GAPs Online Produce Safety Course

Wes Kline and I serve on the National Good Ag Practices program headquartered at Cornell University. The program has been offering regular GAPs Online Produce Safety Courses for quite awhile now. The next session will begin August 15, 2012 and end September 4, 2012. More information regarding the course follows. To register for the course, visit www.ecornell.com/gaps.

A minimum of 10 people must be registered for us to offer the course and class size is limited to 25 people. The course price is now $190. If you have any questions after reviewing the registration information, please contact:

Elizabeth 'Betsy' Bihn, Ph.D. 

630 W. North Street 

NYSAES - Hedrick Hall

Geneva, NY 14456 

Ph: 315.787.2625 

Fax: 315.787.2216 

Email: eab38@cornell.edu

-- Rick VanVranken

Applying Hardwood Chips to Cropland

The June 30 Derecho windstorm downed thousands of trees in South Jersey. Our area received a federal disaster declaration and crews are clearing trees and chipping.

Jersey's Outer Coastal Plain soils can benefit from hardwood chip application. However, understanding the best methods for soil quality improvement while avoiding crop nutrient deficiencies is important when utilizing hardwood chips. Find out how.
Farm Calls: Growers Ask for Recommendations on Applying Hardwood Chips to Cropland
-Rick VanVranken & Jack Rabin

Hail Storm Crosses Warren, Sussex, Morris Counties

We had a localized hail storm this afternoon at 3 pm that dropped 1.5 inches of rain and shredded tender foliage. The hail was observed in Northern Warren County but the storm crossed Sussex and Morris and headed into central jersey as well.  Not sure how widespread the damage is at this point but thought attached photos of hail and damaged summer squash foliage would be of interest.
-Bruce Barbour,
Warren Co Ag Agent

Western bean cutworm found in New Jersey

-Joseph Ingerson-Mahar

We have been anticipating the arrival of this insect pest for a couple of years.  July 16, 2012, one specimen of this moth was found in a blacklight in Hammonton.  It will be sent to the USDA for official confirmation for a state record.
It is a pest of field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn, and dry beans.  However, with its range expansion it may begin feeding on other crops, as well. 

New smartphone app compliments OSHA's Campaign to Prevent Heat Stress Illnesses

According to OSHA's website, "Outdoor workers who are exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat-related illness. The risk of heat-related illness becomes greater as the weather gets hotter and more humid. For people working outdoors in hot weather, both air temperature and humidity affect how hot they feel. The "heat index" is a single value that takes both temperature and humidity into account. The higher the heat index, the hotter the weather feels, since sweat does not readily evaporate and cool the skin. The heat index is a better measure than air temperature alone for estimating the risk to workers from environmental heat sources.

To compliment their Heat Stress Prevention Campaign, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration developed a smartphone app that calculates the heat index and displays a risk level for workers. The Heat Safety Tool, available for both iPhones and Android devices, along with other useful information about heat related illness awareness and prevention, is available at the OSHA website, www.osha.gov.

--Rick VanVranken

So that's what hit south Jersey last weekend!

[NOTE: Storm related crop and/or equipment damage/losses due directly to the storm or from exposure to the high temperatures and intense sun following the storm should be reported to your local USDA Farm Service Agency office as soon as possible.]

--Rick VanVranken
Ohio State Vegetable Specialist Robert Precheur explains the 'Super Derecho'

From The Ohio State University Extension Vegetable Crops VegNet  newsletter Vol. 19(13), July 10, 2012. Online at http://vegnet.osu.edu

Sources: Accuweather.com, NOAA, Wikipedia 
While you probably have another “D” word or adjective in mind to describe the storm that hit OH on June 29th the correct meteorological term is “derecho”. A derecho is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.

IPM Update

Since the Plant and Pest Advisory Newsletter, Vegetable edition is not being sent today, what follows is a shortened version of the IPM Update which normally appears in it.

European corn borer – State wide captures in traps are very low.  Highest catches, still less than 1 per night occur in Gloucester and Cape May Counties.  Larval infestations are declining in sweet corn as the population ages.  Second generation moths begin flying at 1200 degree days (base 50) which has been reached across the state now.

Corn earworm – Blacklight counts are very low in the northern half of the state.  Populations are higher in the southern half of the state.  The highest counts occur in Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic and Cape May Counties.  Silk spraying schedules given below:

North Jersey – 5 day schedule

Central Jersey – 4 to 5 day schedule

South Jersey – 3 to 4 day schedule

Brown marmorated stinkbug – Very low counts in north Jersey but numbers increase in southern Jersey.  Only one site in the state, in Salem County, exceeds 5 stinkbugs per night.  No reports of vegetable damage, as yet.

Beet armyworm – Counts remain low with the highest counts of 5 per night occurring in Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

Yellow striped armyworm – We normally don’t track this insect pest but at least one blacklight trap in Salem County shows large numbers of moths being caught.  We may see another large larval population in the next generation of caterpillars.

Joe Ingerson-Mahar