July 31, 2026 , and

Agri-Technology, Nursery, Agronomy, Fruit and Vegetable Research Twilight Meeting at RAREC: Wednesday August 26, 2026

 Agri-Technology, Nursery, Agronomy, Fruit and Vegetable Research Twilight Meeting at RAREC

Wednesday August 26th, 2026 (4 pm until dark)

Location: Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC), 121 Northville Road, Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302

Hosted by: Ramandeep Kumar Sharma, Patrick McMullen, and Andy Wyenandt

Questions? Contact: Andy Wyenandt (wyenandt@njaes.rutgers.edu)

This year’s twilight meeting at RAREC will showcase advances in crop production, integrated pest management, soil fertility, weed management, and innovative agricultural technologies for growers and stakeholders across the state.

  • Dan Ward, Director, RAREC. Welcome to RAREC
  • Wesley Kline, Cumberland County Agricultural Agent
    • ‘Impact of Cyclospora on fruit and vegetable production’ CORE: 30 minutes
  • Tim Waller, Cumberland County RCE Nursery Agent.
    • ‘Useful Nursery and Ornamental Crops and Considerations’
  • Raul Cabrera, Extension Specialist in Nursery Production and Management.
    • ‘Recent developments on substrates (for container-grown crops)’
  • Dan Ward, Director, RAREC; Rutgers Agrivoltiacs Program.
    • ‘Update on the agrivoltaics research program at Rutgers’
  • Ann Nielsen, Extension Specialist in Entomology
    • Emma Waltman, PhD candidate, ‘Land-use around farms impacts stink bug biological control’
    • Amanda Furuya, Post-Doctoral Associate, ‘Tackling Spotted Lanternfly in South Jersey Vineyards’
    • Octavio Menocal Sandoval, Post-Doctoral Associate, ‘Updating Monitoring and Management for Codling Moth in Apple’
  • Thierry Besancon, Extension Weed Specialist for Specialty Crops.
    • ‘Update on new technologies for weed management in vegetable crops’
  • Ramandeep Kumar Sharma, Salem County Agricultural Agent.
    • ‘Optimizing Nitrogen Rate and Application Timing for Corn Yield and Quality’
    • ‘Evaluation of Sulfur Fertilizer Sources and Application Rates for Optimizing Soybean Growth and Yield in Southern New Jersey’
  • Maria Cramer, Senior Program Coordinator, Vegetable IPM,
    • ‘Thrips management in tomatoes’
  • Patrick McMullen, Atlantic County Agricultural Agent.
    • ‘Wilts of cucurbits: Identification and management’
  • Andy Wyenandt, Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology.
    • ‘Updates on vegetable disease control’

NJDEP pesticide recertification credits are pending approval. Expected credits include CORE (1), PP2 (4), 1A (4), 3A (2), and Category 10 (3).

Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Commercial Ag Updates, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, pesticide credits, training, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop
April 6, 2026

Caneberry Production Webinar April 8th – Registration Open

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

Filed Under: Fruit, pesticide credits, training, Uncategorized
January 18, 2026

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.

 

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