Q & A Teleconferences on Food Safety FSMA

-Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez

The Produce Safety Alliance, in collaboration with the FDA, will be hosting a series of Q & A teleconferences to discuss specific sections of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Proposed Produce Safety Rule. See the attachment for teleconference dates and times on the following topics:

• Understanding Exemptions 
• Agricultural Water 
• Soil Amendments 
• Domestic and Wild Animals 
• Growing, Harvesting, Packing & Holding Activities 
• Equipment, Tools, Buildings, & Sanitation 
• Health, Hygiene, and Worker Training 
• Recordkeeping, Compliance, & Enforcement

Remember comments or questions regarding issues the FDA should clarify or address in the final rule or in companion guidance document must be submitted before May 16, 2013.

New 2nd edition of the Resource Guide for Organic Insect & Disease Management

The new 2^nd edition of Resource Guide for Vegetable Crops Organic Insect and Disease Management is now available from Cornell University.  Organic vegetable growers, or anyone interested in organic pest control alternatives, will find the manual useful. Download the pdf for free from the link above, or available as a hard copy for $20.
--Rick VanVranken

New Information on Food Safety

-Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez

Stay up-to-date with Food Safety Modernization Act rule changes by following our Plant and Pest Advisory Food Safety Blog.

This week:

• Summary: FDA presentations on FSMA
• Compliance Decision Tree for US growers of fruits, vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, herbs, or sprouts.

Vegetable Integrated Crop Management Meeting

-Rick VanVranken, Wes Kline, and Michelle Infante-Casella

Date: Monday, March 28, 2013, 7 pm
Location: East Vineland Fire Hall 12-2, Landis Ave, Vineland
(Across from the Savoy Restaurant)

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents of Atlantic, Cumberland and Gloucester Counties invite you to a twilight meeting. Come discuss your spring and summer season production questions with RCE Agents and Specialists.
Agenda...

Solid Waste Vehicle Registration

-Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent Gloucester County

We have received a few reports about farms being turned away from waste facilities for not having proper permits to haul waste (plastic mulch, bale covers, etc.). Some plastic films and other waste materials from farms can be brought to recycling centers set up around the state. Additionally, pesticide containers can be brought to designated locations on the scheduled times and pesticide applicators will receive one CORE point towards their recertification requirement with NJDEP. More to follow on the recycling programs for plastic films and pesticide containers.

2013 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations

From: Cultivating Cumberland February 2013

The 2013 Vegetable Recommendations are now available for purchase at your local County Extension Office. Stop by the Extension Office and pick up your copy today!

- Posted by J. Rabin

AZ Greenhouse Shortcourse

Dr. Gene Giacomelli, former Rutgers Ag Engineer and Atlantic County farm boy, is now Director of the University of Arizona's Controlled Environment Agriculture Center. He wrote recently to extend an invitation to Garden State farmers to the CEAC’s annual April Greenhouse Crop Production and Engineering Design Short Course. If you'd like an intensive update on the state of the art of greenhouse design and controlled-environment crop production in the sunny southwest, this course will provide that. More information can be found at:http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac/2013-April-Short-Course.
-Rick VanVranken