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Cape May Court House – Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources hosted a free Twilight Meeting for South Jersey farmers on October 17 at Cape May Winery, Cape May, NJ. Expert speakers from Rutgers University and partner organizations came together to provide farmers with important updates on specialty crops, soil health, and labor regulations.
This informative session included the presentation Soil Health is Always a Good Investment presented by William Errickson, Monmouth County Agent III; Rutgers NJAES. “We can think of soil health like a bank account. It requires some smart initial investments, but the benefits will pay dividends over the long term if we stay the course. The sooner you can start investing in soil health, the better off your plants will be,” said Errickson. “Improving soil health is a process that will require attention each year to build upon the initial investments, but employing a few simple, cost-effective strategies can go a long way toward enhancing this key resource,” added Errickson.
Other presentations were: IPM for specialty crops in New Jersey including tree fruit crops, small fruits, and vegetables by Janine Spies, Statewide Program Leader in Fruit IPM, County Agent III; Rutgers NJAES, Pesticide safety, non-hazardous pest control methods, label literacy and how to avoid the 3 most common violations with Spencer Kerkhof, Environmental Specialist I, Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement; NJDEP, and the Labor availability and Labor regulations that impact agriculture presented by Ben Casella, New Jersey Farm Bureau.
Claudia Gil Arroyo, Cape May County Agricultural Agent said, “The speakers not only provided important information to our farmers, but they also answered their specific questions. Also, as important was the fact that farmers had access to this much needed information right here in our community.”
Rutgers University professors, researchers, and specialists provide educational support to farmers throughout New Jersey year-round. Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station faculty and staff assist commercial farms with information, field research and consultation on various issues related to agriculture, the environment, natural resources management, and integrated pest management.
For more information about Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County Agriculture and Natural Resources, please visit our website https://capemay.njaes.rutgers.edu/anr/ or call 609-465-5115 ext. 3607 or email to capemayag@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Photo: Speakers at the Twilight Farmers Meeting held at Cape May Winery in October were Janine Spies, Statewide Program Leader in Fruit IPM, County Agent III; Rutgers NJAES, Claudia Gil Arroyo, Cape May County Agricultural Agent, Ben Casella, New Jersey Farm Bureau, Spencer Kerkhof, Environmental Specialist I, Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement; NJDEP, and William Errickson, Monmouth County Agent III; Rutgers NJAES
