Rutgers Cooperative Extension
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In weed management on golf courses, annual bluegrass (Poa annua) seedhead (inflorescence) suppression often kicks off the growing season. Plant growth regulators can be used to suppress seedhead production if applications are properly timed. Much like pre-emergence herbicides that are not effective if applied after weed emergence, PGRs are less effective if applied too late. […]
Whitetail deer. Photo courtesy USDA NRCS.
The NJ State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) recently dedicated $500,000 of funding for 50% cost-share grants to farmers for installing high tensile woven-wire fencing on permanently preserved farms. The cost share applies to fencing materials and installation. An applicant can apply for a cost-share of up to $200/acre, with a total award amount capped at $20,000. As a ballpark estimate: accounting for the farmer’s 50% contribution, the maximum level of funding would support fence installation around roughly 20+ acres.
To be eligible for the program: [Read more…]
Looking at the October calendar, many NJ licensed pesticide applicators finally realize that their 5-year license is almost at an end, and there’s hardly enough time or programs available to make their credit recertification requirements. Panic starts to set in and hurried calls are made across the state to find any source of recertification credits, whether CORE or in a specific category.
But wait – there’s the internet! Back in 2002, Rutgers Cooperative Extension launched an interactive web site, www.recert.rutgers.edu, to provide training and online licensure recertification opportunities in the CORE area of pesticide safety and storage. Two CORE credits have been made available from two separate online modules for commercial applicators in NJ, NY, PA, and MD. The web site features written and narrated script along with digital imagery designed for the general public (non-credit) and licensed professional audiences. Pre- and Post- questions are also imbedded online to assess user knowledge prior to using the site, knowledge gained following completion, and the overall learning value of the site beyond the licensure credit.
Since 2002, nearly 500 individual licensed applicators have attained nearly 700 CORE credits through this web site for their state recertification needs. In addition, nearly 4,800 general use (non-credit) public views of the web site occur annually.
The NJDEP also hosts a list of approved online providers of CORE and category credits for NJ licensed applicators at www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/pcp/bpo-recert.htm. NJ licensed applicators should have received their annual statement in the mail recently, so you know where you stand and how many (more) credits you need for recertification, whether it expires this October 31 or in the near future.
So get on your computer and spend some quality time online adding to your knowledge of pesticide safety and category expertise (from turf to mosquitoes to trees, etc.), follow each site’s instructions, and avoid missing your recertification deadline. You’ll be glad you did, and so will the NJDEP!
The NJ Dept. of Ag, Rutgers NJAES, Allied Recycling, and the Cumberland County Solid Waste Complex are offering October dates for free plastic pesticide container recycling disposal. These are offered to agricultural, professional, and commercial applicators holding a NJDEP Pesticide Applicators License. State, county and municipal government agencies may also participate.
Dates and locations are listed below. Questions? Contact:
Roberta C. Lang, New Jersey Department of Agriculture
Div. of Ag and Natural Resources, Phone: 609.292.2242
[Read more…]
The NJ Emerald Ash Borer Task Force has agreed upon the following in response to EAB management questions in NJ:
Rich Buckley at the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Lab has agreed to examine samples for EAB at no charge as long as they are brought to the lab.
Anyone interested should be directed to contact the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Lab, and should bring the beetle, larvae, or sample of symptomatic tissue (chunk of bark with exit wound).
The NJ EAB Task Force is comprised of representatives from the NJ Department of Agriculture, NJ State Forest Service, USDA APHIS, Rutgers University, and the US Forest Service. The Task Force works to collaborate on EAB management decisions and advice, and to consolidate and disburse information and resources relevant to EAB in New Jersey.
NJAES Event Calendar
