NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL
FRUIT GROWERS MEETING
March 4, 2026
8:30 am – 4:00 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
Continental breakfast compliments of industry sponsors
8:50 – Welcome and Introductions
9:00 – NJDEP’s Pesticide Safety and Regulations
Spencer Kerkhof, Environmental Specialist Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement NJDEP
10:00 – Ambrosia Beetles: How to Manage Them in Tree Fruit Orchards
Monique Rivera PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell AgriTech
11:00 – Mycorrhizal Fungi Applications and their Effect on Soil Biology and Tree Health
Megan Muehlbauer PhD, Hunterdon County Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
11:30 – Update on Farm Service Programs
Laura LaFevre, County Executive Director, Hunterdon / Somerset Office, Farm Service Agency
11:45 – 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
1:00 – Peach Variety Updates
Hemant Gohil PhD, Gloucester County Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
1:30 – Management Strategies for Scale in Tree Fruit
Anne Nielsen PhD, Extension Specialist in Entomology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
2:00 – Season Summary and Updates from the Tree Fruit IPM Program
Janine Spies PhD, Agricultural Agent in Fruit IPM, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
3:00 – The Bitter Reality of Bitter Rot in NJ
Kaitlin Quinn North Jersey Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
3:30 – Disease management strategies in apple and peach orchards
Nancy Sharma PhD, Specialist in Fruit Pathology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
4:00 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn. Attendees must be present for the entire program in order to apply for NJDEP credits.
NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS ARE ANTICIPATED
North Jersey Fruit Meeting Registration 2026 then fax or email to:
Fax: (908) 806-4735
E-mail: kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us
PRE-REGISTRATION BY February 26, 2026 REQUIRED FOR LUNCH
If you have any questions please call Kim Crommelin: (908)-788-1338
