Rutgers Cooperative Extension
We have plenty of seats available and we’d love to see some of you there! It’s free.
February 29 at 6pm
at the RCE of Cape May County: 355 Courthouse – South Dennis Rd., Cape May Court House.
To register click the following link: https://go.rutgers.edu/1ivomziz
If you have any questions please email capemayag@njaes.rutgers.edu or call (609) 465-5115 ext. 3615
Call for Public Comment – Humane Treatment of Domestic Livestock
New Jersey State legislation (A-1970/S-1298), signed into law on July 26, 2023, required the State Board of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules and regulations concerning the confinement, care, and treatment of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal. The rules and regulations, which were published in the State Register on February 5, 2024 (Document: 56 N.J.R. 171(a)) are open to public comment through April 5, 2024. The bill prohibits confinement in an enclosure that impacts a breeding pig and calf’s ability to freely move in certain ways and properly groom itself and that limits visual contact with other calves, along with specific exceptions to the rule. The link above contains the complete text of the proposed rule and contact information for submitting comments via mail and email.
Submit comments by April 5, 2024, to:
Dr. Amar Patil, DVM, MVSc, Ph.D., Diplomate ACVM
Director and State Veterinarian
Division of Animal Health
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
PO Box 400
Trenton, NJ 08625-0400
Telephone: (609) 671-6400
Email: PR-AnimalHealth@ag.nj.gov
We encourage you to look at the rule and see how it may affect your operation. If you have questions, please contact:
Dr. Michael Westendorf, Animal Science Extension Specialist (michael.westendorf@rutgers.edu) or
Dr. Tess Stahl, Animal Science Extension Specialist (ts1290@sebs.rutgers.edu)
In an initiative to guide future solution and resources, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) has designed the Sanitation of Agricultural Field Equipment Questionnaire to begin the research process centered around field equipment sanitation.
The research will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with field equipment sanitation and work toward developing solutions that are effective, implementable and sustainable.
To introduce the survey and forthcoming research effort, Dr. Matt Grieshop Director at The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo says,
“We are a group of agricultural research and extension professionals from across the United States that are curious about grower and agricultural professional perceptions about the importance of field equipment sanitation to mitigate the spread of organisms that pose human health, weed, plant pathogen or other risks.
Agricultural field equipment includes tillage implements, tractors, harvesters, cultivation equipment, trucks, trailers, sprayers, mowers, or any other piece of equipment that is shared across fields.
This information will be solely used to help frame future research questions and outreach activities. It will not be published or distributed in any form. Answering should take 5 minutes or less and is completely voluntary and anonymous.
If you have questions, comments or concerns contact Dr. Matt Grieshop at mgriesho@calpoly.edu
Thank you for sharing your experience. We truly appreciate the gift of your time and knowledge.”
Your participation is invaluable to future developments in the industry regarding food safety and equipment sanitation.
To contribute, visit here.
For any questions regarding this project, contact Thierry Besancon at thierry.besancon@rutgers.edu.
——
Thierry E. Besançon, PhD
Associate Professor / Extension Weed Science Specialist
SO MANY NEW OFFERINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2024:
The 2024 NJ Ag Convention and Trade Show will be held Tuesday to Thursday, February 6-8 at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center 777 Harrah’s Blvd. in Atlantic City, NJ. Registration is required. The 3-day registration and VGANJ membership cost of $150 per farm for 2 persons and $25 for each additional person with your business. There is also a $75 per person daily entry fee option if you are not attending all 3 days and do not wish to be a member. All who register are welcome to attend this diverse and informative annual event. The convention is a cooperative effort with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ, the NJ Department of Agriculture, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Rutgers Cooperative Extension worked with VGANJ and others to bring new educational events, activities, and offerings to the 2024 convention.
Some new and interesting events for 2024 for registered participants:
1. Tuesday mid-day “Lunch and Learn” trade show vendors presentations and free lunch for the first 50 people who sign up and obtain a ticket for this extra event at the registration booth on Tuesday morning. This event is sponsored by the exhibitors. Come see what exhibitors have to offer and find out what is new from industry.
2. Tuesday evening social and happy hour featuring a charity auction benefiting Shriners Hospital for Children with items to bid on from convention sponsors and trades show exhibitors.
3. Free skin screenings on Wednesday, February 7th from 9AM to 3PM with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ. Space is limited and you must sign up in advance. To sign up see registration form and link: https://screennj.gomohealth.care/patient/enroll/
4. The New Jersey Farm Bureau Womens Leadership Committee is sponsoring a Wednesday afternoon workshop featuring guest speaker, Lorenda Oberman, American Farm Bureau Federation Womens Committee and a panel of NJ Farm Women Leaders.
5. A Thursday, All-Day On-Farm Food Safety Training. The cost is $50/per person, separate from the registration fee to the Convention and Trade Show. For more information, contact Brandi at (856) 451-2800 ext. 1. For online registration and more information see: https://go.rutgers.edu/mhqc3m5u
6. A Thursday, 1/2 day Worker Protections Standards Respiratory Protection Training, Fit Testing and Record Keeping Workshop. Space is limited to 30 participants and is a separate sign up for registered participants to the convention – so sign up soon. For more information and to register see: https://go.rutgers.edu/pesticideworkshop
For more information about the entire convention for registration, hotel, and educational events schedule see https://vganj.com/convention. Discounted room rates through the VGANJ Convention room block are available until January 29, 2024. See the VGANJ website for details. To sign up for tickets to the NJ Agricultural Society Luncheon on Wednesday or to get tickets for the Wednesday night awards banquet see: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/hottopics/approved/topics231208.html
