April 27, 2021

Agritourism and On-Farm Direct Marketing Webinar Series Begins Tuesday, May 4th

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is working with other extension professionals in the northeastern states to deliver weekly, one-hour webinar programming for agritourism and on-farm direct market operators each Tuesday in May until the first week in June. We are announcing the first session and will post the registration information for more sessions soon. Registration is being handled through the University of Vermont. See information below to join the first webinar. 

Session 1: Getting Ready for Pick-Your-Own — Do’s and Don’ts for the Upcoming Season
Tuesday, May 4, 4:00-5:00pm Eastern time
No charge but you must register in advance.
Register for FREE HERE
People picking berries
Join growers and ag service providers from the Northeast for an interactive discussion about what is working and what is not as we prepare to open our farms to visitors for the upcoming pick-your-own season. The berries are ripening and the Covid-19 pandemic is evolving – what does that mean for PYO visitor management this season? What did you do last year that you’ll continue and what will be different this season?

Featuring:
-Deb Colitas from Valley Fruits & Veggies in the Lehigh Valley of PA
-Claudia Schmidt from Penn State Extension
-Lisa Chase from University of Vermont Extension
-And YOU! Come ready to share your PYO questions and experiences managing visitors.

This is the first agritourism/on-farm direct marketing zoom session in a series that will cover several topics for farms open to visitors through the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Other sessions will be held on consecutive Tuesdays on May 11, 18, 25, and June 1. For more programs and information see the Rutgers NJAES Events Calendar. 

Session 2: Agritourism Operation Checklists and Self-Assessment During the Pandemic, When: May 11, 2021 7:00-8:00 PM Eastern Time – Register HERE

Session 3: What to Do when Something Goes Wrong, Incident Response and Media Relations, When: May 18, 2021 7:00-8:00 PM Eastern Time – Register HERE

Session 4: Liability Insurance, When: May 25, 2021 12:00-1:00 PM Eastern Time – Register HERE

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Christi Sherlock at 802-476-2003 or Christi.Sherlock@uvm.edu for assistance.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
January 14, 2021

Free Webinar: Strategies to Help Ag Producers Plan During the COVID-19 Crisis

Eastern farmers and agricultural producers have experienced unprecedented challenges in handling the vulnerability of our food systems. As we move forward to plan for a new season and a new year during the COVID pandemic, there is an urgent need to seek and identify best strategies to support farmers and agricultural producers in adjusting goals and achieving prosperity. This Open Forum – January 20, 2021 at 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. – will provide practitioners, extension agents, farmers, and agricultural producers an opportunity to identify gaps, brainstorm ideas, and share examples to support each other. Presenters leading the discussions will share 1-2 best practices to assist farmers and agricultural producers, including value-added production, agritourism, and other operations types.

This event is free and open to anyone, but registration is required to get the Zoom link. Registration is available by clicking here.

eXtension is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
December 8, 2020

Creating Virtual Farm & Food Experiences Webinar Wed, Dec 9 at noon

The University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Tourism Research Center is hosting a webinar on

Creating Virtual Farm and Food Experiences

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

9am Pacific time; 12pm Eastern time; 6pm Central European time; 10:30 Indian time

Whether it’s farm tours, private tastings, or conferences, we are all figuring out new ways to connect digitally with customers and colleagues. During this period of limited travel, farm and food businesses around the world are experimenting with innovative online formats to share their agricultural experiences and products. Join us to learn about lambing tours in Scotland and cider tastings in Vermont. Presenters will share their challenges, successes, and lessons learned as they have transitioned to virtual events during the pandemic.

Moderator: Lisa Chase, University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Tourism Research Center
Speakers: Eleanor Leger, Eden Specialty Ciders, Vermont, USA; Caroline Millar, Balkello Farm and Go Rural, Dundee, Scotland.

REGISTER HERE

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Becky Bartlett at 802-257-7967 or Rebecca.Bartlett@uvm.edu so we may assist you.

Yonder, a new nature tourism platform, invites travelers to connect with the natural world and the people who steward it. Through the Yonder site and app, guests can discover and book overnight stays and activities at farms, ranches, vineyards, and other nature immersive escapes.
UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont.  University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , , ,
August 31, 2020

Reminder: Considerations for Agritourism Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, last Webinar Tonight

Please join us for the 2nd webinar to discuss our resource, “Considerations for Agritourism Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Time: Sep 1, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

To Join on Zoom:

https://go.rutgers.edu/sfk96jlp

Meeting ID: 912 2343 8378
Password: 636141

Join By Phone
+1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 912 2343 8378

If you have any questions, please email the host group:

Michelle Infante-Casella’s email: minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu

Bill Bamka’s email: bamka@njaes.rutgers.edu

Steve Komar’s email: komar@njaes.rutgers.edu

Meredith Melendez’s email: melendez@njaes.rutgers.edu

Rick VanVranken’s email: vanvranken@njaes.rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With:
August 19, 2020

COVID-19 Safety Tips for Agritourism Operations

Kids riding in back of a tractor

Continued community transmission of COVID-19 presents challenges to many businesses, including on-farm agritourism operations. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agritourism Working Group developed farm assessment resources titled, Considerations for Agritourism Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, to assist producers with agritourism activities as part of their on-farm marketing strategies. Considerations listed are designed to help operators evaluate business and management strategies that align with State executive orders and federal/state/local safety guidelines enacted to reduce possible transmission of COVID-19.

Key considerations include:

  • Remain apprised of/and compliant with executive orders issued by the Governor to reduce COVID-19 transmission, including those establishing limits on public indoor and outdoor gatherings, as well as requirements for face coverings and social distancing;
  • Monitor guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State/local authorities to reduce community transmission of COVID-19;
  • Clearly communicate farm rules and visitor expectations—prior to arrival and during farm visits—through website and social media posts, promotional materials, staff instruction, and farm signage;
  • Ensure that all farm staff undertake a daily screening for symptoms of COVID-19 and avoid coming to work if they are symptomatic, have tested positive for the virus, or have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19;
  • Train employees on all personal and farm safety protocols developed to minimize risks of COVID-19 transmission;
  • Organize agritourism activities and manage visitor flows to maintain adequate social distancing on the farm. This includes carefully evaluating farm/attraction capacity limits, identifying areas of anticipated high visitor volume (e.g., parking areas, restrooms, sales areas, foodservice, attraction entrances and exiting areas, etc.), and taking measures to reduce pedestrian “bottlenecks,” large congregations, and cross-flow contact when guests are entering/leaving areas;
  • Instruct employees and visitors to wear appropriate face coverings;
  • Provide adequate and appropriately stocked/maintained hand washing and hand sanitizer stations in key areas (e.g., sales areas, outside restroom facilities, foodservice areas, key thoroughfares, entrances/exists, etc.);
  • Establish regular cleaning and disinfection procedures for frequently touched surfaces or objects;
  • Construct physical barriers, if needed, to reduce potential contacts between staff and visitors (e.g., Plexiglass partitions in sales areas);
  • Explore options for pre-registration to control visitor volumes and pre-payment or touchless payment options to reduce contact between staff and visitors; and
  • Discourage unnecessary customer handling of farm products prior to purchase.

This resource and other tools to help agritourism operators evaluate and strengthen the management of their operations, identify safety concerns and manage liability are available at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s agritourism resource site: http://agritourism.rutgers.edu/training/

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With:
August 19, 2020

Webinars: Considerations for Agritourism Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Monday, August 31, 2020 07:00 PM
And
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 07:00 PM

For more information see: https://agritourism.rutgers.edu/training/

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agritourism Working Group developed considerations to assist NJ farmers with agritourism operations on their farms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This document is designed to help operators manage strategies for compliance with State executive orders and federal/state/local safety guidelines. The team will host 2 webinars on 8/31 and 9/1 at 7:00PM to discuss the considerations and provide an opportunity for farmers with agritourism operations to network

To Participate:
Click the link below. We suggest visiting at least 10 minutes before the session start time to confirm system requirements
https://go.rutgers.edu/sfk96jlp

Or participants can join in by phone:
1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 912 2343 8378

For more events hosted by Rutgers see: https://events.rutgers.edu/njaes/

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Organic Production, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: