Registration is required. Click here to register: Webinar Registration – Zoom
New Jersey recertification credits will be awarded to registered individuals who confirm ID and license information.
1A – 3 Units, 10 – 3 Units, PP2 – 3 Units
January 18, 2026 Michelle Infante-Casella
NE Agriculture Expo and Rutgers Educational Sessions Start Tuesday 1/20/26 to Thursday 1/22/26 in Atlantic City
The NE Agriculture Expo and Rutgers Educational Sessions Start Tuesday 1/20/26 at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, 777 Harrahs Boulevard. The final day of educational sessions and trade show ends on Thursday at 5pm.
The weather may be cold, but no rain or no snow in the forecast, and warm times inside the conference center to network with others in the industry. An afternoon Hospitality Room will be available 12-5pm on Wednesday and Thursday to relax and unwind in the trade show area. Come for the social aspects, education and gain pesticide recertification credits. Check out the Rutgers Educational Program to see what topics you would like to learn about. go.rutgers.edu/2026rutgerseduprog
What’s Happening
January 20 (Tuesday)
- Pre–trade show workshops and sessions
January 21 (Wednesday)
- Full day of educational sessions for all commodity groups • Year of the Women Farmer Luncheon
- Packed trade show with vendor booths sold out
- Live charity auction with FREE food
January 22 (Thursday)
- More sessions
- Another day packed trade show with vendor booths sold out
- Special appearance by Temple Grandin book signing /meet and greet, then her special session (additional cost)
Registration Options On-Site at the Regitration Counter (hallway of conference center) or On-line https://vganj.com/convention-tickets“>https://vganj.com/convention-tickets
✔️ VGANJ Membership – $100
Includes 2 Expo passes
Additional passes just $25 each
✔️ One-Day Pass – $60
Access to sessions + trade show
Register On-Line to
- Save time at registration
- Walk in, grab your badge
- Enjoy FREE breakfast (8am-10am Wednesday and Thursday in Trade Show)
- Head straight to learning, growing, and catching up with friends
This event under one roof, packed with education and energy, and celebrating New Jersey agriculture at its best.
Plus, buy your tee shirt or hoodie at the registration desk to “Support New Jersey Farmers” and tout “No Farmers No Food” – new this year.
January 16, 2026 Maria Cramer
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
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
January 8, 2026 Michelle Infante-Casella
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
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
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]
