May 17, 2026 and

April 2026 Frost Damage in Fruit Crops Survey

We invite you to participate in a brief survey to better understand how April frost events have affected crop production, economic impact, and how growers are managing this risk. The information collected will help us assess the overall severity of the frost and compile broad, aggregated data to effectively communicate its impact to legislative offices and Farm Service Agency, and others.  Your input will help also inform research and Extension programs to support fruit growers in New Jersey better.

Please note that your responses are strictly confidential and will only be reported in aggregate. You should be 18 years or older and involved in fruit production to respond to this survey. Approximate time – 10-12 min.

Ready to start? Please click the link below:

https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zliIMszIABIRjU

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Seowoo Sophie Lee (seowoo.lee@rutgers.edu) or Hemant Gohil gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu

Thank you for your valuable time.

Sincerely,

This document was approved by the Rutgers University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects on May 13, 2026.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
February 24, 2026

Change in Location – South Jersey Commercial Fruit Growers Meeting

Please note that the location of the South Jersey Commercial Fruit Growers Meeting has been changed.
Location:      254 County House Road, Clarksboro, NJ 08020
Date:          March 5, 2026 (Thu)        
Registration:  Pre-registration required. Please call (856) 224 – 8030 or Email: jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us
               $20 per person. Checks only. Payable to Rutgers University.

Pesticide Credits: CORE,PP2, 10, 1A
PROGRAM

08:30 am   Registration and Coffee and pastries
08:50 am   Welcome and Opening Remarks. Hemant Gohil, Rutgers NJAES
09:00 am   Ambrosia Beetle Management in the Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
09:30 am   Woolly Apple Aphid Management in Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
10:00 am   Introducing Dr. Nancy Sharma, new Extension Specialist, Fruit Pathology, Rutgers Uni.

10:15 am   Coffee Break

10:30 am   Industry Updates  
10:45 am   Current Trends in Tree Fruit Pest Management. Janine Spies, Rutgers NJAES
11:15 am   Pesticide Safety Update: Exposure, ​Recordkeeping, and Storage. Kate Brown, Rutgers NJAES.
11:45 pm   From Field to Current – Harnessing Electricity for Sustainable Weed Control. Thierry Besancon, Rutgers NJAES.

12:15 pm   Lunch 

1:00 pm    Mycorrhizae Products that Enhance the Root Systems of Young Apple Trees. Megan Muehlbauer, Rutgers NJAES
1:30 pm    Updates and Recommendations for Scale Management. Anne Nielsen, Rutgers NJAES
2:00 pm    Peach Varieties Comparisons – New and Standard. Hemant Gohil and Daniel Ward, Rutgers NJAES.
2:30 pm    Grower Open Forum and Pesticide recertification credits
           Adjourn 

For questions, please get in touch with Hemant Gohil at 856-418-6538 or email at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu
Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
February 16, 2026

South Jersey Commercial Fruit Growers Meeting

Venue:         RCE of Gloucester County
               254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020
Date:          March 5, 2026 (Thu)        
Registration:  Pre-registration required. Please call (856) 224 – 8030 or Email: jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us
               $20 per person. Checks only. Payable to Rutgers University.

Pesticide Credits: CORE,PP2, 10, 1A
PROGRAM

08:30 am   Registration and Coffee and pastries
08:50 am   Welcome and Opening Remarks. Hemant Gohil, Rutgers NJAES
09:00 am   Ambrosia Beetle Management in the Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
09:30 am   Woolly Apple Aphid Management in Apple. Monique Rivera, Cornell University.
10:00 am   Introducing Dr. Nancy Sharma, new Extension Specialist, Fruit Pathology, Rutgers Uni.

10:15 am   Coffee Break

10:30 am   Industry Updates  
10:45 am   Current Trends in Tree Fruit Pest Management. Janine Spies, Rutgers NJAES
11:15 am   Pesticide Safety Update: Exposure, ​Recordkeeping, and Storage. Kate Brown, Rutgers NJAES.
11:45 pm   From Field to Current – Harnessing Electricity for Sustainable Weed Control. Thierry Besancon, Rutgers NJAES.

12:15 pm   Lunch 

1:00 pm    Mycorrhizae Products that Enhance the Root Systems of Young Apple Trees. Megan Muehlbauer, Rutgers NJAES
1:30 pm    Updates and Recommendations for Scale Management. Anne Nielsen, Rutgers NJAES
2:00 pm    Peach Varieties Comparisons – New and Standard. Hemant Gohil and Daniel Ward, Rutgers NJAES.
2:30 pm    Grower Open Forum and Pesticide recertification credits
           Adjourn 

For questions, please get in touch with Hemant Gohil at 856-418-6538 or email at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu
Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
May 26, 2021

Cicadas Are Here and Fruit IPM for 5/26/21

Cicadas are Here, There and Everywhere (Depending where you are): 17 year cicadas began emergence last week. These insects while a marvel in the insect world, are also capable of doing considerable damage to young fruit trees, grape vines, and blueberry bushes. After mating they begin to deposit their eggs in slits along small diameter branches. Thin branches which are loaded with fruit weight and damaged by egg laying can break. Some growers have asked about damage and what they can do to prevent it. Most egg laying is starting this week.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
February 24, 2021

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention Virtual Educational Sessions – Thursday

Day 4 is here already. Thank you for participating this week. We hope this has been a useful program for you.

Please use the following links for Thursday’s sessions.

Access for all morning sessions begins at 9am Thursday Feb 25 here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/a6s5d8nq with presentations beginning at 9:15am.

All morning sessions will be in ‘breakout rooms’ accessible from the main Zoom session. Afternoon sessions will each have a unique link to allow us to track attendance better for those seeking pesticide credits.

As always, all links are also available for all sessions at vganj.com/schedule or go directly to the agenda page here https://go.rutgers.edu/yw2aminv.

NOTE that if you missed Wednesday’s wonderful Tribute to New Jersey Farmers, it is posted front and center at vganj.com/convention.

The program and links for Thursday’s sessions are:

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention – Educational Sessions Agenda

Thurs Feb 24, 2021 – 9:15am-11:45am
Access ALL MORNING sessions HERE

https://go.rutgers.edu/a6s5d8nq

Grapes I
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Frost Protection in the Vineyard
10:00-10:30am-Panel Discussion – New Jersey Grape Growers’ Response to Frost Events
10:30-10:45am-Preventing Herbicide Drift & Injury to Grapevines
10:45-11:15am- Wine Grape Varieties for North New Jersey
11:15-11:45am- Alternative Wine Grape Varieties to Consider

Through the Looking Glass – Future Technologies for NJ Farms
9:00-9:15am-Welcome & Intro
9:15-9:45am-Applications of Cold Plasma in Hydroponics
9:45-10:15am-Farm-IT – Cost Effective & Open-Source Management Solutions for Small Farm Operations
10:15-10:45am-Agriculture & Solar – History and Status of the Massachusetts Solar PV Dual-Use Program
10:45-11:15am- Controlled Environment Agriculture – A Tool to Understand Flavor Profiles and Consumer Demand for Baby Leafy Greens
11:15-11:45am-From the Horizon to the Far Out – Production Enhancing Ag Technologies

General Vegetables & Herbs I
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Bacterial Leaf Spot Populations & Copper Resistance Development in Vegetable & Tree Fruit Crops in NJ
10:00-10:30am-Understanding Bacterial Leaf Spot Populations on Tomato & Pepper
10:30-10:45am-What’s New from Industry/Break
10:45-11:15am-Update on X10R Bell Pepper Varieties in NJ
11:15-11:45am-Grafting Tomato & Peppers for Controlling Bacterial Wilt & Root Knot Nematode

Thurs Feb 25, 2021 – 12:00pm-1:00pm
Access AFTERNOON sessions individually
Pesticide credit sessions require logging in within 10 minutes of start and remaining through the entire session to be eligible for credits.

Respiratory Protection Requirements of WPS-Labeled Pesticides
https://go.rutgers.edu/idc7d8nj
(1 hour for 2 CORE credits)
Pat Hastings
Session will highlight the requirements of the federal WPS and New Jersey Worker Protection regulations covering use of respirators for pesticide applications.

 

Thurs Feb 25, 2021 – 1:00pm-3:45pm

Grapes II
https://go.rutgers.edu/9ryhlfx9
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Understanding Risk and Evaluating Growing Practices in the Face of Emerging Invasive Pathogens
2:00-2:30pm-Application of CRISPR-Gene Editing to Improve Grape Disease Resistance
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Spotted Lantern Fly Update
3:15-3:45pm-Pesticide Safety and Regulation Update for 2021

Integrated Pest Management
https://go.rutgers.edu/jci205ae
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Refining Your Disease Management Program for Pumpkin and Winter Squash
2:00-2:30pm-Battling Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Invasive Jumping Worms – Are There Any Risks to Agriculture?
3:15-3:45pm-The Plague of Peppers – An Unexpected Tale of the Pepper Weevil in Ohio

General Vegetables & Herbs II
https://go.rutgers.edu/1ag4acby
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Understanding & Controlling Cucurbit Downy Mildew in 2021
2:00-2:30pm-Managing White Flies & Thrips in Field Vegetables
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Alternaria Diseases of Brassicas-an Emerging Problem in the Mid-Atlantic
3:15-3:45pm-Pepper Anthracnose-Appetite for Destruction

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
February 23, 2021

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention Virtual Educational Sessions – Wed

Please join in via the following links for Wednesday’s sessions.

Access for all morning sessions begins at 9am Wed Feb 23 here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/vdh6okge with presentations beginning at 9:15am.

Like Monday and Tuesday, once you’ve logged in you will be directed to ‘breakout rooms’ for each of the morning sessions. When the Wednesday morning sessions end, please return to the main room for a ‘Tribute to New Jersey Farmers’ by Vegetable Growers Association president John Banscher beginning at noon.

All links are also available for every session at vganj.com/schedule or direct link to the agenda page here https://go.rutgers.edu/yw2aminv. NOTE that the morning sessions are all through the same link, but afternoon sessions each have a unique Zoom link that will be seen directly next to the agenda for that session.

This is the program and links for Wednesday’s sessions:

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention – Educational Sessions Agenda

Wed Feb 24, 2021 – 9:15am-11:45am
Access ALL MORNING sessions HERE

https://go.rutgers.edu/vdh6okge

Soil Health/Cover Crops

9:30-10:00am-Soil Health 101
10:00-10:30am-Soil Organisms, Their Functions & How to Increase Beneficial Microbes in the Soil
10:45-11:15am-The Great Debate – Residue Management Pros & Cons
11:15-11:45am-Cover Crop Selections for Vegetable Crop Production

Creating Value-Added Products & Services to Increase Profits
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Growing Beer & Agritourism at the Bullock Farm
10:00-10:30am-Snapping Turtle Farm – Direct Marketing Ideas for a Changing Consumer Landscape
10:45-11:15am-On-Farm Cold Press Juices & Other Value-Added Products on the Marchese Family Farm
11:15-11:45am-Creating Value Added Products at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center
11:45am-Bringing it All Together Roundtable

Food Safety
9:15-9:40am-Welcome & What’s New from Industry
9:40-10:10am-Produce Safety Research Update
10:10-10:40am-Navigating Food Safety in the Pick Your Own Patch
10:40-11:10am-Postharvest Priorities to Reduce Produce Safety Risks
11:10-11:40am-Audit & Inspection Updates

VGANJ Tribute to New Jersey Farmers
John Banscher, President
Join VGANJ President John Banscher in a celebration of all New Jersey’s
farmers recognizing your essential work throughout the 2020 pandemic.

please return to main session room after breakout sessions end

https://go.rutgers.edu/vdh6okge

 

Access AFTERNOON sessions individually
Wed Feb 24, 2021 – 1:15pm-3:45pm
Pesticide credit sessions require logging in within 10 minutes of start and remaining through the entire session
to be eligible for credits.

Small Fruit
https://go.rutgers.edu/igyafi17
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-What Affects the Flavor of Strawberries & Can You Do Anything About It?
2:00-2:30pm-A Decade After Spotted-wing Drosophila Invasion in the USA: Lessons Learned
2:45-3:15pm-Double Cropping Raspberries
3:15-3:45pm-Strawberry Diseases New & Old

Creative Marketing/Agritourism
https://go.rutgers.edu/vdh6okge
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Farmers’ Markets
2:00-2:30pm-Utilizing Social Media for Great Customer Service
2:45-3:15pm-Expanding My Farmers Market in 2020 – Creative Marketing in Tough Times
3:15-3:45pm-Innovative Marketing Interviews with New Farmers
3:45pm- Roundtable Q&A/Adjourn

Blueberry
https://go.rutgers.edu/gjhj4ufi
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-1:55pm- Green Drop in the Draper blueberry variety, research conclusions
1:55-2:25pm-Pest Management Highlights from 2020 – The Year in Review
2:25-2:50pm-Modern methods of blueberry virus detection
2:50-3:15pm-Update on Black Shadow Management
3:15-3:45pm- Searching for novel repellents to manage spotted-wing drosophila

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