Plant & Pest Advisory – July 9, 2025
By Heather Cooper •
On July 3, 2025, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service released 3 new addenda to the Harmonizedand Harmonized GAP Plus+ Standards: Warehouse, Food Defense, and Integrated Pest Management.All of which will require additional records. Requirements in the existing Harmonized andHarmonized GAP Plus+ standards have not changed. These new standards, versions 3.1 and 5.1 respectively, are effective […]
Wes Kline, Meredith Melendez and Jennifer Matthews
By Heather Cooper •
Anyone who has not scheduled their USDA audit needs to be aware of the documentation needed tobe sent to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture prior to the audit. They will want to see a copyof your food safety plan, proof of your food safety training, any current water tests, training recordsof all personnel, ten […]
Gabi Grunstein – Gabor.Grunstein@usda.gov – April 21, 2025
By Heather Cooper •
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producersrecovering from natural disasters through emergency loans (https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/emergency-farm-loans?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery). Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a […]
By Heather Cooper •
We welcome Raman on April 1, 2025 to Salem County Cooperative Extension. In his role as CountyExtension Agent in Commercial Agricultural Production for Salem County, Raman will provide leadership in assessing local agricultural needs and implementing relevant educational programming and research in commercial agronomic crop production. Raman comes to us from USDA–Agricultural Research Service in […]
By Heather Cooper •
Several New Jersey Counties have been declared as either primary or contiguous disaster areasusing the Secretarial Disaster Designation process. Under this designation, if you have operations inany primary or contiguous county, you are eligible to apply for low interest Emergency Loans.Farmers in the following counties are eligible for Emergency Loans: Secretarial Designation S5908 – New […]
By Heather Cooper •
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop producers that the applicationperiod for the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program for program year 2025opened Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through Jan. 31, 2026. The program has been expanded to includemedium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can applyfor […]
Nick Polanin – March 3, 2025 – Plant and Pest Advisory
By Heather Cooper •
Trenton, NJ – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service(NASS) willcontinue to collect the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties through April 18,2025. Conducted justonce every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed productionand sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery, and specialty crop industries, including greenhousefood crops. Growers […]
By Heather Cooper •
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey is now acceptingapplications from agricultural producers and forest landowners for the classic ConservationStewardship Program (CSP). Agricultural producers and forest landowners looking to build onconservation efforts while strengthening their operation can apply for technical and financialassistance through CSP. While NRCS accepts CSP applications year-round, New Jersey […]
By Heather Cooper •
The survey is due February 14, 2025. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service(NASS) is conducting the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties.Growers should receive a “Survey Code” by mail that allows them to fill outthe survey online. This survey is conducted just once every five years and is the only sourceof detailed production […]
By Heather Cooper •
This is the time of the year to update your food safety trainings. There are severaltrainings planned through February that are in person or remote. DecemberThe registration deadline is fast approaching for our December 5 and 6, 2024Remote Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Safety Rule Training. This trainingfulfills the requirements of the Food and Drug […]
Contact: FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov
By Heather Cooper •
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Sept. 21, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation. Through a series of Cooperative Agreements, this national network will connect distressed borrowers with individualized assistance […]
By Heather Cooper •
A new article by Dr. Phil Brennan (University of Georgia) from the Strawberry News website (UGA)has been published with information compiled by Dr. Guido Schnabel (Clemson University) and Dr.Bill Cline (North Carolina State) on managing fall-planted strawberries with the known presence ofNeopestalotiopsis. New Jersey growers who may have purchased strawberry plants this fall fromsources with […]
By Heather Cooper •
HAMILTON SQUARE, N.J., Sept. 17, 2024 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s(USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey is now accepting FY2025applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), climate-smart practicesthrough EQIP funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Agricultural Management Assistance(AMA) program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and ConservationIncentive […]
Contact: Gabi Grunstein gabor.grunstein@usda.gov
By Heather Cooper •
Hamilton Square, NJ., July 16, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced thedeadline for commodity and specialty crop producers to apply for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022 natural disaster losses is Aug. 14, 2024. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began accepting ERP 2022 applications in October 2023.“If natural disasters impacted […]
By Heather Cooper •
HAMILTON SQUARE, N.J., July 18, 2024 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) NaturalResources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey is now accepting FY2025 applications for theEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), climate-smart practices through EQIP funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program […]