February 14, 2023

North Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Grower Meeting March 1

NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL FRUIT GROWERS MEETING

March 1, 2023
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Hunterdon County Complex
314 State Rt. 12, Building #1
Flemington, NJ

Program Chair
Megan Muehlbauer, Agriculture and Resource Management Agent
Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County

8:30 – Registration
Coffee and pastry compliments of industry sponsors

9:00 – Welcome and Introductions

9:10- Introduction to the New North Jersey Tree Fruit IPM Program Associate
Kaitlin Quinn, Tree Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

9:30 – New Jersey Hard Cider Apple Variety Trial Updates
Megan Muehlbauer, County Agent III, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County

10:00 – Integrated Pest Management in Blueberries, Back to the Basics
Carrie Mansue, Senior Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

10:30 – Weed Management Updates for Tree Fruit Production
Thierry Besancon, Extension Specialist in Weed Science, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

11:00 – Strategies to Protect Farmer Safety and Health as the Field Season Approaches
Kate Brown, Program Associate II, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County

11:30 – Jersey Fresh Marketing and NJ Apple Promotion Council Updates
TBD, Division of Markets, NJ Dept. of Agriculture

12:00 – LUNCHEON ($25.00 pre-registration required)

1:00 – What is New from Industry

1:10 – Peach Promotion Council Updates
Jerry Frecon, Rutgers University Professor Emeritus, and Horticultural Consultant

1:20 – Update on Farm Service Programs
Laura LaFevre, County Executive Director, Hunterdon Somerset Farm Service Agency

1:30 – Protective Equipment for Pesticide Safety
Patricia Hastings, Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2:30 – Management of Peach Bacterial Spot: Integration of Biorational Materials and Cultivar Resistance
Norm Lalancette, Specialist in Tree Fruit Plant Pathology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

3:00 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn

THE FOLLOWING NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS WILL BE OFFERED

3 CORE   5 CAT 1A   5 CAT 10   5 PP2

All Registration and Lunch Fees (Cash or Check) will be collected at the door
Please make checks payable to: Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

Registration Fees $20.00 per meeting
Additional Registrants $10.00 each per meeting
Lunch Fees $25.00 per person per meeting

RSVP by February 24, 2023
RSVP to Kim Crommelin 908-788-1338
kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit
October 5, 2022

Virtual Pesticide Recertification Credit Series – Horticulture 3x Sessions

Sessions hosted by Tim Waller and Bill Errickson – through RCE of Cumberland County

Individual Sessions – October 13th (Th), 20th (Th), 26th (W) 6-7:00pm (Login @ 5:30pm)

Please join us as we discuss topics applicable to all horticulture applicators – the classes of chemistries we use, which to use under various circumstances, and safe handling thereof. These sessions are valuable to our general understanding of IPM tactics via a deeper understanding of the tools available to us.

NOTE: These free virtual sessions (on Zoom) will count as “in-person”, meaning all attendees will receive offered CEUs if they: have a live video feed (and are visible) and upload a government issued photo ID + NJ Pesticide license prior via a secure Rutgers Connect folder (follow directions below, only the agents will have access to information for verification). This approach avoids the 25% online credit restrictions previously in place for those with licenses NOT expiring 10/31/2022.

Government issued photo ID and NJ Pesticide License upload:

  • Click here to upload BOTH your government issued Photo ID and Pesticide License prior to the meeting
  • Upload directions: If you click on the photo ID upload link using a smart phone/tablet you will have the option of simply taking a photo of your ID and uploading it directly into the system. Otherwise, you can scan a copy of your photo ID into a computer and follow the directions at the upload link. If you are unable to upload documentation prior to the meeting, please contact Tim Waller for assistance (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu).
  • Please upload files of your photo ID and applicator license to the link above as; “Last name_ First_ Photo ID” AND “Last name_ First_ Pesticide License”

Sessions: (You must register for each session individually, but only need to upload ID material one time)

Date:   10/13/2022 (Thursday)

  • Click here to register for 10/13 (TH)
  • How Chemicals Work and Which to Use (Tim Waller, Ph.D. RCE – Cumberland Co.)
  • Tim Waller will be discussing the various types of chemistries and classes thereof that are available for use in comestible agriculture to horticulture to right-of-way to green industries when treating some form of pest (diseases, insects, weeds, etc.). He will explain how these materials behave in or on plants, their effects on pests, when to use which materials, proper handling and safety considerations, and concepts of pesticide resistance that will ultimately lead to better chemical stewardship.
  • CEUs: CORE-2, 1A-2, 3A-2, 3B-2, 6B-2, 8C-2, 10-2, PP2-2

Date:   10/20/2022 (Thursday)

  • Click here to register for 10/20 (TH)
  • Science and Application of Horticultural Sanitation Techniques (Bill Errickson / Tim Waller – RCE – Monmouth / Cumberland Co.)
  • Bill Errickson and Tim Waller will be discussing sanitation techniques that are broadly applicable to horticulture. Sanitation basics, chemical types, and locations where to best utilize sanitation approaches, will be covered. Sanitizing chemistries and pesticides will be highlighted throughout this presentation and will focus on proper handling and safety as many of these compounds are potentially dangerous. Throughout the presentation pest or plant life cycles will be discussed to demonstrate implementation of sanitation techniques.
  • CEUs: CORE-2, 3A-2, 10-2, PP2-2

Date:   10/26/2022 (Wednesday)

  • Click here to register for 10/26 (W)
  • Horticulture Pesticide Safety and Regulation Updates (George Hamilton, Ph.D. – Rutgers Extension Specialist – Pest Management; NJ Pesticide Safety)
  • Dr. George Hamilton will be discussing the reasons for wearing protective equipment (PPE) and the proper types of equipment to use. He will also cover regulations related to recording keeping and application exclusions as well as other pesticide safety related topics.
  • CEUs: CORE-2

Contact RCE of Cumberland County – 856-451-2800 ext.1 with any questions.

ALSO – Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County (254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020) is holding an in-person, half-day event, on Tuesday, October 18th from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at their office. Please click here for additional information. CEUs offered at that meeting: CORE-3, 1A-3, 3A-3, 3B-3, PP2-3 

Instructions for Virtual Sessions:

  • Register for each session individually at the above links
  • Include your pesticide license number and date of birth if you would like recertification credits
  • After registration you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the actual twilight meeting.
  • Upload a copy of your government issued photo ID and pesticide license at the link above
  • Day-of – 5:30pm: follow confirmation email link to the session (you may need to copy-paste it)
  • Day-of: Have your video on if you wish to obtain credits

Required to be eligible to receive pesticide applicator recertification credits for these virtual programs:

1.   Attend the entire meeting with live VIDEO feed on, seated in the center of the frame. Those without a webcam or  phone attendees without a live video feed are not eligible to receive credits. Call-ins (audio only) are not eligible for pesticide recertification credits as of now; you need a computer/phone/tablet with *live* video capability. If you choose to access via your smartphone, it is recommended that it is fully charged or plugged in; and that any background applications are not running.

2.   Attendees must participate throughout the entire session, staying to the end. Individuals are not eligible for credits if they arrive after the start of the first training topic or leave before the end of the last topic. Polls will be randomly scheduled, and attendance will be visually monitored to verify attendance.

Rutgers is dedicated to protecting your privacy and keeping your personal information safe.  Upon upload, your files will be encrypted and stored to Rutgers Connect. Your information will be kept strictly confidential; used solely to meet NJDEP ID verification protocol for recertification credit; and will not be used for any other purpose. Your files will be deleted within 60 days after the training event.

 

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, pesticide credits, Turf Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
September 20, 2022

SARE Farmer Grants for 2023 – Webinar on October 4th

Truck spreading fertilizerMultiple Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) grant recipient Tommye Lou Rafes, of T.L. Fruits and Vegetables in West Virginia, is sharing her experiences to help other farmers experiment with new ideas through the Farmer Grant program.

At noon on October 4th, 2022, Rafes will join Northeast SARE Grant Coordinator Candice Huber for an informational webinar to assist farmers interested in applying for up to $30,000 in funding for projects beginning in March 2023. Registration is required and participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the event. The Call for Farmer Grant Proposals is currently available and the online system for submitting applications is opening soon. Applications are due November 15, 2022.

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants are perfect for farmers looking to grow through new practices. Rafes first learned about SARE while attending a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training. One of the professors hosting the meeting was a SARE reviewer who invited the attendees to apply for a grant. Rafes knew sustainable practices like using renewable-powered high tunnels to extend growing seasons could be good for business as well as the planet. “Growing in the winter months is a completely different way than you do in the summer months,” she said. “I decided to test varieties that were successful during the winter months as well as growing conditions that could be improved so that people would be more successful.”

Grant Coordinator Candice Huber says Farmer Grants are an opportunity for farmers to try things that could improve their operations. SARE funds can cover the farmer’s time on the project, any farm workers time spent on the project, supplies that are not capital purchase, technical support, soil testing and other budgeted items. Farmer grant projects generally are for one year.

If you have an idea and you need resources to really explore it, a Farmer Grant can connect you with those resources. This webinar will be a good starting point and participants must pre-register. See below.

To sign up for the October 4th webinar at 12:00PM go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6516611235851/WN_RoG_IkMmSDGsduZwmFgKkA

For information about the application for SARE Farmer grants see https://www.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/Northeast-SARE-Farmer-Grant-Call-for-Proposals.pdf

For general information about Northeast SARE go to Northeast SARE Home Page – SARE Northeast

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
August 24, 2022

REMINDER – Vegetable Research Plot Tour at RAREC Tonight

Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 4:30 pm (meet at the shelter near the parking lot)

Rutgers Agricultural Research & Extension Center

121 Northville Rd., Bridgeton, NJ (Upper Deerfield)

PESTICIDE CREDITS approved for this event:  

1A  (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)                     – 07
10  (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)      – 07
PP2  (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)   – 07

4:30 – Welcome and Intros – Rick VanVranken, Atlantic County Agricultural Agent

5:00 –  8:30 pm Tour of research plots and discussions with Rutgers Extension Specialists

Thierry Besancon, PhD, Extension Weed Specialist for Specialty Crops

  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Tomato.
  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Cucumber.
  • Crop Safety of Delayed Preemergence Herbicide Application for Cole Crops (Broccoli and Cabbage)

Andy Wyenandt, PhD,  Specialist in Vegetable Pathology

  • Bacterial Leaf Spot Development in Pepper and Tomato in NJ
  • Copper Resistance Development in Bacterial Leaf Spot
  • Basil Downy Mildew Breeding Program Update
  • Bell and Non-bell Phytophthora Tolerance Trials

Joe Ingerson-Mahar, PhD, Vegetable IPM Coordinator

  • Comparing the response of corn earworm to GMO and non-GMO sweet corn varieties and the resistance to BT corn

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, pesticide credits, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
August 23, 2022

2023 Farmer Grant Proposals from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Do you hGrapevinesave an idea you would like to try on your farm that is related to sustainable agriculture? Stephen Komar, Rutgers SARE Coordinator and Sussex County Agricultural Agent, would like to announce that Northeast SARE will open the website for 2023 applications for Farmer Grants on October 1st. Approximately $750,000 has been allocated to fund projects for this grant cycle. Individual awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration. Projects must be related to sustainable agriculture and results are to be shared through a final report to SARE along with some type of outreach by the farmer as part of the project. 

The online system for submitting proposals will open on Oct 1, 2022. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on November 15, 2022. Go to Northeast-SARE-Farmer-Grant-Call-for-Proposals.pdf for more information. 

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants provide the resources farmers need to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind. Northeast SARE funds projects in a wide variety of topics, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, climate-smart agriculture practices, urban and indigenous agriculture and more.

The goals of SARE Farmer Grants are to help farmers try new things that could improve their operations and to share that information with others. There are also some other restrictions for budget items. Funds can be used to conduct the research project including paying farmers for their time, for project-related materials, for project costs like consulting fees or soil tests, and any communications or outreach expenses associated with telling others about project results. This grant program is not meant to help start or expand farm businesses. Farmer Grant funds cannot be used for capital costs associated with building a barn, greenhouse, or other major farm fixture, nor can funds be used to start a farm, purchase durable equipment like tractors or computers, or for any utility, telephone, or other costs that would be there in the absence of the project.

Farmer and employee wages can be included in a Farmer Grant budget for work done specifically on the grant project. Applicants should include a reasonable wage for their work on a grant project. In New Jersey, the current adverse wage rate used for the H2-A farm worker program is currently $15.54 per hour and could help gauge wages for employees time on the project. For farmer/project manager) wages, the rate to use would be higher and could be based on the complexity of the tasks on the project. 

In addition, each project must include a technical advisor to assist with the project. Technical advisors can be anyone who is an agricultural service provider, such as your local cooperative extension agricultural agent, USDA personnel, an agricultural consultant, etc. In New Jersey and other states, SARE Coordinators are not eligible to be technical coordinators due to a conflict of interest of leadership in the program. Therefore, Agricultural Agents, Stephen Komar (Rutgers SARE Coordinator) and Michelle Infante-Casella (Rutgers SARE Assistant Coordinator) are not able to be technical advisors to grants. However, if you have questions about the grant process, they both can help answer questions or point farmers in the right direction to identify technical advisors. 

A SARE Farmer Grant informational webinar featuring Tommye Lou Rafes, who has received multiple SARE Farmer Grants, will take place at 12:00 p.m. on October 4, 2022. This webinar information will help farmers thinking of applying for a SARE grant to learn about the process and types of projects that fit this program. To register for the webinar go to northeast.sare.org/farmergrantwebinar

The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Like other SARE Grants, Farmer Grants are competitive and will be judged against other applicants in the region.

To learn more about SARE project in New Jersey see New Jersey State Fact Sheet (sare.org) 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
August 15, 2022

2022 Annual Vegetable Twilight Meeting & Research Tour

Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 4:30 pm (meet at the shelter near the parking lot)

Rutgers Agricultural Research & Extension Center

121 Northville Rd., Bridgeton, NJ (Upper Deerfield)

PESTICIDE CREDITS approved for this event:  

1A  (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)                     – 07
10  (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)      – 07
PP2  (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)   – 07

4:30 – Welcome and Intros – Rick VanVranken, Atlantic County Agricultural Agent

5:00 –  8:30 pm Tour of research plots and discussions with Rutgers Extension Specialists

Thierry Besancon, PhD, Extension Weed Specialist for Specialty Crops

  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Tomato.
  • Cover-Crops for Row Middle Weed Management in Plasticulture Cucumber.
  • Crop Safety of Delayed Preemergence Herbicide Application for Cole Crops (Broccoli and Cabbage)

Andy Wyenandt, PhD,  Specialist in Vegetable Pathology

  • Bacterial Leaf Spot Development in Pepper and Tomato in NJ
  • Copper Resistance Development in Bacterial Leaf Spot
  • Basil Downy Mildew Breeding Program Update
  • Bell and Non-bell Phytophthora Tolerance Trials

Joe Ingerson-Mahar, PhD, Vegetable IPM Coordinator

  • Comparing the response of corn earworm to GMO and non-GMO sweet corn varieties and the resistance to BT corn

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, pesticide credits, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,