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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March 1, 2021

‘Driving Safety Home’ is Theme of Agricultural Safety Awareness Program Week, Feb. 28 – March 6

Sharing resources that will help farmers and ranchers keep safety top of mind through the Agricultural Safety Awareness Program (ASAP) is a priority of county and state Farm Bureau leaders across the nation. As part of ASAP, Feb. 28 – March 6 has been designated as Agricultural Safety Awareness Week. U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers will join Farm Bureau in promoting the week with its theme “Driving Safety Home.”

A different safety focus will be highlighted by Farm Bureau and U.S. Ag Centers each day of the week:AG Safety Awareness

  • Monday, March 1 – Farmer Roadway Safety
  • Tuesday, March 2 – Caretaker Support
  • Wednesday, March 3 – General Farmer Wellness
  • Thursday, March 4 – Mental Health
  • Friday, March 5 – Community Roadway Safety

During this week and throughout the year, Farm Bureau encourages farmers to make safety a priority on the farm.

The Agricultural Safety Awareness Program is a part of the Farm Bureau Health and Safety Network of professionals who share an interest in identifying and decreasing safety and health risks. For more information and resources, visit the ASAP Facebook page.

Visit the Centers’ YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/USagCenters) for new content and fresh ideas about how to stay safe while working in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Join the movement to keep farms safe and share your own safety messages on social media using the hashtags #KeepFarmsSafe, #ASAP21 and #USAgCenters.

The 11 U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers (www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html) are funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
February 28, 2021

Energy Efficiency Incentives for Indoor Agriculture – Webinar

New Jersey offers a variety of statewide energy efficiency programs that are designed to offer full project development assistance from information on best practices to rebate payments and financing tools.

“Incentives for Indoor Agriculture” webinar will be presented by New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program on Thursday, March 4, 2021 from 11:00am to 12:00pmEDT. This webinar will discuss how New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program is helping the indoor agriculture industry with state funded incentives and rebates for highly energy efficient technology and money-saving solutions to maximize plant growth potential while reducing utility costs.

Registrations are accepted online by clicking here.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) provides oversight for the NJ Clean Energy Program.

As stewards of our environment, farmers can reinforce their pledge to sustainable agriculture by using renewable energy and help reduce pollution, global warming, and our dependence on imported fuels. Installation of energy efficient equipment, adoption of energy-saving practices and renewable energy generation is a viable option for New Jersey farmers seeking to reduce their operating costs.

For additional information, please call the NJ Department of Agriculture’s Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources at (609) 292-5532 or visit their website.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
February 26, 2021

Free Food Safety Webinar Series

The Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team will be presenting three free webinars in March from 12:00 pm to 1:00pm.  These will cover issues related to audits and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – Produce Safety Rule.  On March 12 we will have an “Introduction to FSMA and Audits” discussing the difference between them, if a grower needs to comply with either and what is involved.  March 19 “Backflow Prevention in the Field and Packinghouse”, types of different devices, how to maintain them and where to place them.  March 26 “On-Farm Record Keeping” for FSMA and audits including the type of records required, what needs to be on the records and now long to maintain them.  To sign up for these free webinars go to RutgersOnFarmFoodSafety.Eventbrite.com.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
February 24, 2021

NJ WIC Senior/Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

The NJ Dept of Health’s Women, Infants and Children program administers the Senior/Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program that provides vouchers to purchase fresh produce only through authorized on-farm and community farmers’ markets. They now serve over 80,000 NJ residents and are recruiting new Farmers and Market Managers to help them reach even more eligible customers.

If you are interested in finding out more about the program and becoming a participating market able to accept and redeem S/FMNP vouchers for yourself or on behalf of your smaller farm market vendors, please contact Jose Quann asap at the NJ Dept of Health. He can be reached at <jose.quann@doh.nj.gov>.

Please note – In order to become an Authorized Farmer or Market Manager, you will be required to attend a mandatory training program. There are only four scheduled virtual sessions between now and early March 15. If you miss the the mandatory training, there is an appeal and hearing process, but otherwise, you will not be able to participate this season.

Time is of the essence!

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , ,
February 24, 2021

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention Virtual Educational Sessions – Thursday

Day 4 is here already. Thank you for participating this week. We hope this has been a useful program for you.

Please use the following links for Thursday’s sessions.

Access for all morning sessions begins at 9am Thursday Feb 25 here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/a6s5d8nq with presentations beginning at 9:15am.

All morning sessions will be in ‘breakout rooms’ accessible from the main Zoom session. Afternoon sessions will each have a unique link to allow us to track attendance better for those seeking pesticide credits.

As always, all links are also available for all sessions at vganj.com/schedule or go directly to the agenda page here https://go.rutgers.edu/yw2aminv.

NOTE that if you missed Wednesday’s wonderful Tribute to New Jersey Farmers, it is posted front and center at vganj.com/convention.

The program and links for Thursday’s sessions are:

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention – Educational Sessions Agenda

Thurs Feb 24, 2021 – 9:15am-11:45am
Access ALL MORNING sessions HERE

https://go.rutgers.edu/a6s5d8nq

Grapes I
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Frost Protection in the Vineyard
10:00-10:30am-Panel Discussion – New Jersey Grape Growers’ Response to Frost Events
10:30-10:45am-Preventing Herbicide Drift & Injury to Grapevines
10:45-11:15am- Wine Grape Varieties for North New Jersey
11:15-11:45am- Alternative Wine Grape Varieties to Consider

Through the Looking Glass – Future Technologies for NJ Farms
9:00-9:15am-Welcome & Intro
9:15-9:45am-Applications of Cold Plasma in Hydroponics
9:45-10:15am-Farm-IT – Cost Effective & Open-Source Management Solutions for Small Farm Operations
10:15-10:45am-Agriculture & Solar – History and Status of the Massachusetts Solar PV Dual-Use Program
10:45-11:15am- Controlled Environment Agriculture – A Tool to Understand Flavor Profiles and Consumer Demand for Baby Leafy Greens
11:15-11:45am-From the Horizon to the Far Out – Production Enhancing Ag Technologies

General Vegetables & Herbs I
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Bacterial Leaf Spot Populations & Copper Resistance Development in Vegetable & Tree Fruit Crops in NJ
10:00-10:30am-Understanding Bacterial Leaf Spot Populations on Tomato & Pepper
10:30-10:45am-What’s New from Industry/Break
10:45-11:15am-Update on X10R Bell Pepper Varieties in NJ
11:15-11:45am-Grafting Tomato & Peppers for Controlling Bacterial Wilt & Root Knot Nematode

Thurs Feb 25, 2021 – 12:00pm-1:00pm
Access AFTERNOON sessions individually
Pesticide credit sessions require logging in within 10 minutes of start and remaining through the entire session to be eligible for credits.

Respiratory Protection Requirements of WPS-Labeled Pesticides
https://go.rutgers.edu/idc7d8nj
(1 hour for 2 CORE credits)
Pat Hastings
Session will highlight the requirements of the federal WPS and New Jersey Worker Protection regulations covering use of respirators for pesticide applications.

 

Thurs Feb 25, 2021 – 1:00pm-3:45pm

Grapes II
https://go.rutgers.edu/9ryhlfx9
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Understanding Risk and Evaluating Growing Practices in the Face of Emerging Invasive Pathogens
2:00-2:30pm-Application of CRISPR-Gene Editing to Improve Grape Disease Resistance
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Spotted Lantern Fly Update
3:15-3:45pm-Pesticide Safety and Regulation Update for 2021

Integrated Pest Management
https://go.rutgers.edu/jci205ae
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Refining Your Disease Management Program for Pumpkin and Winter Squash
2:00-2:30pm-Battling Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Invasive Jumping Worms – Are There Any Risks to Agriculture?
3:15-3:45pm-The Plague of Peppers – An Unexpected Tale of the Pepper Weevil in Ohio

General Vegetables & Herbs II
https://go.rutgers.edu/1ag4acby
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Understanding & Controlling Cucurbit Downy Mildew in 2021
2:00-2:30pm-Managing White Flies & Thrips in Field Vegetables
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Alternaria Diseases of Brassicas-an Emerging Problem in the Mid-Atlantic
3:15-3:45pm-Pepper Anthracnose-Appetite for Destruction

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
February 24, 2021

Second notice: Pepper Weevil Management and Research Priorities

Pepper Weevil Management and Research Priorities

March 3, 2021, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Online Zoom Meeting

Pepper growers/agribusiness professionals/extension personnel are invited to attend a virtual meeting to discuss current pepper weevil management tactics and to set research priorities.

Since 2006, at least one farm each growing season has been infested with pepper weevil.  So far, timely spraying after detection has occasionally been successful in eliminating weevils.  Otherwise, insecticide applications have only suppressed weevil populations.  Pheromone traps are useful in detecting weevils, but often fields are infested before the weevils are trapped.  What else can be done?  What are the priorities in attempting to manage weevils?

Please join the discussion to help develop tactics to reduce the impact of pepper weevil.

To register please go to https://go.rutgers.edu/3bm2r3xl

The registration deadline is March 1, 2021, and you must pre-register to get the zoom link.

 

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops