Covering Public Safety, Engineering and Agriculture
in collaboration with RCE Specialists & Agents
Friday, May 31 – 9am-1pm
Mays Landing campus Student Center
Register at atlanticcapedroneday.eventbrite.com
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.
Atlantic-Cape Community College Offers DRONE DAY – A Learning Symposium
Computer Glitch at NJDEP Deletes Some Pesticide Licensees
The NJ DEP Pesticide Bureau reported there was a major glitch in their electronic system in late Nov/Dec and some individual’s information was deleted – causing delays in license renewals.
They corrected that problem in late Jan restoring the lost information on their website shortly after that. However, if you still haven’t received your renewed license, please email your the name to Joanne.Taroco@dep.nj.gov so it can be resolved.
Spacing Robots – Experiences of the Container Nursery
Spacing is one of the most labor intensive and least desirable jobs on the nursery. Continuous moving, bending and twisting with filled containers is also the common cause of workers’ injuries. Using robots for spacing and moving, can address these challenges, however has its own challenges. During a panel discussion on the Nursery Mechanization, held at Clayton in Gloucester County on Jan 16, Donald Blew of Centerton Nursery, shared their experiences in using robots.
- Efficient Utilization of the Space: The big reason for Blews was not because they could not find the labor or because it was cheaper, but the fact that robots are good at spacing pots in hexagonal pattern and saving spaces and saves money on that. “If you draw a square and put your four pots in it, you have that extra space in the middle that is not being used. If you put them in a hexagonal pattern, you can use a little bit more of that free area that you have”. Robots can do that with precision. It saved them right around 10 greenhouses last year! At eighteen hundred square feet a piece, it is quite a bit of area gained. Previously, they could fit 24,000 three-gallon hydrangea in one greenhouse. Now, with spacing robots can add 6,000 more, with the same center-to-center distance between pots. So, for every three and a third house they saved at least one house. Other thing is that it lets you know exactly how many plants are going into the greenhouse which gives an ability to refill greenhouse after, say you shipped half of the greenhouse. There are calculations and online spreadsheets that make it easy.
- How does it works? No, they don’t work on GPS. They have very simple lasers and sensors. It is actually taking the number of wheel count, so it knows how far it is going by how many revolutions making. You apply a boundary marker, along one edge/side of the bed, and then put at least one container down-faced to establish the reference point or boundaries. Then enter certain parameters such as specifying either the square or hexagonal pattern, spacing between and within the rows, on robot’s human interface. “Mark the center with D.O.T. tape and now you can use two Robots”, said the owner of four such robots.
- Challenges: Biggest challenge is that it needs a skilled labor to operate and maintain, including charging batteries, every four to five hours. If you have four of them, you may need one person dedicated to just do that. According to Donald Blew ‘there are days when it can take a full day just to troubleshoot or repair the robots’. Machine is expensive, costs around 35,000 per piece. On an average people are getting five to ten years out of them. By the time you have paid off, it’s time to get a new one. However you can lease them through Farm Credit.
- Do your math before buying. Ask yourself how many man-hours you spend, doing the operation that robots could replace. Then do the math as far as payroll. If number make sense and handle the challenges then by all means, buy the Robot.
Spotted Lanternfly Basics Webinars
In conjunction with the New York State IPM Program and the Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Northeastern IPM Center will host a collection of webinars, titled “Spotted Lanternfly Basics.” Each webinar will focus on, and be tailored to, a specific commodity group:
Spotted Lanternfly Basics for Grape and Apple Industries (Feb. 26, 2019, 1:00 p.m.). Registration link: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d_3KfxQ9SuKHyhk6pM7NCA
Spotted Lanternfly Basics for Hops, Berry, and Vegetable Growers (Feb. 26, 2019, 10:00 a.m.). Registration link: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ONViZLocSBCOKIv-sjoZVg
Spotted Lanternfly Basics for Christmas Tree Growers (Mar. 4, 2019, 10:00 a.m.). Registration link: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7eehVeBvSBOgM3aTXOtaew
Spotted Lanternfly Basics for Nursery, Greenhouse, and Landscape Industries (Mar. 4, 2019, 1:00 p.m.). Registration link: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5mYQOHMSESWFcNoftt2Nw
All webinars will follow a similar format that covers spotted lanternfly biology, identification, and hosts, monitoring and management strategies, and a regulatory update. While the content may be relevant to audiences throughout the Northeast, management practices covered will be specific to New York. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions.
For more information and registration links, go to:
Transitioning to Mechanized Potting – Adopters perspective
A panel discussion on the topic of ‘Mechanization of Nursery Operations’ was held on 16 Jan, 2018, at Clayton in Gloucester County. The panel comprised of progressive nursery growers of NJ, who shared their experiences, observations and perspectives on mechanization of potting, pruning and spacing operations. This article focuses on potting. [Read more…]
2019 NJ State Agricultural Convention & Trade Show – Feb 5, 6, 7
Harrah’s Resort & Waterfront Conference Center – Atlantic City
- Rutgers Cooperative Extension agents and specialists have finished the educational sessions with topics covering a wide range of topics.
- The Vegetable Growers Association says the trade show is just about sold out with industry vendors from near and far.
- The NJ Dept of Agriculture has shared the preliminary schedule for the State Board of Agriculture’s policy sessions.
The only thing left is for you to register and join us in Atlantic City. Registration/membership details and hotel reservations can be found on the VGANJ convention website.