Testing irrigation water for generic E. coli is something that every farm should do. Timing and frequency of this testing varies depending on your water source. Here is a cheat sheet: [Read more…]
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.
July 3, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Controlling Cucurbit Downy Mildew
Once cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is detected in the mid-Atlantic region (as of yesterday in Maryland) all cucurbit growers in New Jersey should begin to include downy mildew specific fungicides in their weekly fungicide programs on all cucurbit crops.
Symptoms of cucurbit downy mildew on infected cucumber leaf.
July 2, 2014 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 7/2/14
Vegetable IPM Report 7-2-14 – Click to View | Download | Print
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Maps for the Week
–European Corn Borer Map
–Corn Earworm Moth Pheromone Trap MapTopics for the Week
- Sweet Corn
- Peppers
- Pepper Weevil Report
- Tomatoes
- BMSB
- Pumpkins and Winter Squash
July 2, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Confirmed in Maryland 7-2-14
Cucurbit downy mildew has been confirmed on cucumber in Caroline County, Maryland.
This is the first report of cucurbit downy mildew in the mid-Atlantic region this growing season. All cucurbit growers should scout their fields on a regular, if not, daily basis. All cucurbit growers should consider switching to a preventative fungicide program that includes downy mildew specific fungicides. For more information, please see the 2014 Commercial Vegetable Fungicide Recommendations Guide.
July 2, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
Audit Ready:
Who Can Accompany You During A Third Party Audit?
Recently, a number of growers have asked:
“Who can accompany me during a third party food safety audit?”
Perhaps you had someone write your farm food safety plan for you or, you have a food safety consultant and you would like them to participate in or attend the audit.
The USDA weighed in on this question and stated:
” There are no written requirements restricting the number of individuals on an audit. We allow the auditor to make that decision as far as how many people they wish to accompany them. A consultant can accompany the auditor and act as an observer but may not act as a participant in the audit.”
If you would like someone to accompany with you during the audit be sure to ask the inspector where they stand on who may attend the audit with you.
July 1, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Briefs 7-1-14
- Late blight has been confirmed on potato and tomato in Lancaster County, PA and confirmed on potato in west central PA (Cambria County); in potato on Long Island, NY (Suffolk County) and on potato in western NY (Erie County). To date, no late blight has been reported in NJ. To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/.
- Basil downy mildew has been reported in New Jersey. With current weather conditions all basil growers should scout on a daily basis and taking appropriate preventative measures.
- Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported on cucumber as far north as central North Carolina as of 6/20. No cucurbit downy mildew has been reported in the region to date. To track cucurbit downy mildew in the US please visit http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/
