In an effort to boost enrollment and address climate change, the USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. [Read more…]
Landscape, Ornamentals, Nursery, and Turf Edition
Seasonal updates on ornamental, nursery, and turf pests.
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
Companion Website Links:
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.
April 23, 2021 Tim Waller
Do you have Phytophthora concerns in your conifer nursery? We are looking for participants in a statewide study
Tim Waller (Cumberland Co.) and Bill Errickson (Monmouth Co.) of Rutgers Cooperative Extension are looking for 30 conifer producers to collaborate in a statewide Phytophthora sampling project, as part of a Specialty Crop Block Grant. This study will focus on identifying the species of Phytophthora limiting conifer production in New Jersey.
- If your operation is selected, the agents will schedule one to three visits this growing season to collect samples from roots, bark, soil, irrigation systems, and will perform soil testing (Year 1).
- During years 2 and 3, we will be performing chemical, biological, and cultural disease management trials in addition to conifer variety trials, at Rutgers-NJAES experiment stations. The aim is to generate local data – using local isolates in order to develop a more wholistic set of recommendations when targeting this disease in our NJ nurseries.
The agents also look forward to developing stronger relationships throughout New Jersey in the post-COVID19 era
This project is open to nurseries and Christmas tree farms producing conifers in NJ
If you are interested in this project – please respond via this brief survey (click here)
Please print and share this PDF survey with anyone not online (click here)
Please contact Tim Waller – twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu – (856-451-2800) – for more information
April 21, 2021 Rick VanVranken
Communicating the Value of COVID-19 Vaccines With Your Farm Employees
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Posters available in multiple languages – “Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In an effort to increase participation in the COVID-19 vaccination program among farm workers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), through the national Extension Foundation, is working with Cooperative Extension across the country to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated. Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director Brian Schilling has enlisted a team of County Agents and Specialists to answer the call from the CDC to participate in this EXCITE program. Through a variety of communications channels we will be providing informational posters and other educational materials in several appropriate languages that you can hand out or post in locations where your workers can easily read them (like on or near your Worker Protections Standards bulletin boards or in your labor camps).
“Vaccines (shots) are one of the tools we have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic” posters from the CDC are now available on the COVID-19 page of the Rutgers NJAES On-Farm Food Safety website <https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/covid-19-information/> with the direct links to these multiple language editions:
You can also share this Spanish language video <https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/un-rayo-de-esperanza> from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services with your workers to help explain where they can get more information about COVID-19 vaccines. There are several other informational videos available at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Video, as well as posters/fliers from https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Poster%20%E2%80%93%20Flyer (mostly English), and factsheets at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/filter/format/Fact%20Sheet.
April 15, 2021 Tim Waller
Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting Guide: 150-250 Growing Degree-days and Boxwood Blight Risk ( currently = low risk )
Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting Guide 150-250 GDD50:
Please print or download these resources (click on them):
- Expanded Nursery Pest Scouting Guide 150-250 GDD with CLICKABLE LINKS
- (Zoom in and click directly on the links within this document)
- Compiled Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting 0-250 GDD (Printable)
Remember:
- To determine your local growing degree-days, please review this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-day information”
- The information provided in the downloads gives scouting GDD50 ranges (in growing degree days, base 50F) for specific insect pests harming nursery crop production and maintenance. It is important to note that these GDD50 are not exact, rather provide a range of GDD and subsequent calendar dates that can be used to scout for, and treat for, insect pests.
- This document supports scouting, it does not replace it. Keeping good notes on pest development will help dial in scouting and treatment efforts at your local level.
- Forecasting predictions (GDD50 accumulation) for calendar dates of multiple regions of New Jersey (S,N,C) are provided.
- If you need more information, OR you are regularly seeing specific pest development stages at growing degree-days different than those listed here, please contact Tim Waller at twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu
GREAT RESOURCE from Steve Rettke: “Landscape Pest Notes: Some Early Spring Insects/Mites”
| Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 4/15/2021 | |||||||
| Region | Location | 4/15/21 | 1-Apr | 1-May | 1-Jun | 1-Jul | Aug. 1st |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield (NJ50) | 141 | 75 | 230 | 636 | 1314 | 2156 |
| Central | Howell / Freehold (NJ10) | 94 | 67 | 165 | 513 | 1135 | 1929 |
| Northern | High Point (NJ59) | 50 | 21 | 56 | 268 | 721 | 1327 |
| Forecast: NOAA NCEP Coupled Forecast System model version 2 (CFSv2) forecast system (3.5 months) (USPEST.ORG) | |||||||
| Pest Scouting – Growing Degree-day Ranges | (150-250 GDD50) | |||||
| CROP TYPE | Common Name | Scientific Name | GDD Min (50F) | GDD Max (95F) | Reference | Developmental / Target Stage |
| Malus, Prunus, many | Eastern tent caterpillar | Malacosoma americanum | 90 | 190 | 2 | Larvae treatment before tents apparent (near 150-GDD50) |
| Elm, Service berry | Woolly elm aphid | Eriosoma americana | 121 | 246 | 2 (6) | Control target |
| Conifer | Hemlock woolly adelgid | Adelges tsugae | 150 | 150 | RU | Eggs and 10% hatch |
| Conifer | Spruce spider mite | Oligonychus ununguis | 150 | 175 | 4 | 1st egg hatch |
| Conifer | Spruce needleminer | Endothenia albolineana | 150 | 200 | 4 | 1st larvae active |
| Conifer | Balsam gall midge | Paradiplosis tumifex | 150 | 300 | 4 | Adults laying eggs |
| Witchhazel, River birch | Spiny witchhazel gall aphid | Hamamelistes spinosus | 171 | – | 6 | Control target |
| Birch | Birch leafminer | Fenusa pusilla | 190 | 290 | RU | Larvae (1st generation) |
| Conifer | Spruce spider mite | Oligonychus ununguis | 190 | 363 | RU | Immatures/Adults |
| Honeylocust | Honeylocust pod gall midge | Dasineura gleditchiae | 192 | 229 | RU | Larvae |
| Holly | Holly leafminer | Phytomyza ilicis | 192 | 290 | RU | Egg hatch |
| Holly | *Native holly leafminer | Phytomyza ilicicola | 192 | 298 | 2 | Egg hatch |
| Rhododendron | Rhododendron borer | Synanthedon rhododendri | 192 | 298 | 2 | Typical treatment window |
| Larch | Larch sawfly | Pristophora erichsonii | 192 | 299 | 2 | Typical treatment window |
| Andromeda | Andromeda lacebug | Stephanitis takeyai | 192 | 303 | RU | Adults |
| Rhododendron | Rhododendron gall midge | Clinodiplosis rhododendri | 192 | 363 | RU | Larvae |
| Willows, Cottonwood, Poplar | Imported willow leaf beetle | Plagiodera versicolora | 192 | 448 | RU | Larvae/Adults |
| Privet | Privet thrips | Dendrothrips ornatus | 192 | 618 | 2 | Typical treatment window |
| Lilac, ash, privet, many | Lilac / Ash Borer | Podosesia syringae | 200 | 299 | RU | Adults – 1st Treatment |
| Spruce | Spruce budworm | Choristoneura fumiferana | 200 | 300 | 5 | Larvae |
| Elm | Elm leafminer | Fenusa ulmi | 215 | 240 | 5 | Adult emergence |
| Wild and cultivated roses | Roseslug sawfly | Endelomyia aethiops | 230 | – | 6 | Egg hatch / early instars |
| Deciduous, many | Hawthorn lacebug | Corythucha cydoniae | 239 | 363 | RU | Nymphs/Adults |
| Conifer | Arborvitae leafminer | Argyresthia thuiella | 245 | 360 | RU | Larvae Treatments |
| Prunus | American plum borer | Euzophera semifuneralis | 245 | 440 | 5 | Adult flight, egg laying |
| Boxwood | Boxwood mites | Eurytetranychus buxi | 245 | 600 | RU | All Stages |
| Lilac | Lilac leafminer | Caloptilia syringella | 246 | 363 | 5 | Larvae Treatments |
| Holly | Holly leafminer | Phytomyza ilicis | 246 | 448 | RU | Larvae Treatment |
| Yew | Taxus mealybug | Dysmicoccus wistariae | 246 | 618 | RU | Adults/Crawlers |
| Conifer | Pine sawflies (Red-headed) | Neodiprion lecontei | 246 | 1388 | RU | Larvae (1st generation) |
| Boxwood | Boxwood leafminer | Monarthropalpusi flavus | 249 | – | 6 | Adult emergence |
| Conifer | Eastern spruce gall adelgid | Adelges abietis | 250 | 310 | 5 | egg hatch, galls begin forming (not a control target) |
| References | RU | Rutgers Cooperative Extension – IPM Notes | ||||
| 2 | http://ccetompkins.org/resources/using-growing-degree-days-for-insect-management | |||||
| 3 | https://extension.psu.edu/ipm-basics-for-christmas-trees#section-2 | |||||
| 4 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_conifer_insects | |||||
| 5 | https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/landscape-pests.pdf | |||||
| 6 | https://extension.umd.edu/ipm/pest-predictive-calendar-landscapenursery | |||||
| 7 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_landscape_insects | |||||
Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:
| Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 4/15/2021 | |||||||
| Region | Location | CODE | 15-April | 16-April | 17- April | 18-April | 19-April |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield | NJ50 | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Central | Howell / Freehold | NJ10 | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Northern | High Point | NJ59 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Please check your local boxwood blight risk at (https://uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app) | |||||||
Considerations:
- These advisories are general in nature so someone from your business should be using this risk model (CLICK HERE) if boxwood is important to your financial stability. In 30 seconds you can have a better idea of boxwood blight (and other pathogen) activity in your immediate area!
- Treatment considerations and additional links (CLICK HERE)
Become a Boxwood Blight Advocate to receive quarterly updates (through the Horticultural Research Institution)
April 15, 2021 Kate Brown
Tractor Safety – “No Seat, No Rider”
There is no argument that tractors have forever changed agriculture. The use of tractors has long replaced the presence of draft horses on almost every farm in America. It is estimated that cultivation of land with a modern tractor allows 64 acres to be plowed in the time it took to cultivate one acre with a draft horse. The use of tractors also comes with a dark side. As long as farmers have been using tractors they have been injured and killed by them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 274 transportation related deaths, which includes tractor deaths in 2018. In any given year half of all tractor fatalities are from overturns, almost another one-fourth are from runovers. Many have a tradition of allowing extra passengers to ride on tractors. Sometimes trying to transport a worker from one task to the next or possibly saving them from walking back to the barn. Some even allow children to come along for a ride – a very dangerous practice. Whether it be on the tongue, side steps, fender or extra passenger in the cab, remember these places are not designed for riders. As we enter one of the busiest seasons in agriculture remember one of the most important safety rules NO SEAT, NO RIDER!
- Riders that fall off are immediately in danger of being run over by a tractor wheel
- On rough or uneven ground, riders are first to bounce off (especially children)
- Riders distract the driver and can bump controls
- Rollover Protective Structures are designed to protect drivers, not riders
Do not ever think “it won’t happen to me.” Every farmer can tell a story of an incident that happened to someone they know in the farm community that involves a tractor. Make sure everyone makes it through the harvest – NO SEAT, NO RIDER!
Posted on behalf of Bill Bamka, Agricultural Agent, RCE-Burlington County.
April 7, 2021 Pat Hastings
Pesticide Applicator or Dealer Storage Inventory with Cover Letter Due May 1st to Fire Department
All licensed pesticide applicators, as well as dealers, who store pesticides are required by law to send a copy of their storage inventor(ies) with an explanatory cover letter to the local fire company by May 1st each year. In New Jersey, all licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who store pesticides are required per N.J.A.C. 7:30-9.5 […]
