October 5, 2022

Virtual Pesticide Recertification Credit Series – Horticulture 3x Sessions

Sessions hosted by Tim Waller and Bill Errickson – through RCE of Cumberland County

Individual Sessions – October 13th (Th), 20th (Th), 26th (W) 6-7:00pm (Login @ 5:30pm)

Please join us as we discuss topics applicable to all horticulture applicators – the classes of chemistries we use, which to use under various circumstances, and safe handling thereof. These sessions are valuable to our general understanding of IPM tactics via a deeper understanding of the tools available to us.

NOTE: These free virtual sessions (on Zoom) will count as “in-person”, meaning all attendees will receive offered CEUs if they: have a live video feed (and are visible) and upload a government issued photo ID + NJ Pesticide license prior via a secure Rutgers Connect folder (follow directions below, only the agents will have access to information for verification). This approach avoids the 25% online credit restrictions previously in place for those with licenses NOT expiring 10/31/2022.

Government issued photo ID and NJ Pesticide License upload:

  • Click here to upload BOTH your government issued Photo ID and Pesticide License prior to the meeting
  • Upload directions: If you click on the photo ID upload link using a smart phone/tablet you will have the option of simply taking a photo of your ID and uploading it directly into the system. Otherwise, you can scan a copy of your photo ID into a computer and follow the directions at the upload link. If you are unable to upload documentation prior to the meeting, please contact Tim Waller for assistance (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu).
  • Please upload files of your photo ID and applicator license to the link above as; “Last name_ First_ Photo ID” AND “Last name_ First_ Pesticide License”

Sessions: (You must register for each session individually, but only need to upload ID material one time)

Date:   10/13/2022 (Thursday)

  • Click here to register for 10/13 (TH)
  • How Chemicals Work and Which to Use (Tim Waller, Ph.D. RCE – Cumberland Co.)
  • Tim Waller will be discussing the various types of chemistries and classes thereof that are available for use in comestible agriculture to horticulture to right-of-way to green industries when treating some form of pest (diseases, insects, weeds, etc.). He will explain how these materials behave in or on plants, their effects on pests, when to use which materials, proper handling and safety considerations, and concepts of pesticide resistance that will ultimately lead to better chemical stewardship.
  • CEUs: CORE-2, 1A-2, 3A-2, 3B-2, 6B-2, 8C-2, 10-2, PP2-2

Date:   10/20/2022 (Thursday)

  • Click here to register for 10/20 (TH)
  • Science and Application of Horticultural Sanitation Techniques (Bill Errickson / Tim Waller – RCE – Monmouth / Cumberland Co.)
  • Bill Errickson and Tim Waller will be discussing sanitation techniques that are broadly applicable to horticulture. Sanitation basics, chemical types, and locations where to best utilize sanitation approaches, will be covered. Sanitizing chemistries and pesticides will be highlighted throughout this presentation and will focus on proper handling and safety as many of these compounds are potentially dangerous. Throughout the presentation pest or plant life cycles will be discussed to demonstrate implementation of sanitation techniques.
  • CEUs: CORE-2, 3A-2, 10-2, PP2-2

Date:   10/26/2022 (Wednesday)

  • Click here to register for 10/26 (W)
  • Horticulture Pesticide Safety and Regulation Updates (George Hamilton, Ph.D. – Rutgers Extension Specialist – Pest Management; NJ Pesticide Safety)
  • Dr. George Hamilton will be discussing the reasons for wearing protective equipment (PPE) and the proper types of equipment to use. He will also cover regulations related to recording keeping and application exclusions as well as other pesticide safety related topics.
  • CEUs: CORE-2

Contact RCE of Cumberland County – 856-451-2800 ext.1 with any questions.

ALSO – Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County (254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020) is holding an in-person, half-day event, on Tuesday, October 18th from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at their office. Please click here for additional information. CEUs offered at that meeting: CORE-3, 1A-3, 3A-3, 3B-3, PP2-3 

Instructions for Virtual Sessions:

  • Register for each session individually at the above links
  • Include your pesticide license number and date of birth if you would like recertification credits
  • After registration you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the actual twilight meeting.
  • Upload a copy of your government issued photo ID and pesticide license at the link above
  • Day-of – 5:30pm: follow confirmation email link to the session (you may need to copy-paste it)
  • Day-of: Have your video on if you wish to obtain credits

Required to be eligible to receive pesticide applicator recertification credits for these virtual programs:

1.   Attend the entire meeting with live VIDEO feed on, seated in the center of the frame. Those without a webcam or  phone attendees without a live video feed are not eligible to receive credits. Call-ins (audio only) are not eligible for pesticide recertification credits as of now; you need a computer/phone/tablet with *live* video capability. If you choose to access via your smartphone, it is recommended that it is fully charged or plugged in; and that any background applications are not running.

2.   Attendees must participate throughout the entire session, staying to the end. Individuals are not eligible for credits if they arrive after the start of the first training topic or leave before the end of the last topic. Polls will be randomly scheduled, and attendance will be visually monitored to verify attendance.

Rutgers is dedicated to protecting your privacy and keeping your personal information safe.  Upon upload, your files will be encrypted and stored to Rutgers Connect. Your information will be kept strictly confidential; used solely to meet NJDEP ID verification protocol for recertification credit; and will not be used for any other purpose. Your files will be deleted within 60 days after the training event.

 

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, pesticide credits, Turf Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
December 10, 2021

Impacts of Pesticides on Soil Health – Part II?

Disinformation, misinformation, bad science, bad reporting… the public is becoming more aware that one of the toughest challenges faced these days is sorting out what is good reporting (and good science), versus what is misleading or untruthful. It seems ironic that after my post yesterday, the following article showed up in my inbox this morning – Perspective: This pesticide ‘research’ is short on data, big on hype .

In this post, the author, farmer-agronomist Jack DeWitt, critiques a commentary in Scientific American magazine that promotes a ‘study’ conducted by the same authors of the commentary, who happen to be the director and research assistant at the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, an organization with a stated agenda. Their ‘analysis’ published online in Frontiers in Environmental Science appears to be a legitimate review of previous scientific studies concerning the effects of ‘pesticides’ on soil organisms, again the current often-cited gauge of “soil health”, though in this case they focused only on soil invertebrates (worms and insects, basically) and ignored fungi and bacteria.

Standard scientific journal formats require ‘materials and methods’ sections so that one can read how a study was conducted and determine if the results are analyzed and conclusions drawn appropriately from the data and how that was collected. If properly reviewed in the pre-publication stage, poorly conducted studies and/or inappropriate conclusions would be cause for rejection of the manuscript, or at least would require a significant revision and/or further explanation of how the data supports the conclusions. Scientists reading articles with such flaws scratch their heads in wonder how they were published, and in very rare cases, if there is enough negative reaction citing improper methodology, analysis and/or conclusions, an article is recanted after publication. In this case, going back to the original scientific review, DeWitt illustrates how carefully selected data are misinterpreted and/or misrepresented to support the authors’ cause, er … conclusions.

Moral of the story… don’t take scientific reporting as gospel, even from respected media outlets, until you consider the source, the funding, and take a careful look at the original article, if it’s available.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , ,
December 7, 2021

Washington State University Summary ‘Comparing Effects of Herbicides, Fertilizers, and Tillage on the Soil’

Sometimes (many times) following social media (SM) threads can lead down some interesting rabbit holes. With a lot of news, research, and programming these days focusing on soil health and ‘regenerative agriculture’ (which focuses on soil health impacts on climate – read more here and here), the following article from Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) caught my eye when it popped up in my Twitter feed. In this post, Irrigated Cropping Systems Agronomist Andrew McGuire reviews the scientific literature for the latest (although the post is actually 3 years old now) analyses of impacts of pesticides, especially herbicides compared to tillage, and fertilizers on microbiological activity, organic matter, and soil structure, i.e. soil health. It may be surprising to find the science doesn’t support the ‘chemicals kill the soil’ narrative being portrayed these days.

Comparing effects of herbicides, fertilizers, and tillage on the soil

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
April 13, 2017

East Vineland Vegetable Twilight Tuesday 4/25

Our annual Vegetable Integrated Crop Management Twilight Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the East Vineland Fire Hall, on Landis Ave. across from the Savoy Restaurant (use 4931 Landis Ave, Vineland, NJ 08360 for your GPS, and please park behind the building to enter conference room door in rear).

Agenda

6:00 pm   Getting the Most Out of Your Plant & Pest Advisory Subscription & Other Online Resources
–    Rick VanVranken, RCE Atlantic
6:15 pm   Worker Protection Standards – New Rules in Place
–    Patricia Hastings, Rutgers Pesticide Safety Educ Program Coordinator
6:45 pm    Ultra-niche Crop Program Update & Resources
–    Jenny Carleo, RCE Cape May
7:00 pm   Resistance Management – Tackling Palmer Amaranth & Other Tough Weeds
–    Dr. Thierry Besancon, RCE Specialty Crop Weed Specialist
7:30 pm   Food Safety Modernization Act – Where do we Stand on the Produce Rule
–    Dr. Wes Kline, RCE Cumberland
8:00 pm   Vegetable Disease Control Options for Spring Crops
–    Dr. Andy Wyenandt, RCE Vegetable Plant Pathologist
8:30 pm   Vegetable Insect Pest Update
–    Dr. Joe Mahar, Vegetable IPM Coordinator
9:00 pm   Adjourn

Pesticide Recertification Credits have been requested for this meeting.
Hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
October 17, 2016

Credits! Get Your Credits!

Looking at the October calendar, many NJ licensed pesticide applicators finally realize that their 5-year license is almost at an end, and there’s hardly enough time or programs available to make their credit recertification requirements. Panic starts to set in and hurried calls are made across the state to find any source of recertification credits, whether CORE or in a specific category.

But wait – there’s the internet! Back in 2002, Rutgers Cooperative Extension launched an interactive web site, www.recert.rutgers.edu, to provide training and online licensure recertification opportunities in the CORE area of pesticide safety and storage.  Two CORE credits have been made available from two separate online modules for commercial applicators in NJ, NY, PA, and MD.  The web site features written and narrated script along with digital imagery designed for the general public (non-credit) and licensed professional audiences.  Pre- and Post- questions are also imbedded online to assess user knowledge prior to using the site, knowledge gained following completion, and the overall learning value of the site beyond the licensure credit.

Since 2002, nearly 500 individual licensed applicators have attained nearly 700 CORE credits through this web site for their state recertification needs. In addition, nearly 4,800 general use (non-credit) public views of the web site occur annually.

The NJDEP also hosts a list of approved online providers of CORE and category credits for NJ licensed applicators at www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/pcp/bpo-recert.htm.   NJ licensed applicators should have received their annual statement in the mail recently, so you know where you stand and how many (more) credits you need for recertification, whether it expires this October 31 or in the near future.

So get on your computer and spend some quality time online adding to your knowledge of pesticide safety and category expertise (from turf to mosquitoes to trees, etc.), follow each site’s instructions, and avoid missing your recertification deadline. You’ll be glad you did, and so will the NJDEP!

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,