Retirement Planning for Farm Families

Later Life Farming is our Rutgers NJAES website providing information about retirement planning for farm families that specifically addresses farmers' unique circumstances. The web-based curriculum consists of ten online modules designed to assist farm owners to plan for retirement and includes links to several different resources.
Many farmers don't plan to "retire" in the traditional sense.  Rather, they express a desire to simply scale back their work hours and/or the size of their farm operation.  In addition, many farm families lack traditional retirement savings plans such as a 401(k). Their major asset is their land and farm property, which are typically illiquid assets. The impact of government regulations on farmers' land values is another unique challenge and is discussed in this resource.

While visiting the site, consider participating in our survey which is in progress until December 31, 2011.

Later Life Farming authors, Barbara O'Neill, Stephen Komar, Robin Brumfield, and Robert Mickel, are available should you have further questions on retirement planning for your farm family.
-Rabin

Time to Think About Geese

Information on ways commercial farmers can address geese damage is gathered on the NJAES Snyder Farm Wildlife Damage Guide for Geese, Deer, and other species. Growers can apply for permits from NJ DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife to "addle" eggs and utilize harassment techniques such as propane cannons and pyrotechnics, noisemakers, and visual flagging.

Rhizoctonia root rot in strawberries

Rhizoctonia root rot is a common soil-borne pathogen of many vegetable crops. Diagnostic features of Rhizoctonia include the brown 'shoe-string'-like hypha that are visible growing on the surface of the infected root with the naked eye or 10x hand lens.

Up close under a light microscope you can see the brown hypha that grow inbetween infected cells and on the surface of the infected root. Another feature of Rhizoctonia is that it always "branches" at 90 degree angles.

For more information please see the 2011 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide.

- Andy Wyenandt

Final Pesticide Container Collection Day in Hammonton for 2011

From Karen Kritz, Ag Development Specialist with NJ Dept of Agriculture:

  

FINAL COLLECTION DAY IN HAMMONTON FOR 2011

Helena Chemical

66 Route 206 (North of the Route 30/206 intersection)

Hammonton, New Jersey

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Friday October 7

DO NOT  

DROP OFF CONTAINERS UNLESS 

IT IS DURING THE SCHEDULED COLLECTION PROGRAM.

For Plastic Pesticide Container Processing Steps & Size Limits: 

Disaster & Food Safety Educational Meeting This Tuesday, Oct 4th at RCE-Gloucester County

Agricultural Disaster and Food Safety

(Fall Meeting of the South Jersey 
Integrated Vegetable Crop Management Twilight Series)

EVERYONE WELCOME TO ATTEND

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Gloucester County Office Building (Bldg. A), 1200 N. Delsea Dr. Clayton, NJ

7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

For the full agenda and pesticide recertification credit details:

NASA's Cross Promotion with Agritourism

Corn maze with Hubble Telescope
theme at Liberty Ridge Farm,
Schaghticoke, NY

Cross Promotion is an effective marketing tool and is actually quite common and useful in the produce business. You've seen it and probably not even thought about it. Buy Brand X cereal and get a coupon to buy Brand Y bananas, or "Don't forget to grab some Brand A dressing to go with this Brand B salad mix!" 

I hadn't thought about it in terms of the cross promotion technique as I was focusing on finding a niche and positioning when I wrote my American Vegetable Grower Marketing Matters column last fall. That story about a south Jersey corn maze operator working with the Philadelphia sports teams is a great example of agritourism cross promotion. Here's an interesting piece from the upstate NY Extension Vegetable program about NASA teaming up with agritourism operators across the country to celebrate (and educate about) space exploration. 

Effective cross promotion? I'd say so, for NASA and the farms involved!

Rick VanVranken

Updated: Microirrigation Pocket Guide

The California Microirrigation Pocket Guide has been updated and although billed as a resource for California Irrigators, contains how-to information in a "take-to-the-field" size for Irrigators in every state.
Part one explains how to manage and maintain a microirrigation system - irrigating at the right times, and with the right amount of water. Part two gives exceedingly detailed recommendations for maintaining pumps, motors, and engines.
Available through the NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Project: The California Microirrigation Pocket Guide
- Rick VanVranken