January 16, 2026

It’s never too early to be thinking about corn earworm — Free webinar on CEW management

The corn earworm traps from the Vegetable IPM program may be stored away for the winter, but the vegetable IPM team is always thinking about CEW management. We want to bring sweet corn producers’ attention to a free webinar put on by a regional team of corn earworm experts that will cover two important topics: Bt traits and silk sprays. Information below:

Management Options for Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn

Virtual Webinar Thursday, February 19, 2:00-3:30PM

Registration link:https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZxoBY8rkTbyWNTuQHhq7zw#/registration

Description

Our regional team (more information at CEWIPM.org) has been working to improve management of corn earworm in sweet corn. This webinar will include two talks the first focused on using Bt hybrids and the second on using insecticides during silking for management.

Presentations

Bt Sweet Corn Hybrids: Efficacy, Pest Pressure, and Regional Monitoring Results

Veronica Yurchak and Galen Dively

Efficacy, Timing, and Safety Considerations for Silk Spray Insecticides

Kelly Hamby, Jared Dyer, Dan Gilrein, David Owens, John Mahas, Brian Nault, Brian Currin, Tom Kuhar, and Kemper Sutton

Stacks of conical wire mesh traps on a concrete floor

Hartstack traps are used to monitor CEW populations and determine spray intervals during the growing season. This winter, our traps are stored at the Cumberland County Extension office where they will receive some TLC to get them ready for the coming season. Photo by Maria Cramer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interested in implementing IPM in your sweet corn? Rutger’s vegetable IPM program offers scouting and corn earworm trapping throughout New Jersey. Contact Maria Cramer (south) or Amanda Quadrel (north/central) to get involved.

By: Maria Cramer and Amanda Quadrel

Filed Under: training, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
January 8, 2026

NEED PESTCIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS? REGISTER TODAY

4 CORE Credits – Pesticide Safety Workshop

A Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Workshop for Pesticide Applicators to gain CORE Credits towards their license will be held at the NE Agriculture Expo at Harrah’s in Atlantic City to start of this year’s event. This workshop will take place from 10:00AM to 12:00PM. Licensed applicators must accumulate 8 CORE Credits over a 5-year period to maintain their NJDEP Pesticide Applicators License. This workshop will offer 4 CORE Credits. Pre-registration is requested and can be found on the VGANJ website at https://vganj.com“>https://vganj.com. Registration cost is $25 per person and non-refundable. Registration for this workshop is separate from the convention registration and attendees must also register for the expo at https://vganj.com/convention-tickets. The topics include: Pesticide Safety – Personal Protection Equipment for the Pesticide Applicator; Update on US EPA Worker Protection Standards; Storage, Tank Mixing, Tank Cleaning, and Disposal; Pesticide Record Keeping and Notification. For more information contact Bill Bamka (bamka@njaes.rutgers.edu) or Michelle Infante-Casella (minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu).

For the full program (January 20-22nd) of Rutgers Educational Workshops and Sessions that offer more credits and diverse topics, see https://go.rutgers.edu/2026rutgerseduprog

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, 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, training, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: , ,
December 15, 2025 , , and

Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Safety Rule Training

When: Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 10:00-5:00 EST.

Where: Northeast Agricultural Expo (New Jersey Vegetable Growers Convention) at Harrah’s Waterfront, 777 Harrah’s Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ.

To sign up: https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/fsmaac/

Online ticket Sales end on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Registration after January 13, or in-person registration at the conference, must be paid by check.

Who Should Attend

  • Fruit Growers
  • Vegetable Growers
  • Growers who have farms that fall under the PSR
  • Growers who have farms that don’t fall under the rule but will in the future

 Benefits of Attending the Workshop

Individuals who participate in this course will gain a basic understanding of:

  • Requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them
  • Fulfills the requirement for at least one supervisor from a farm to complete food safety training at least equivalent to the standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA
  • Microorganisms relevant to produce safety
  • Where microorganisms may be found on the farm
  • How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks and how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm
  • Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one
  • Cleaning and Sanitizing

What to Expect at the Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training:

  • Introduction to Produce Safety
  • Worker Health, Hygiene and Training
  • Soil Amendments
  • Wildlife, Domesticated Animals and Land Use
  • Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water)
  • Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
  • How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate survey to their trainer at the end of the course.

Does your farm fall under the FSMA PSR? Find out at the link below.
https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4IagP1mbPyrp42N

 

 

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, training, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
November 5, 2025 , , and

Two-day online Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Safety Rule Training: December 9 and 10

The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’

You’ll need to attend both days to receive a certificate, and you must always have a camera on during the training according to the Produce Safety Alliance Online Training Policies.

For more information and to sign up go to: Our Trainings – Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety [onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu] Registration closes November 14th.

Not sure if your farm falls under the Produce Safety Rule: Take this survey to find out: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4IagP1mbPyrp42N [rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com]

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, training, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
October 27, 2025

South Jersey Farmers – Stop the Bleed Training – February 2, 2026

STOP THE BLEED TRAINING
FOR FARMERS AND THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY
REGISTRATION REQUIRED – NO COST

REGISTER USING THIS LINK OR QR CODE:
https://go.rutgers.edu/stopthebleed


DATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026 TIME: 9:00AM
LOCATION: GLOUCESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES
1200 N. DELSEA DR., CLAYTON, NJ

Rutgers Cooperative Extension’ Farm Health and Safety Team has partnered with the Gloucester County Emergency Services to provide “Stop the Bleed” training for the farming community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the life-saving skills of pressure application, wound packing, and use of tourniquets. The first 25 registrants will also receive a complementary bleeding control kit.

Space is limited, register today.

If you have questions contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County 856-224-8040 ext. 1 or email minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Team:
Agricultural Agents: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, William Bamka, and Stephen Komar

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, training, Turf, vegetable, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
September 18, 2025

Webinar on Monday 9/22/26 from 12-1PM: Farm Equipment Hits the Highway: Growing Risks and Smarter Solutions

According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics, agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations. This is due to the varied number of agricultural risks encountered by farmers and farm workers. Recent events in New Jersey have brought up concerns about farm equipment on public roads.

On Monday, September 22nd from 12:00PM-1:00PM EST, there will be a webinar on
“Farm Equipment Hits the Highway: Growing Risks and Smarter Solutions”

Summary: Tractors and other large ag machines are spending more time on public roads than ever before. As farms expand and equipment grows in size, the risks on rural roadways continue to rise, not just for farmers but for the entire motoring public. This session will explore how design solutions, especially those connected to lighting and marking design standards, reduce collision risk. We’ll unpack crash data, examine discrepancies between federal and state requirements, and highlight recent NHTSA regulations that focus national attention on these issues. We’ll also explore new risks associated with trailering, longer transport routes, and the safety implications of the accelerating shift toward autonomous and robotic machinery.

Objectives: At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe how changes in farm size, equipment design, and changes in rural communities contribute to increased roadway travel and higher collision risk.

*Explain the purpose and impact of consensus design standards and how alignment (or misalignment) with state regulations can influence roadway safety outcomes.

*Identify new roadway safety concerns tied to equipment trailering, larger machines, and longer travel distances across spread-out farm operations.

*Assess how automation and robotics in agriculture will introduce both new risks and promising safety solutions—and how policy, like California’s current occupational safety tractor rules, will shape their future use.

Intended audience: Farmers, policymakers, extension educators, engineers from equipment companies, law enforcement, clinicians, health professionals, agricultural association leaders, agribusiness professionals, insurance loss control/underwriters, vo-ag instructors, machinery dealers

Meet the Presenter: Dr. John Shutske, Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist and Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Register by first creating a free account on https://learning.agrisafe.org/register
And then using this link to register for the free webinar: https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/farm-equipment-hits-the-highway-growing-risks-and-smarter-solutions

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, training, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,