDA office is: 200 Riverview Plaza, 3rd Floor, Trenton, NJ, 08611

The mailing address remains: PO Box 330, Trenton, NJ, 08625

For more information see the NJDA website.

Onboarding for Seasonal Employees Training

Although this training opportunity is New York-based, it will have information that covers topics related to all employers who hire seasonal employees.

Attend a 1.5-hour, on-line program Best Practices for Onboarding Seasonal Workers. Learn the key things you should have in place to be ready to welcome a group of seasonal workers. This program will follow an onboarding guide, Onboarding Seasonal Farm Employees, that was developed by Liz Higgins, CCE Eastern NY Commercial Hort Team, Mark Wiltberger, CCE Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and Richard Stup, CCE Ag Workforce Development. The onboarding guide covers:

-required paperwork and documentation for a new hire, including seasonal, migrant workers
-required trainings (with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable farms) and guides for developing a training plan
-tips for bringing on new employees and having them productive from day 1, especially when you are up to your eyeballs in work!
-tips for creating a welcoming environment where employees feel connected to their workplace and competent on the job.

When you register chose one of four dates:  

January 26 | 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

January 27 | 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

January 28 | 8:00 AM  to 9:30 AM

To register see information in the Morning Ag Clips at https://www.morningagclips.com/onboarding-seasonal-farm-employees/

Health and Safety Highlight: Prioritize Safety Year-Round, 5 Keys to Safe Winter Equipment Maintenance

The fields may be quiet, but the machine shops are buzzing. Yes, winter is a great time to perform repairs and maintenance on farm machinery. Keep yourself and those around you safe by following these tips: [Read more…]

Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!!

Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention will be held February 8-11, 2021 ONLINE!

This year’s Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference is 100% online.  There will be an excellent lineup of speakers from all over the country presenting on topics ranging from soil health to digital marketing.

New Jersey Pesticide Credits will be awarded (CORE, PP2, 1A, and 10).

Please note: TO ENSURE GROWERS RECEIVE PESTICIDE CREDITS THEY MUST

  1. Register as a New Jersey State Horticultural Society Member
  2. They must attend the ENTIRE credit bearing session.
  3. They MUST look for and follow the instructions on the follow-up E-mail, which will be sent to from Hunterdon County Agricultural Extension Secretary Kim Crommelin kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us following the meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the meeting or pesticide credits please reach out to Kim Crommeliln kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Register at the Link Below

https://amr.swoogo.com/mafvc2021/785984

 

 

 

 

 

Free Webinar: Strategies to Help Ag Producers Plan During the COVID-19 Crisis

Eastern farmers and agricultural producers have experienced unprecedented challenges in handling the vulnerability of our food systems. As we move forward to plan for a new season and a new year during the COVID pandemic, there is an urgent need to seek and identify best strategies to support farmers and agricultural producers in adjusting goals and achieving prosperity. This Open Forum – January 20, 2021 at 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. – will provide practitioners, extension agents, farmers, and agricultural producers an opportunity to identify gaps, brainstorm ideas, and share examples to support each other. Presenters leading the discussions will share 1-2 best practices to assist farmers and agricultural producers, including value-added production, agritourism, and other operations types.

This event is free and open to anyone, but registration is required to get the Zoom link. Registration is available by clicking here.

eXtension is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

NJDEP & Rutgers OCPE Announce Roll Out of New Online Pesticide Exam Portal!

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Rutgers University are pleased to announce that the new online Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER) system is NOW AVAILABLE for your use.  Anyone interested in taking a Pesticide exam must register through the PACER system at pacer.rutgers.edu. The registration PACER system and exams are available 24/7.   All exams […]