Landscape, Ornamentals, Nursery, and Turf Edition
Seasonal updates on ornamental, nursery, and turf pests.
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Rutgers Turf Blog - Articles on turfgrass diseases and cultural practices for the commercial turfgrass industry. Subscription available via RSS.
Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
NJACTS 2024 WPS RESPIRATORY PROTECTION WORKSHOP: Pre-Registration Extended to Next Friday January 26th- just 14 spots open!
Respiratory Protection for Pesticides – Two Rutgers Resources for Growers!
Have A Say in Field Equipment Sanitation Research!
In an initiative to guide future solution and resources, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) has designed the Sanitation of Agricultural Field Equipment Questionnaire to begin the research process centered around field equipment sanitation.
The research will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with field equipment sanitation and work toward developing solutions that are effective, implementable and sustainable.
To introduce the survey and forthcoming research effort, Dr. Matt Grieshop Director at The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo says,
“We are a group of agricultural research and extension professionals from across the United States that are curious about grower and agricultural professional perceptions about the importance of field equipment sanitation to mitigate the spread of organisms that pose human health, weed, plant pathogen or other risks.
Agricultural field equipment includes tillage implements, tractors, harvesters, cultivation equipment, trucks, trailers, sprayers, mowers, or any other piece of equipment that is shared across fields.
This information will be solely used to help frame future research questions and outreach activities. It will not be published or distributed in any form. Answering should take 5 minutes or less and is completely voluntary and anonymous.
If you have questions, comments or concerns contact Dr. Matt Grieshop at mgriesho@calpoly.edu
Thank you for sharing your experience. We truly appreciate the gift of your time and knowledge.”
Your participation is invaluable to future developments in the industry regarding food safety and equipment sanitation.
To contribute, visit here.
For any questions regarding this project, contact Thierry Besancon at thierry.besancon@rutgers.edu.
——
Thierry E. Besançon, PhD
Associate Professor / Extension Weed Science Specialist
Register Today for February 6-8, NJ Ag Convention, Educational Events, & Trade Show
SO MANY NEW OFFERINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2024:
The 2024 NJ Ag Convention and Trade Show will be held Tuesday to Thursday, February 6-8 at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center 777 Harrah’s Blvd. in Atlantic City, NJ. Registration is required. The 3-day registration and VGANJ membership cost of $150 per farm for 2 persons and $25 for each additional person with your business. There is also a $75 per person daily entry fee option if you are not attending all 3 days and do not wish to be a member. All who register are welcome to attend this diverse and informative annual event. The convention is a cooperative effort with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ, the NJ Department of Agriculture, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Rutgers Cooperative Extension worked with VGANJ and others to bring new educational events, activities, and offerings to the 2024 convention.
Some new and interesting events for 2024 for registered participants:
1. Tuesday mid-day “Lunch and Learn” trade show vendors presentations and free lunch for the first 50 people who sign up and obtain a ticket for this extra event at the registration booth on Tuesday morning. This event is sponsored by the exhibitors. Come see what exhibitors have to offer and find out what is new from industry.
2. Tuesday evening social and happy hour featuring a charity auction benefiting Shriners Hospital for Children with items to bid on from convention sponsors and trades show exhibitors.
3. Free skin screenings on Wednesday, February 7th from 9AM to 3PM with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ. Space is limited and you must sign up in advance. To sign up see registration form and link: https://screennj.gomohealth.care/patient/enroll/
4. The New Jersey Farm Bureau Womens Leadership Committee is sponsoring a Wednesday afternoon workshop featuring guest speaker, Lorenda Oberman, American Farm Bureau Federation Womens Committee and a panel of NJ Farm Women Leaders.
5. A Thursday, All-Day On-Farm Food Safety Training. The cost is $50/per person, separate from the registration fee to the Convention and Trade Show. For more information, contact Brandi at (856) 451-2800 ext. 1. For online registration and more information see: https://go.rutgers.edu/mhqc3m5u
6. A Thursday, 1/2 day Worker Protections Standards Respiratory Protection Training, Fit Testing and Record Keeping Workshop. Space is limited to 30 participants and is a separate sign up for registered participants to the convention – so sign up soon. For more information and to register see: https://go.rutgers.edu/pesticideworkshop
For more information about the entire convention for registration, hotel, and educational events schedule see https://vganj.com/convention. Discounted room rates through the VGANJ Convention room block are available until January 29, 2024. See the VGANJ website for details. To sign up for tickets to the NJ Agricultural Society Luncheon on Wednesday or to get tickets for the Wednesday night awards banquet see: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/hottopics/approved/topics231208.html
Amended – Invasive Species Bill S2186 – Update
click here for the – Amended Invasive Species Bill s2186
Per NJNLA – Green Industry Updates
“Invasive Species Bill Progresses out of Committee
For the past year, the NJ Nursery & Landscape Association has been advocating for the nursery and landscape industries with respect to a bill that proposes to ban the propagation, sale, export or import of a select group of plants that are widely considered to be invasive. Similar legislation has already been enacted in neighboring states, and throughout the country.
The bill also creates an Invasive Species Council, which will be responsible for making recommendations on future regulated plants. In cooperation with other organizations and stakeholders, the NJNLA testified in favor of an amended version of the bill; one that provides additional representation from the industry and designates the NJ Department of Agriculture to be the primary agency tasked with rulemaking and regulation. This bill has now passed out of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee and will now need to pass both houses (Senate and Assembly) before going to the Governor’s desk.
Please feel free to reach out to NJNLA at any time” – njnla.director@gmail.com
New NJDEP Septic Permit for Farms – Public Comment Period is NOW – aggregate volume of sanitary sewage greater than 2,000 gallons per day
Please be aware that the public comment period for the below draft ENDS on January 19th – 2024.
If you would like to comment on the proposed draft – please do so before the end of the comment period; contact the NJDEP Ground Water Permitting unit at dwq_groundwater@dep.nj.gov pertaining to the following:
- Category: GFSD – Discharge to Ground Water – Sanitary Discharges at Farms (GP)
- NJPDES Permit No.: NJ0347833; Program Interest No.: 50577
as per draft – read full version here – Click here for a PDF copy – New NJDEP Septic Permit for Farms
