Just in from the United Fresh Produce Association: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today released its solicitation for proposals for the “Buy Fresh” Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP) to purchase and distribute $100 million a month of fresh fruit and vegetables for approximately six months. USDA will award contracts for […]
Continue reading...April 24, 2020 Rick VanVranken
“Buy Fresh” USDA Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP) Announcement of Solicitation
April 24, 2020 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
U-Pick Operation Guidelines under COVID-19
The CDC, FDA and USDA have no reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest coronavirus can be transmitted by food or food packaging. U-Pick operations are unique with customers going out into the field to do their own harvesting. This creates special situations for the grower and customer. How do you protect the […]
Continue reading...April 24, 2020 Wes Kline
Face Coverings and Gloves Required in Packinghouses
The Executive Order 122 “Requires workers and visitors to wear cloth face coverings, in accordance with CDC recommendations, while on the premises, except where doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or the individual is under two years of age, and require workers to wear gloves while on the premises. Businesses must provide, at their […]
Continue reading...April 24, 2020 Norman Lalancette
Disease Management in Cold-Injured Peach Orchards
Several recent overnight cold periods have damaged newly fertilized flowers and/or very young fruit in New Jersey peach orchards. The percent of injured fruit in any particular orchard block varies with cultivar and location. Some blocks have enough un-injured fruit to be salvaged for the growing season. Their economic return will be sufficient to warrant […]
Continue reading...April 24, 2020 Rick VanVranken
TODAY at Noon! E-commerce During COVID-19 Webinar
My apologies for the last minute notice as I missed forwarding this earlier in the week. Gal Hochman, Rutgers Professor of Agriculture, Food, & Resource Economics, and current President of the Northeast Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, shared the following webinar announcement to assist agricultural producers in exploring online marketing opportunities. The meeting is co-sponsored […]
Continue reading...April 23, 2020 Rick VanVranken
USDA Buy-Fresh Deadlines Still Short, But Proposals Due Next Week, Not Today
Staff from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Commodity Procurement Division just held a webinar hosted by the United Fresh Produce Association to clarify the Buy-Fresh portion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance (CFAP) Purchase and Distribution Program. With an amazingly fast turn-around since this program was announced, they will be posting a ‘solicitation’ on Friday, […]
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