The fields may be quiet, but the machine shops are buzzing. Yes, winter is a great time to perform repairs and maintenance on farm machinery. Keep yourself and those around you safe by following these tips: [Read more…]
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.
January 19, 2021 Kate Brown
Health and Safety Highlight: Prioritize Safety Year-Round, 5 Keys to Safe Winter Equipment Maintenance
January 18, 2021 Steven K. Rettke
Plant Health Care (PHC) Concerns in the Landscape
Girdling Roots:
Many tree species can develop potentially life-threatening girdling roots, but maple species are notorious for developing them in the landscape. As offending girdling roots expand in diameter and press against the also expanding central stem, an inevitable slow decline of the tree begins. When two roots grow together or when two branches grow together, then they can graft and share conducting tissues. However, root and stem tissues cannot graft together, and detrimental effects occur when they expand into one another.
Girdling roots are rare in natural areas, but are relatively common in the urban landscape. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
January 14, 2021 Nick Polanin
Free Webinar: Strategies to Help Ag Producers Plan During the COVID-19 Crisis
Eastern farmers and agricultural producers have experienced unprecedented challenges in handling the vulnerability of our food systems. As we move forward to plan for a new season and a new year during the COVID pandemic, there is an urgent need to seek and identify best strategies to support farmers and agricultural producers in adjusting goals and achieving prosperity. This Open Forum – January 20, 2021 at 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. – will provide practitioners, extension agents, farmers, and agricultural producers an opportunity to identify gaps, brainstorm ideas, and share examples to support each other. Presenters leading the discussions will share 1-2 best practices to assist farmers and agricultural producers, including value-added production, agritourism, and other operations types.
This event is free and open to anyone, but registration is required to get the Zoom link. Registration is available by clicking here.
eXtension is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.
January 11, 2021 Pat Hastings
NJDEP & Rutgers OCPE Announce Roll Out of New Online Pesticide Exam Portal!
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Rutgers University are pleased to announce that the new online Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER) system is NOW AVAILABLE for your use. Anyone interested in taking a Pesticide exam must register through the PACER system at pacer.rutgers.edu. The registration PACER system and exams are available 24/7. All exams […]
January 11, 2021 Steven K. Rettke
Winter Pest Monitoring in the Landscape
During the winter dormant season, there are a significant number of potential pests of ornamentals that require monitoring. Pest populations ignored during the off season is a missed opportunity to evaluate future problems. These potential concerns can be especially pronounced on evergreen shrubs and conifers. Therefore, this winter do not make the mistake of thinking that landscape problems can be forgotten about until next spring. A little vigilance now can go a long way toward recording & possibly reducing future problems. The following is a review of some of the major pest problems that require monitoring and possible management actions during the next few months.
Winter pest monitoring can still be achieved during the off-season. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
January 7, 2021 Nick Polanin
Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program Now Available for Eligible Producers Affected by 2018, 2019 Natural Disasters
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that signup for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program began Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, this new program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring in 2018 and 2019. The deadline to apply for QLA is Friday, March 5, 2021. [Read more…]
