Wondering if/how you can use drones and GPS data on your farms/business? Workshops at Rutgers University Inn/Conference Center in New Brunswick will help you decide if you want to try it yourself –
Dec 11 – Use your Smartphone/Tablet for High-Precision GPS Data Collection
Dec 12 – Learn to Do-it-Yourself – Accurate Drone Mapping Made Easy
Register for one or both days here (preregistration discount ends Nov 15). Detailed agendas are online here or download the Workshop Brochure & Agenda (pdf).
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.
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
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NJ Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations
Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing & Spacial Analysis Presents DIY GPS & Drone Workshops
Veg IPM Update: Allium leaf miner 10/25/17
Allium Leaf Miner
A sample of unsprayed/unprotected volunteer garlic near Asbury on the Hunterdon/Warren County border today showed 68% of plants infested with allium leaf miner (ALM). These maggots were all later stage, and found in the necks, about 1″ above the bulb (see photo at upper left). We should expect that all untreated/unprotected allium crops are similarly affected at this time. Interestingly, 100% of infested plants had visible feeding/egg laying scars (see photo at center above), while 100% of uninfested plants showed no visible signs. None of the plants had mines visible on the surface, but cross sections of the neck revealed clean tunnels the maggots had created on their way down (see photo at right, above).
Our colleagues at Cornell, operating in the Hudson Valley had notified us that they had had no success catching ALM adults on sticky cards, and we have had the same difficulty in NJ this Fall. This is unlike our experience in the Spring, when we were able to catch numerous individuals at nearly every trap site. Additionally, the generation of adults emerging in the Spring here in NJ heavily infested chives; the earliest possible host. This Fall, chives appear to be largely uninfested, while onions, scallions, and leeks are showing the most feeding/egg laying scars.
Be aware that if no program of protection was enacted roughly 3 weeks ago, Fall allium crops may be heavily infested at this time.
Food Safety Survey Looking for Responses from NJ Growers
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A National Grower and Processor Needs Assessment currently underway is seeking additional input from the Northeast farmers and food processors who serve local markets. The Local Food Safety Collaborative aims to provide specialized training, education, and outreach. They are conducting a food safety survey until October 31, 2017 to help direct their resources to best enhance fundamental food safety knowledge and help small farmers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
How will this work benefit the Northeast? The overall results of this survey will be shared with the region but with enough local responses, specific information relative to the NE can be determined, including identified barriers to implementing food safety practices, such as types of material and training needs for growers and processors.
The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete, is available in English and Spanish, and participants can choose to enter a raffle to win 1 of 20 $100 gift cards. Responses are anonymous and confidential. The survey can be found at www.localfoodsafety.org/survey.
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The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) is an FDA-funded Regional Center (RC) hosted by University of Vermont Extension, led jointly with co-directors from Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania State University and The University of Maryland and in partnership with stakeholders from the Northeast Region.
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Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 10/04/17
Note: Today’s edition is the last regular IPM Update of the season. We will continue to monitor late season crop pests and will publish updates as necessary.
Sweet Corn
Corn earworm (CEW) moth catches declined dramatically over this past week with evening temperatures dropping into the high 40s in many locations (see CEW blacklight map at left). In this map, areas in green roughly correspond to a 3-day schedule, while blue areas are in the 4-5 day range. Blue points within larger green areas should be considered “outliers”, and the broader color scheme in any particular region is more representative of the population. The current situation may change with somewhat warmer night temperatures forecast toward the end of the week. Should night temperatures begin to approach 60F or more, growers should consider treating remaining silks on a 3-4 rather than a 4-5 day schedule. Be aware that synthetic pyrethroids have become less effective at managing ear infestations from this pest over the past several years. For this reason, it is advisable to include products in the IRAC group 28 (Coragen, Besiege) or IRAC group 5 (Radiant, Entrust (OMRI approved)).
The highest nightly CEW blacklight trap catches are as follows:
Georgetown 5 | Farmingdale 2 | Chester 1 |
New Egypt 5 | Allamuchy 1 | Centerton 1 |
Crosswicks 3 | Beckett 1 | Eldora 1 |
Matawan 3 | Belvidere 1 | Eldora 1 |
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 9/27/17
Sweet Corn
European corn borer (ECB) catches have again fallen to levels too low to register a map image. This pest is not much of a threat at this point, with most remaining plantings in silk. ECB feeding in less mature NJ sweet corn plantings is nearly non-existent now. Sprays for fall armyworm and corn earworm will manage any ECB larvae at this time. [Read more…]
Vegetable Disease Update – 9/24/17
- Late blight has been reported in western NY and Long Island this past week. Late blight has not been reported on tomato or potato in NJ to date. If you suspect Late blight on your farm please contact your county Extension agent. To track the progress of Late blight in the US please visit USAblight.
- Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) continues to be reported throughout the region. All cucurbit growers are encouraged to continue to include downy mildew specific fungicides in their regular weekly maintenance programs. To track CDM movement in the US please visit the North Carolina State University’s CDM Forecasting Website.
- Fusarium and Rhizoctonia root rot has been reported in Cilantro and parsley this past week.