Register Today for February 6-8, NJ Ag Convention, Educational Events, & Trade Show

SO MANY NEW OFFERINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2024:

The 2024 NJ Ag Convention and Trade Show will be held Tuesday to Thursday, February 6-8 at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center 777 Harrah’s Blvd. in Atlantic City, NJ. Registration is required. The 3-day registration and VGANJ membership cost of $150 per farm for 2 persons and $25 for each additional person with your business. There is also a $75 per person daily entry fee option if you are not attending all 3 days and do not wish to be a member. All who register are welcome to attend this diverse and informative annual event. The convention is a cooperative effort with the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ, the NJ Department of Agriculture, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Rutgers Cooperative Extension worked with VGANJ and others to bring new educational events, activities, and offerings to the 2024 convention.

Some new and interesting events for 2024 for registered participants:

1. Tuesday mid-day “Lunch and Learn” trade show vendors presentations and free lunch for the first 50 people who sign up and obtain a ticket for this extra event at the registration booth on Tuesday morning. This event is sponsored by the exhibitors. Come see what exhibitors have to offer and find out what is new from industry.

2. Tuesday evening social and happy hour featuring a charity auction benefiting Shriners Hospital for Children with items to bid on from convention sponsors and trades show exhibitors. 

3. Free skin screenings on Wednesday, February 7th from 9AM to 3PM with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ. Space is limited and you must sign up in advance. To sign up see registration form and link: https://screennj.gomohealth.care/patient/enroll/

4. The New Jersey Farm Bureau Womens Leadership Committee is sponsoring a Wednesday afternoon workshop featuring guest speaker, Lorenda Oberman, American Farm Bureau Federation Womens Committee and a panel of NJ Farm Women Leaders.

5. A Thursday, All-Day On-Farm Food Safety Training. The cost is $50/per person, separate from the registration fee to the Convention and Trade Show. For more information, contact Brandi at (856) 451-2800 ext. 1. For online registration and more information see: https://go.rutgers.edu/mhqc3m5u

6. A Thursday, 1/2 day Worker Protections Standards Respiratory Protection Training, Fit Testing and Record Keeping Workshop. Space is limited to 30 participants and is a separate sign up for registered participants to the convention – so sign up soon. For more information and to register see: https://go.rutgers.edu/pesticideworkshop

For more information about the entire convention for registration, hotel, and educational events schedule see https://vganj.com/convention. Discounted room rates through the VGANJ Convention room block are available until January 29, 2024. See the VGANJ website for details. To sign up for tickets to the NJ Agricultural Society Luncheon on Wednesday or to get tickets for the Wednesday night awards banquet see: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/hottopics/approved/topics231208.html

2022 NJ Ag Convention & Trade Show Update – Pesticide Credits Posted

The final program agenda for the educational sessions of the 2022 NJ Ag Convention & Trade Show with assigned pesticide re-certification credits has been posted at the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ website:  vganj.com on the ‘Schedule’ tab. Pesticide credits will only be issued to those attending and signing the roster in the educational sessions in Atlantic City. There are no options for viewing presentations online.

There has been some confusion about COVID-19 protocols for attending. The NJ Department of Agriculture/State Board of Agriculture sessions and meal functions (luncheons and banquet) will have strict masking and pre-testing requirements to enter those rooms per memo from Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher earlier this week. There will be some on-site testing opportunities available in case you are unable to be tested before getting to Atlantic City.

However, these mandates are not requirements, though highly recommended, for attending the educational sessions or the trade show portions of this event. There will be some masks available throughout the conference venue.

Hope to see you there!

Next Tuesday 2/8 – Nursery Sessions at the Atlantic City Agricultural Convention and Tradeshow

Please join us on Tuesday 2/8 – for a full day of nursery and ornamental educational sessions

NJ Agricultural Convention and Tradeshow – Nursery and Ornamental Sessions (Atlantic City – in-person) This upcoming Tuesday 

  • See here for a full list of speakers and here to register
  • Speaker highlight – If you have issues with Red-headed flea beetle you don’t want to miss our guest speaker Danny Lauderdale (NC State), he will be discussing control options for adults and larvae. We are EXTREMELY lucky to have this opportunity – Don’t miss this, he basically wrote the book on this pest. 
  • Pesticide credits requested

Nursery and Ornamental Tracks at the 2022 VGA

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

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

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Convention Virtual Educational Sessions – Tues

Day 1 is in the books. Tomorrow we start again. Please join in via the following links.

Access for all morning sessions begins at 9am Tues Feb 23 here:  https://go.rutgers.edu/iexg7ly5

Like Monday, once you’ve logged in you will be directed to ‘breakout rooms’ for each of the morning sessions. While you’re waiting please listen to a few welcoming remarks from our Interim Executive Dean Dr. Laura Lawson, Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension Brian Schilling, NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher, and Vegetable Growers Association president John Banscher, as well as some instructions and housekeeping rules. The program sessions will begin at 9:15am.

All links are also available for every session at vganj.com/schedule or the direct link to the agenda page is 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.

If neither of those options work, here is the agenda and links for Tueday’s sessions:

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention – Educational Sessions Agenda
Tues Feb 23, 2021 – 9:15am-11:45am
Access ALL MORNING sessions HERE

https://go.rutgers.edu/iexg7ly5

Organic Production
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Soil Health & Organic Sweetpotato Production
10:00-10:30am-Managing Allium Leaf Miner for Organic Onions
10:30-10:45am-What’s New from Industry/Break
10:45-11:15am-Satisfying the Sulfur Needs of Crops
11:15-11:45am-Balancing Safety and Nutrition in Organic Foods

New Orchard Establishment I
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Overview of Resources Available to New Tree Fruit Growers in New Jersey
10:00-10:30am-Orchard Site Selection and Pre-Plant Preparation
10:30-10:45am-Web Soil Survey – An Efficient Tool to Understand Native Properties of the Soil
10:45-11:15am-Orchard Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Basics
11:15-11:45am-Orchard Management in the Early Years – Principles & Practices

Hemp
9:15-9:30am-Welcome & Intro
9:30-10:00am-Rutgers First Hemp Trials – Observations & Future Direction
10:00-10:30am-Marketing Considerations for Industrial Hemp Production in NJ
10:30-10:50am-Laboratory Services for the Hemp Industry in New Jersey
10:50-11:15am-Hemp Diseases in NJ – What We Know
11:15-11:45am-Hemp Production in NJ – Challenges & Opportunities (Panel Discussion)

2021 NJ Ag/VGANJ Virtual Convention – Educational Sessions Agenda
Tues Feb 23, 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.
Pesticide Regulatory Review for Pesticide Applicators, Businesses,
and Agricultural Employers

https://go.rutgers.edu/cl0zmui7
(1 hour for 2 CORE credits)
Pat Hastings
A thorough review of regulatory requirements for pesticide applicator certification, recertification, and licensing
in New Jersey, including administrative changes to license renewal processes.

Tues Feb 23, 2021 – 1:00pm-3:45pm

Weed Control
https://go.rutgers.edu/p4yk2e17
(pesticide recertification credits: 4 Cat 1A; 4 Cat 10; 4 PP2)
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Weed Management Update for Row crops
2:00-2:30pm-Electrical Weeders & Potential Use in Specialty Crops
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Taking Advantage of Plant Weaknesses for Improved Weed Control
3:15-3:45pm-Weed Management Update for Vine Crops

New Orchard Establishment II
https://go.rutgers.edu/iexg7ly5
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Panel Discussion-Growers’ Perspectives on Delving into Tree Fruit Production
2:00-2:30pm-Organic Apple Production – Is it Feasible in NJ?
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-Economics of Tree Fruit Production
3:15pm-Q&A/Adjourn

Specialty Crops
https://go.rutgers.edu/rxr924oy
(pesticide recertification credits: 1 CORE)
1:15-1:30pm-Welcome & Intro
1:30-2:00pm-Using Demographic Information to Identify Specialty Crop Markets
2:00-2:30pm-African Marigolds for Fall Markets
2:30-2:45pm-What’s New from Industry/Break
2:45-3:15pm-New Crops – RU Hot Peppers & More
3:15-3:45pm-Pesticide Safety & Regulatory Update for 2021

Tues Feb 23, 2021 – 4:00pm-6:00pm
NJ Dept Health
Training Required for Farmers/Market Managers

https://go.rutgers.edu/am5l29pm