July 15, 2025

Rutgers to Host Afternoon Cover Crops Field Day – August 5

Rutgers Cover Crops Field Day
*The program may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather*
Date: August 5, 2025
Time: 3:00PM to 6:00 PM
Where: Snyder Research Farm, 140 Locust Grove Rd, Pittstown, NJ 08867

REGISTRATION REQUIRED:

Please register by calling RCE of Sussex County: 973-948-3040
*First 20 registrants will receive a FREE copy of the USDA SARE book: “Managing Cover Crops Profitably”

This event will highlight several cover crop research projects and foster discussion and networking on drone use in agriculture and cover crop management.
Please join us for this summer event. 

We will also discuss an upcoming drone pilot certification training we will be hosting this winter.

3:00 PM Registration and Welcome – Stephen Komar, ANR Agent /Rutgers SARE Coordinator
3:15 PM Go to the Field – Calibrating a Drone for Agricultural Applications – Adam Kyle, Warren Co. Com. College, Teaching Administrator, Precision Agriculture, Stephen Komar
4:00 PM Summer Cover Crop Planting Comparison: Drone vs. Drill – Bill Bamka, ANR Agent
4:30 PM Row Middle Cover Crops vs Herbicides for Weed Management in Vegetable Culture – Kate Brown, ANR Agent
RC&D Cover Crop Programs- Laura Tessieri, Executive Director, North Jersey RC&D
Drone Seeding Cover Crops into Pumpkins – Peter Nitzsche, ANR Agent
5:30 PM Update on Worker Protection Standards and Pesticide Recordkeeping – Michelle Infante-Casella, ANR Agent
6:00 PM Pesticide Credits and Adjourn

This event is sponsored by a grant awarded to Stephen Komar (Principal Investigator), Michelle Infante-Casella, and William Bamka Agricultural Agents/Professors, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, by the USDA, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Professional Development Program.

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, training, Tree Fruit, Turf, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
June 26, 2025

2025 Summer Orchard Tour and Educational Program

2025 Summer Orchard Tour and Educational Program

Sponsored by:

The New Jersey State Horticultural Society
in cooperation with
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County

Wednesday July 9, 2025 4:00 – 8:00 PM

Hosted by: Kurt Alstede at Alstede Farms
Harvest Hall
100 Route 24
Chester, NJ O7930

Cost: $20.00 includes dinner

Program
4:00 PM: Registration

4:30 PM: Farm Tour /Wagon Ride
                 Win Cowgill, Kurt Alstede, Colin Manning and Rebekah Alstede-Modery 

5:45 PM: Dinner

6:15 PM: Welcome Remarks – Win Cowgill

6:45 PM: Rutgers IPM Mating Disruption Research
                 Janine Spies PhD, State Fruit IPM Program Leader, Rutgers NJAES

7:30 PM: Precision Protection: Harnessing Pheromone Tech in the Battle Against Invasive Orchard Pests
 Haydn Lenz, PNW Technical Field Specialist Suterra

The following NJDEP Pesticide will be awarded.
1 Unit Category 1A      1 Unit PP2
Preregistration required by Monday July 7 at https://njshs.org/event-6223337
Email: njhortsociety@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit
May 28, 2025

North Jersey Wine Grape Twilight Meeting

North Jersey Wine Grape Twilight Meeting

June 10, 2025
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Angelico Winery
20 Hamp Road
Lambertville, NJ 08530

5:00 – 5:15 PM Registration

 5:15 – 5:45 PM Strategies to Reduce Pesticide Exposure in Applicators
                                 Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent III, Rutgers NJAES

5:45 – 6:15 PM Field observations and Control Methods from the IPM program
                                 Janine Spies PhD, State Fruit IPM Program Leader, Rutgers NJAES

6:15 – 6:40 PM Walking Tour of Vineyard

6:40 – 7:10 PM Managing Wine Grape Diseases: Tools for Decision Making
                                 Peter Oudemans PhD, Professor of Small Fruit Pathology, Rutgers Department of Plant Biology

7:10 – 7:40 PM Crown Gall – Biology and Management in the Vineyard.
                                Hemant Gohil, Agricultural Agent II, Rutgers NJAES

 

The following pesticide recertification credits will be awarded.

2 Units Category 10      2 Units Category 1A        1 Unit CORE      2 Units PP2

 

RSVP: Please call or E-mail to Kim Crommelin by June 6, 2025 at 908-788-1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Light refreshments will be provided. However, please RSVP using above contact information.

Filed Under: Fruit, pesticide credits, Wine Grape
April 21, 2025

North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I

North Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting I

In collaboration with the

New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association

 

 

May 1, 2025

4:30 PM-7:30 PM

VonThun Farms

438 Route 57 West

Washington, NJ 07882

4:15 PM – Registration

4:30 PM – Strategies to Reduce Pesticide Exposure in Applicators

Kate Brown, Agricultural Agent III, Rutgers NJAES

5:00 PM – Using Web-Based Decision Tools for More Targeted Pesticide Use

Janine Spies PhD, State Fruit IPM Program Leader, Rutgers NJAES

5:30 PM – Tree Fruit Insect and Disease Update

Kaitlin Quinn, North Jersey Tree Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers NJAES    

6:00 PM – Seasonal Tree Fruit Thinning Considerations

Megan Muehlbauer, Agricultural Agent II, Rutgers NJAES

6:30 PM – Light Refreshments

7:00 PM – Wagon Tour of Farm and Presentation to New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association

Tim VonThun VonThun Farms

Light refreshments will be served.

The following pesticide recertification credits will be awarded

 

1 Unit CORE    3 Units 1A    3 Units 10    3 Units PP2

 

Please RSVP for the meetings with a call to:

Kim Crommelin at 908.788.1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit
February 19, 2025

North Jersey Commercial Fruit Grower Meeting Program and Registration

NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL
FRUIT GROWERS MEETING

March 5, 2025
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Hunterdon County Complex
314 State Route 12, Bldg. 1
Flemington, NJ
Program

Program Chair
Megan Muehlbauer, PhD
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 – North Jersey Tree Fruit IPM Updates
Kaitlin Quinn, North Jersey Fruit IPM Program Associate, Cooperative Extension

9:40 – Mycorrhizal Fungi Applications and their Effect on Soil Biology and Tree Health
Megan Muehlbauer PhD, ANR Agent, Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon

10:10 – Pest Updates for Tree Fruit in North Jersey
Anne Nielsen PhD, Specialist in Fruit Entomology, Cooperative Extension

10:40 – Weed Management Technologies for the Orchard and Vineyard
Thierry Besançon, Specialist in Weed Science, Cooperative Extension

11:10 – Compliance in Pest Management: Status Update for Chlorpyrifos and the Endangered Species Act
Janine Spies PhD, Statewide Program Leader and Agriculture Agent in Fruit IPM, Cooperative Extension

11:40 – Update on Farm Service Programs
Laura LaFevre, County Executive Director, Hunterdon/Somerset Office, Farm Service Agency

11:50 – Jersey Fresh Marketing Update
Joe Atchison III, Assistant Secretary, NJ Dept. of Agriculture
Christine Fries, Coordinator of Agricultural Marketing, NJ Dept. of Agriculture

12:00 – LUNCHEON (pre-registration required)

12:50 – What is New from Industry

1:10 – Understanding How Irrigation Water can be a Source for Soilborne Diseases in the Orchard
Kari Peter, Associate Research Professor Tree Fruit Pathology, Penn State University

1:40 – Bitter Rot in Apples What we Know and How to Control it
Kari Peter, Associate Research Professor Tree Fruit Pathology, Penn State University

2:10 – Pesticide Protection, Precautions and Procedures
Spencer Kerkhof, Environmental Specialist, Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement NJDEP

2:40 – What can the Rutgers Diagnostic Lab do for You

Rich Buckley, Director of the New Jersey Soil Testing & Diagnostic Services
Sabrina Tirpak, Laboratory Researcher II, Plant Diagnostic Laboratory Rutgers

3:10 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn

NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS ARE ANTICIPATED

 

Click here and fill out this form to register for the meeting then fax or email to:
Fax: (908) 806-4735
E-mail: kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

If you have any questions please call Kim Crommelin: (908)-788-1338

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, pesticide credits, Tree Fruit
February 10, 2025

Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting

There is still time to register for the 2025 Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting!

February 14th, 2025

8:30 am – 2:30 pm

at the Monmouth County Agricultural Building

4000 Kozloski Road

Freehold, NJ  07728

Registration: $40 (includes morning refreshments and lunch)

For registration questions, contact Cathy VanBenschoten at 732-431-7260

or email to Catherine.VanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

CJVGM Brochure 2025

NJDEP Pesticide Credits Approved

CORE – 02

PP2 – 03

1A – 03

10 – 02

 

Agenda  

8:30 am to 9:00 am: Registration

9:00 am to 10:00 am (1 hour): Pesticide Safety for Applicators and Handlers

George Hamilton, Ph.D. – Specialist in Pest Management, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Safe and effective use of pesticides is essential for controlling pests of vegetables, while protecting human health and the environment. This presentation will focus on the proper storage and use of pesticides and the requirements for training and record keeping applicable to commercial vegetable growers. Dr. Hamilton is an extension specialist and chair of the department of entomology at Rutgers University. He has been involved with the initial certification and recertification of New Jersey’s pesticide applicators since 1986.

 

10:00 am to 11:00 am (1 hour): Updates on Vegetable Disease Control

Andy Wyenandt, Ph.D. – Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers, NJAES

Crop losses due to vegetable diseases impact commercial growers every season. As new research findings emerge, our controls are becoming more efficient and effective for addressing these persistent challenges. This presentation fill focus on updates for controlling important diseases in vegetable production as well as new information in the 2023-2024 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.

 

11:00 am to 11:15 am (15 minutes): BREAK

 

11:15 am to 11:45 am (30 minutes): Updates from the Vegetable IPM Program (Pre-recorded presentation)

Amanda Quadrel – Senior IPM Program Coordinator, Rutgers NJAES

Managing insect pests continues to be a major problem for commercial vegetable growers in New Jersey. This talk will discuss important updates to the Rutgers Vegetable IPM program, such as new personnel, new trapping protocols, techniques or products to consider for the upcoming season, and updates on pests and pesticide resistance.

 

11:45 – 12:15 (30 minutes): Industry and Service Provider Updates

 

12:15 pm to 1:00 pm (45 minutes): LUNCH

 

1:00 – 1:30 pm (30 minutes): Food Safety Update for NJ Farms

Meredith Melendez – County Agent, Mercer, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

This talk will provide an Update of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule agricultural water regulations for the 2025 growing season, clarification on NJ Cottage Food Law ingredient allowances, and how gleaning activities can impact your FSMA PSR inspection.

 

1:30 pm to 2:00 pm (30 minutes): Laser Scarecrows for Bird Damage Control

Kate Brown – County Agent, Somerset, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

This presentation will introduce growers to lasers, how they work, and their role in the bird damage control toolbox. The primary goals of this presentation are to describe results from local and regional efficacy trials, highlight laser safety practices, and provide an overview of how lasers are currently being utilized on four NJ farms.

 

2:00 pm to 2:30 pm (30 minutes): Beginner Farmer Program Update

Bill Hlubik – County Agent, Middlesex, Rutgers NJAES, RCE

Matt Milburn – Program Associate, Middlesex, RCE

This presentation will provide an update on the Rutgers RU Ready to Farm Beginner Farmer Training Program and ask the group for input on practical applied research and programs the farmers would like to see in 2025 and beyond.

 

This Annual Event is brought to you by Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Filed Under: pesticide credits, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,