When asked for the links to some of the videos I shared in this presentation at the 2018 NJ Agricultural Convention, I found that I had only included about half of the videos that illustrated my talk in the Proceedings book which will be available on the NJ Veg Crops Online Resources site shortly. What follows is the amended version of that abstract with all of the (complete) video links and/or company websites that I mentioned. It’s ‘complete’ now because I had used only small portions of many of these videos that are online, so you’ll have much more content to view than what you would have seen in my talk. [Read more…]
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February 13, 2018 Rick VanVranken
Robots in the Field – Online Videos Illustrate Automation from Seedling Production through Harvesting
January 30, 2018 Rick VanVranken
Be Counted – 2017 Ag Census Includes Questions On Value-Added Sales & Agritourism
Bruce Eklund, NJ State Statistician for the U.S.D.A’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, shared this reminder to please complete the Census of Agriculture by Feb 5, and
for winery operators, direct marketers and other value-added and agritourism operations, be sure to pay attention to a few special questions:
- Include wine and other value-added product sales under (Section 24) Practices (Item 2);
- Other Income From Farm-Related Sources (Section 32) includes Agri-tourism (Item 4); and
- Production Expenses (Section 30) are important as it shows this contribution from agriculture to the general economy.
With the once every five year census started, your participation is important to accurately represent the New Jersey’s specialty crop industries. USDA/NASS mailed 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture questionnaires to known farmers in December.
If you have any questions regarding the survey, or if you may have been overlooked, please call 1-888-424-78288 or 717-787-3904, or visit https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/, where you you can complete the survey online. Growers who have already completed the survey online format found that it saved time!
Remember that individual responses to the Census of Agriculture are required to be kept confidential by law, and only aggregate data are used for publication. Census results are important in showing the economic impact and significance of agriculture for your County, your Congressional District, and New Jersey. Agricultural advocates will use your combined information to inform decision makers and the public about the importance of agriculture.
More information on the Ag Census is available at:
http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2017/approved/press171206.html
and… https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Partners/index.php.
Please help by reminding your neighbors and thank you for taking the time to be counted.
January 26, 2018 Rick VanVranken
2018 NJ State Ag Convention Educational Programs Now Online
The 2018 NJ State Ag Convention and Trade Show will be open February 6-8 at the Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Convention Center in Atlantic City. The final version of the educational program developed by Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension faculty and staff in conjunction with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ and the NJ Dept of Ag has now been posted at njveggies.org/convention. In addition to the agenda of educational sessions and workshops, you will find links to membership/registration and meal reservation information. As in the past, Tuesday and Wednesday programs are chocked full of concurrent sessions mornings and afternoons, followed by a day of more intensive workshops on Thursday. Please pay special attention to that day’s Food Safety and Fumigation Certification workshops that require separate pre-registration. Instructions are detailed in each of those workshop agendas.
A special added feature of this year’s convention will be a produce buyers discussion panel moderated by NJDA Division of Markets Director Tom Beaver in the Trade Show area at 5pm on Tuesday afternoon.
If you will be attending as a delegate to the policy sessions of the State Board of Agriculture, a separate program and registration materials are available from the NJ Department of Agriculture’s website.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
January 12, 2018 Andy Wyenandt
Best management practices for managing Dickeya dianthicola in potato.
Its the time of year when many potato growers (organic and conventional) are preparing to purchase seed potatoes for the upcoming season. Dickeya dianthicola was detected in ‘Dark Red Norland’ and ‘Kennebec’ seed being sold in retail establishments and in ‘Silverton’ in a commercial seed lot in NJ in 2017. Importantly, all growers are encouraged to follow best management practices for buying seed and best management practices for Dickeya in field production. North American Seed Health Certification records and Dickeya test results should be requested prior to purchasing any seed. If you suspect Dickeya dianthicola in potato seed during purchasing, cutting, or planting please contact your county Extension agent or Extension Specialist. All suspect potato samples should be PCR tested to confirm the presence of Dickeya or Pectobacterium.
This past fall The University of Maine held a Dickeya and Pectobacterium Summit which was attended by over 150 people from all over the world. A nice summary of the meeting by Dr. Angela Madeiras can be found in the January 11, 2018 UMASS Vegetable Notes Newsletter here.
The best method for keeping your potato operation Dickeya-free is to adopt your own 0% Dickeya-tolerance policy.
December 27, 2017 Rick VanVranken
New Tax Law’s Impact on Agriculture
Distinguished Professor and Rutgers Cooperative Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management Dr. Barbara O’Neill spent the last week before the holiday break analyzing the newly passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). In the process, she found some information about the law’s impact on farmers. She says basically there are 4 key impacts for agriculture:
- Increased (doubled) federal estate tax exemption: $11.2 million for individuals and $22.4 million for a couple (2018 figures), with proper estate planning.
- 20% deduction on co-op payments to farmer members.
- Lower tax rates for pass-through business income (new Section 199A deduction); “pass through” businesses include partnerships, LLCs, S corps, and sole proprietorships.
- New farm equipment depreciation schedule: five years instead of seven.
Many of these changes are complex so first and foremost, she advises consulting your professional tax advisor to determine how they affect you personally.
There was also much debate among her peers about prepaying state and local taxes in 2017 in case they are eliminated or capped in the new law. The final conclusion is that if your municipality is able to collect property taxes, prepayments are allowed and will be deductible on your 2017 tax bill. However, state and local income taxes are specifically excluded in the new law, so prepayment of 2018 income taxes are NOT deductible on your 2017 tax bill. Again, consult your professional tax advisor to determine if prepayments will benefit you.
November 3, 2017 Rick VanVranken
Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing & Spacial Analysis Presents DIY GPS & Drone Workshops
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).
