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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January 28, 2025 , , and

FSMA PRODUCE SAFETY RULE GROWER TRAINING

February 6, 2025 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Pre-Registration Required Deadline to register online is Monday February 3

 New Jersey Vegetable Growers Convention at Harrah’s Waterfront, 777 Harrah’s Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ

 This training fulfills the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that at least one person from each farm needs to receive a standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA.

Topics Include:

  • Introduction to Produce Safety
  • Worker Health, Hygiene & Training
  • Soil Amendments
  • Wildlife, Domesticated Animals & Land Use
  • Agricultural Water – Production Water
  • Agricultural Water – Postharvest Water
  • Postharvest Handling & Sanitation
  • How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

Each attendee will receive a grower manual and be eligible for a certificate from the Association of Food & Drug Officials of the United States (AFDO). Note: Each participant must stay the entire training to be eligible for the certificate of training.

The cost is $50/per person,

Registration is separate from the registration fee to the Vegetable Growers Convention.

*Participants must be registered with VGANJ for the convention to attend this workshop.

For more information, email Jennifer at jmatthews@njaes.rutgers.edu

(Lunch is on your own)

Register at:  https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/fsmaac/

This training is partly funded through grants from the United States Department of Agriculture & the Food & Drug Administration.

Note:

Financial Assistance for Food Safety Certification and Training is available from the USDA Farm Service Agency. This is the chance for eligible fresh fruit and vegetable growers to recover some of their expenses for implementing food safety practices on the farm. For more information on this program please go to: Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops for Program Years 2024 and 2025

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, training, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
January 22, 2025

Greenhouse Sanitation Important for Disease Management in Transplant Production

Proper greenhouse sanitation is important for healthy, disease-free vegetable transplant production.

Efforts need to be made to keep transplant production greenhouses free of unnecessary plant debris and weeds which may harbor insect pests and disease. Efforts need to be taken throughout the transplant production season to minimize potential problems.

  • All equipment, benches, flats, plug trays and floors should be properly cleaned and then disinfested prior to use.
  • Any weeds in or around the greenhouse structure should be removed prior to any production.
  • Any transplant brought into the greenhouse from an outside source needs to be certified ‘clean’, as well as, visually inspected for potential insects and diseases once it reaches your location.

Remember, disinfestants, such as Clorox, Green-Shield, or hydrogen dioxide products (Zerotol – for commercial greenhouses, garden centers and Oxidate – commercial greenhouse and field), kill only what they come into direct contact with so thorough coverage and/or soaking is necessary. The labels do not specify time intervals for specific uses, only to state that surfaces be ‘thoroughly wetted’. Therefore, labels need to be followed precisely for different use patterns (i.e., disinfesting flats vs. floors or benches) to ensure proper dilution ratios. Hydrogen dioxide products work best when diluted with water containing little or no organic matter and in water with a neutral pH.

 

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,
January 21, 2025

REGISTER NOW – Stop the Bleed Training at NJACTS

Flyer for a Stop the Bleed TrainingA Stop the Bleed® training will take place at the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show on Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 10 AM to 12 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the life-saving skills of pressure application, wound packing, and use of tourniquets. Registrants for this free training will also receive a complementary bleeding control kit.

Space is limited, secure your spot today!

To attend, you must first register for the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show. Single and multi-day passes are available on the VGANJ website.

Then, email Kate Brown (Ag Agent, RCE-Somerset County) at kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu to reserve your spot for the training. Please include participant’s name and a contact phone number.

Questions? Email kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
January 17, 2025

Take the NJ Organic and Regenerative Farming Survey

The New Jersey State Organic and Regenerative Farming Board, in collaboration with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, is conducting an anonymous online survey to better understand organic and/or regenerative farmers production practices, current resources used, and needs. Fill Out the survey here: https://go.rutgers.edu/z23g6ei7

Who can take the survey: Farm business owners, prospective farmers, agricultural service providers, farm employees are invited to participate in this survey.

What will be done with the survey results: This information will be used to justify program creation, budget requests, and resources developed.

Survey Incentives: Respondents are eligible to receive a Jersey Fresh baseball cap, courtesy of the NJ Department of Ag. Show a screenshot confirmation of survey completion to a ORF board member to receive your cap. Caps will be given out in person at the NOFA-NJ conference on 1/25 and the NJ Ag Convention on Feb 4-6

Survey Link: https://go.rutgers.edu/z23g6ei7

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
January 14, 2025 and

REGISTER TODAY – NJ Ag Convention Coming Soon

We are only days away from the start of the 2025 NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show at Harrah’s in Atlantic City starting on February 3rd to February 6th. The convention has evolved over the years to include much more than vegetable topics. See the graphic below or the VGANJ website convention program for a list of expanded topics.

Nursery growers – we have a full day for you. Do you raise livestock? We have a new session for you. Want to learn about agricultural policies? Come to the session on Tuesday morning hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director, Brian Schilling and colleagues from the State Agricultural Development Committee. Need to learn about Food Safety Regulations, we have both a session and a workshop for you. USDA will be hosting sessions on Tuesday to promote programs for farmers. There are too many more topics to put into text so please check out the program on the VGANJ website. 

Need pesticide recertification credits? This year the workshops and sessions will help you fulfill the obligation to obtain those credits. Monday afternoon hosts a 6-CORE credit workshop that requires a separate special registration. Check out the program and how to register on the VGANJ website.

Have you registered for your hotel rooms yet? If not please use the room block and register online at https://book.passkey.com/GO/SHVEG5 or call to make Room Reservations on the phone at 1-888-516-2215 (8:00am-2:00am EST, 7 days a week), Group Name: New Jersey Vegetable Growers. Group Code: SHVEG5. There are plenty of rooms left in the room block, but the pre-registration ends soon, so reserve your rooms today. Please reserve your rooms through the group block to help us meet our obligations for the convention contract. 

Don’t miss the great Tuesday events. There is a FREE “Lunch and Learn” on Tuesday (sign up for tickets at registration on Tuesday, limited to 100 participants) in the back area of the trade show hall with time to meet with vendors and also discussion with the new NJ Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn. Tuesday night hosts a charity auction and if you attended last year, you know how great this event is with food, drink, and time to catch up with old friends and make new friends in farming. Thanks to VGANJ Secretary, Darcy Perehinys the Tuesday events will once again have amazing food! Lots of prizes from our sponsors will be available for bid at the Charity Auction. If you haven’t attended this event in the past, don’t miss it this year as it is much improved from years past. Tuesday is a big day and with the Lunch and Learn and Charity Auction Happy Hour – if you attend both these events you can eat for free!!!!

One more event you won’t want to miss is the annual awards banquet on Wednesday night. Tickets can now be purchased online on the VGANJ website. This year’s NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year award goes to Brian Porch, of Porch Farms in Salem County, NJ. The award will be presented by VGANJ President, Jim Abma. Come help us celebrate Brian and all the other award winners who will be honored by the NJ Department of Agriculture. 




Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: ,
January 8, 2025

Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting

February 14th, 2025

8:30 am – 2:30 pm

at the Monmouth County Agricultural Building

4000 Kozloski Road

Freehold, NJ  07728

Registration: $40 (includes morning refreshments and lunch)

CJVGM Brochure 2025

For registration questions, contact Cathy VanBenschoten at 732-431-7260

or email to Catherine.VanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

DEP Pesticide Credits Applied For:

CORE – TBD

1A – TBD

PP2 – TBD

10 – TBD

 

Agenda  

8:30 am to 9:00 am: Registration

9:00 am to 10:00 am (1 hour): Pesticide Safety for Applicators and Handlers

George Hamilton, Ph.D. – Specialist in Pest Management, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Safe and effective use of pesticides is essential for controlling pests of vegetables, while protecting human health and the environment. This presentation will focus on the proper storage and use of pesticides and the requirements for training and record keeping applicable to commercial vegetable growers. Dr. Hamilton is an extension specialist and chair of the department of entomology at Rutgers University. He has been involved with the initial certification and recertification of New Jersey’s pesticide applicators since 1986.

 

10:00 am to 11:00 am (1 hour): Updates on Vegetable Disease Control

Andy Wyenandt, Ph.D. – Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers, NJAES

Crop losses due to vegetable diseases impact commercial growers every season. As new research findings emerge, our controls are becoming more efficient and effective for addressing these persistent challenges. This presentation fill focus on updates for controlling important diseases in vegetable production as well as new information in the 2023-2024 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.

 

11:00 am to 11:15 am (15 minutes): BREAK

 

11:15 am to 11:45 am (30 minutes): Updates from the Vegetable IPM Program (Pre-recorded presentation)

Amanda Quadrel – Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers NJAES

Managing insect pests continues to be a major problem for commercial vegetable growers in New Jersey. This talk will discuss important updates to the Rutgers Vegetable IPM program, such as new personnel, new trapping protocols, techniques or products to consider for the upcoming season, and updates on pests and pesticide resistance.

 

11:45 – 12:15 (30 minutes): Industry and Service Provider Updates

 

12:15 pm to 1:00 pm (45 minutes): LUNCH

 

1:00 – 1:30 pm (30 minutes): Food Safety Update for NJ Farms

Meredith Melendez – County Agent, Mercer, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

This talk will provide an Update of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule agricultural water regulations for the 2025 growing season, clarification on NJ Cottage Food Law ingredient allowances, and how gleaning activities can impact your FSMA PSR inspection.

 

1:30 pm to 2:00 pm (30 minutes): Laser Scarecrows for Bird Damage Control

Kate Brown – County Agent, Somerset, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

This presentation will introduce growers to lasers, how they work, and their role in the bird damage control toolbox. The primary goals of this presentation are to describe results from local and regional efficacy trials, highlight laser safety practices, and provide an overview of how lasers are currently being utilized on four NJ farms.

 

2:00 pm to 2:30 pm (30 minutes): Beginner Farmer Program Update

Bill Hlubik – County Agent, Middlesex, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

Matt Milburn – Program Associate, Middlesex, RCE

This presentation will provide an update on the Rutgers RU Ready to Farm Beginner Farmer Training Program and ask the group for input on practical applied research and programs the farmers would like to see in 2025 and beyond.

 

This Annual Event is brought to you by Rutgers Cooperative Extension

 

Filed Under: Food Safety, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , ,