Gardener News March 2020

TAKE ONE March 2020

Gardener News

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TAKE ONE No. 203

Women’s History Month: Remembering the Women’s Land Army of America

By Lesley Parness Columnist

Library of Congress/Image

Everyone knows Rosie the Riveter.

Her forearms and fetching hair wrap are ingrained on our collective memories as part of American women’s contribution to World War II. But how many know about the Women Land’s Army of America?

The Woman’s Land Army of America (WLAA) was a civilian organization created during World War I to work in American agriculture, replacing men called up to the military. In 1917, as American men left for the front, the government became concerned about the drastic reduction in farm labor. Officials quickly recognized that this would have serious consequences for the nation’s food production.

The WLAA was modeled on the British Women’s Land Army, aka the Land Girls or Land Lassies.

The WLAA was established by a consortium of women’s organizations – including gardening clubs, suffrage societies, women’s colleges, and civic groups.

It is a fascinating example of women mobilizing themselves and challenging conventional thinking about gender roles a full generation before Rosie flexed her biceps.

Operating from 1917 to 1919, the WLAA organized in 42 states, and employed more than 20,000 women, known as “farmerettes,” a term akin to “suffragettes.” Harriet Stanton Blatch, (daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton,

a leading figure in the suffragette movement) became Director of the WLAA in 1917.

Most of the women of WLAA had never worked on farms before.

Consisting primarily of college students, teachers, and secretaries, they were paid equally with male farm laborers (50 cents per hour), had an eight-hour workday, and (gasp) wore pants! They operated on regional and state levels with Community and Single Farm Units managed by Captains who oversaw daily productivity.

The WLAA did not receive government funding.

Often, universities and women’s colleges initiated the lead, and promoted their own WLAA land units. Barnard College established and ran an agricultural training program on their 680-acre farm. Vassar College’s 740acre farm provided land for students to cultivate and to train on. By 1918, 15,000 women across 20 states had participated in agricultural training and education programs.

In 1918, the WLAA published “Help for the Farmer,” offering a list of the agricultural skills women could do: “ploughing, planting, cultivating, thinning, weeding, harvesting, sorting, and packing for market, mowing, hay raking and pitching, hauling lumber and dairy work.”

In spite of physical hardships, WLAA morale was high. “Would you quit?” a reporter asked the farmerettes - “No, soldiers don’t.” Will you get up at 5:30 in the morning? “Yes!” Will you muster for inspection, line up for exercise drills, and (Cont. on Page 19)

2 March 2020

G a r d e n C e n t e r D i r e c t o r y GardenerNews.com

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March 2020 3

Rock Garden Orchid Wins Top Award Deep Cut Orchid Society (DCOS) Show and Sale was held February 6-9, 2020 at the Dearborn Market on Route 35 South in Holmdel,

Monmouth County, N.J. The orchid extravaganza featured spectacular exhibits showcasing beautiful, sometime bizarre, often

fragrant, and always interesting orchids in full bloom. Orchids happen to be the world’s largest family of flowering plants.

On February 6, certified American Orchid Society judges awarded prizes to the best exhibit and orchids.

Waldor Orchids of Linwood,

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Atlantic County, N.J., was presented with the Best in Show Ribbon and a First Place Ribbon for their Dendrobium speciosum “White Castle” submission.

The 23rd DCOS Annual Show and Sale is the largest of its kind in the Greater New Jersey Metropolitan area, and included many exhibits displaying hundreds of beautiful orchids.

DCOS is an educational nonprofit group, formed by people who love orchids and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm (some say obsession) with others. They are the largest and most active orchid club in the New Jersey Metropolitan area, with over 100 members from novice to expert grower. DCOS hosts monthly meetings, local greenhouse tours, and other orchid-related events and trips.

DCOS meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the Monmouth Reform Temple, 332 Hance Avenue, Tinton Falls, N.J., at 7:30 p.m.

FEED YOUR LAWN

…AND YOUR SOIL!

EARLY SPRING Apply Green-Up Crabgrass Preventer to feed the lawn and provide season-long crabgrass prevention.

FALL Apply Winter Survival Fall Lawn Food to feed the lawn and help prepare it against the long, harsh winter ahead. Early fall seeding works best, apply Winter Survival Fall Lawn Food the same day before applying grass seed.

LATE SPRING Apply Green-Up Weed & Feed to feed the lawn and kill over 250 broadleaf weeds like dandelions, chickweed, clover, and oxalis.

Available at garden centers and hardware stores in your area.

SUMMER Apply

NEW Mag-I-Cal Plus

to adjust soil pH, loosen hard soil and activate the soil microbial life.

Ask for a free copy of our guide.

2/20

4 March 2020 In January, I attended the Total Pro Professional Landscape Nursery & Hardscape Expo and Conference at the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison.

It is a totally reenergized show under the leadership of MAC Expos and is an effective showcase of all that is so extraordinary about this industry in the Garden State.

New Jersey is a national leader in not only the growing of nursery products, but also in the hardscape world of design and construction.

Nationally, the landscape industry has grown by an annual average of 4.6 percent since 2014.

Certainly, a rebounding housing market that has homeowners investing in improving the value of their homes has helped contribute to this growth. More than $99 billion nationwide was spent on landscaping in the United States in 2019, according to www. propertymanagement.com. That was up from $94.6 billion in 2018 and 90.5 billion in 2017.

Those industry statistics include 39 million U.S. homeowners who spent varying sums of money on landscaping their properties, according to the website. Not surprisingly, about 74 percent of landscaping business is from repeat customers, showing they are intent on keeping up those

GardenerNews.com opportunities to listen and learn, covering such subjects as landscaping with native plants, building ecology, basic plant biology, organic land care, soil protection, regenerative

By Douglas H. Fisher agriculture, care of New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture conifers and evergreens.

For a number of reasons – including the desire of homeowners and businesses to continue making their properties pleasing to the eye and attractive one from the show floor to an continues to be New Jersey’s to potential buyers – the Garden elegant backyard in minutes. leading agricultural sector, with State remains among the national New Jersey’s roots truly run sales at almost $500 million. New leaders in horticultural production, far and deep when it comes to Jersey ranks fifth in the nation in sales and landscaping design.

This show put them all on the world of horticulture. It was nursery stock sales. display. reported as far back as 1890, for Back to the show itself. example, that “(i)n commercial There were fabulous displays of Editor’s Note: Douglas floriculture, New Jersey, situated color and flair from many of the H. Fisher is New Jersey’s as it is between the New York traditional, old-faithful plants. But and Philadelphia markets, makes the show also featured the newest Secretary of Agriculture. the largest showing of any state of plant materials and designs. He is the department’s in the Union in proportion to its There was truly something for executive officer, secretary to the State Board of size, 3,703,554 square feet (of everybody. horticultural production) under There is a lot going on at this Agriculture and a member glass.” show because there is a confluence of the Governor’s cabinet.

Today, horticulture is as much of objectives happening all at the Secretary Fisher fulfills management a vibrant part of the overall New same time. Equipment dealers, executive, and administrative duties Jersey agricultural industry as input manufacturers, wholesalers it was back in 1890 when the of services and all sorts of products prescribed by law, executive dynamic interplay between New such as lighting, irrigation, outdoor order or gubernatorial Jersey growers and the big-city accents and anything outdoor direction. He can be reached markets they served was described. living, all could be found under at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http:// The nursery, greenhouse, this one roof. floriculture and sod industry Also at the show were www.state.nj.us/agriculture

NJ Dept. of Agriculture Total Pro Expo Highlights Growth and Beauty of New Jersey Horticulture and Landscaping

improvements to their properties.

There was truly a sense of excitement in the air at the show in January as the industry began looking to the 2020 season and what is projected to be a strong demand for products and services.

People throughout the Northeast and beyond really do look to what the industry is doing here in New Jersey, not only for what we grow and produce but also for the incredibly talented professionals in this business who call New Jersey their home and headquarters.

What really comes together at a show like this is how artfully professional landscapers intertwine the elements of hardscaping – pavers, walls, even waterfall features – with a multitude of plant life. The resulting landscape is a mixture of the best of architecture and horticulture, and can transport

2020 Annual Meeting of the Native Plant Society of NJ Saturday, March 7th at Medford Leas, Medford, NJ

Schedule: 8:00 - 8:45 am REGISTRATION Coffee and Refreshment 9:00 - 9:45 am - Master of Ceremonies: Short Business Meeting: Elections 2020 Executive Board Plant of the Year 2020 9:50 -10:50 Ryan Rebozo Pinelands Alliance Improving shoreline community resiliency, beach habitat and rare species occurrences through compromise management 11:00 - 12:00 Pat Sutton Landscape Design with Wildlife in Mind Lunch Break 12:00 - 1:15pm Lunch, Visit Tables, Vendors and Nurseries Sticks and Twigs Nursery Sale Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Pinelands Nursery, Wild Ridge Plants (Proceeds benefit the Native Plant Society of NJ) 1:15-2:15 pm (1:30-2:30) Jennifer Bulava Beneficial Insects 2:15-3:15 pm (2:30-3:30) Mike Hogan “Protecting South Jersey’s Swamp Pinks” 3:30 Conclusion of Conference The times may change to accommodate our speakers and or events out of our control.

Seating is very limited at Medford Leas, and time is quite short so don’t wait to purchase your ticket.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The admission price for the conference will be $60.00 for non-members and $40.00 for current members.

Tickets may be purchased at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/4520005

morris county park commission

The FrelinghuysenArboretum Women in Landscape Architecture*

Join us for a day-long symposium celebrating women in landscape architecture, past and present, including local legend Martha Brookes Hutcheson. The 2nd female architect in the U.S. created many gardens in the Northeast including her home at Bamboo Brook in Chester.

This program eligible for 4.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU’s

Sunday, March 1, 10 am • $55

Macrame Hanging Planter Workshop*

Join Samantha Matthews to learn basic knots and leave with a finished wall hanging. Class fee includes materials.

Saturday, March 14, 10 am • $50

Great Speaker Series: Paul Meyer

Botanical adventures in Kazakhstan*

Paul Meyer, recently retired from the Morris Arboretum, talks about his trip to the dramatic mountains of Central Asia, and the diversity of trees and wildflowers there.

This program eligible for 2.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU’s

Saturday, March 28, 1 pm • $45

Elegant Spring Centerpiece*

Professional floral designer Marge Hulstrunk demonstrates how to create a spring centerpiece with tips to make your own at home. There will be a raffle afterward, and the lucky winners will be able to take Marge’s creations home.

Wednesday, April 8, 6:30 pm • $25

353 East Hanover Avenue • Morris Township, New Jersey • 07960 *Pre-register to guarantee a seat

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March 2020 5

Phil Murphy

6 March 2020

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

Final Revised New Jersey Pesticide Regulations – Expected Spring 2020

By Pat Hastings The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Worker Protection regulations [N.J.A.C. 7:30 Subchapter 12] provide New Jersey’s rules for the protection of farmworkers.

Prior to EPA’s revision of the federal Worker Protection Standard in 2015, New Jersey’s Agricultural Worker Protection regulations were more stringent than EPA’s 1992 WPS (as amended).

EPA’s 2015 revision of the WPS now includes many of the requirements of New Jersey’s existing regulations. Revised Federal regulations take primacy when New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regulations are less stringent, and vice versa. However, there are instances where the two rules differ, and require interpretation.

The NJDEP proposed revision of their pesticide regulations at N.J.A.C. 7:30 for the Pesticide Control Code on May 20, 2019. The revisions to N.J.A.C. 7:30 incorporate new federal requirements not previously addressed by New Jersey regulations. Additionally, the revisions addressed conflicts between the State and federal rules. A copy of the rule proposal (PDF) is available from the NJDEP website at www.nj.gov/dep/rules/proposals/20190520a. pdf. The finalized rule will be published in the New Jersey Register.

Currently, NJDEP expects that implementation of the final revised N.J.A.C. 7:30 rule will be in early spring 2020. Rutgers will announce this via its NJAES WPS blog, and update its WPS website accordingly.

For specific questions or concerns about NJDEP’s implementation of the revised WPS, please contact Supervisor of the Worker Protection Unit Nancy Santiago at 609-984-6568, or contact her by email at pcp@dep.nj.gov. See the current regulations at https://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/pcp/regulations/ Subchapter%2012.pdf.

44th Annual Rutgers Home Gardeners School Saturday, March 21, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Rutgers University Cook/Douglass campus in New Brunswick, N.J. The Home Gardeners School is made up of 40 individual workshop sessions that cover a wide array of horticulture topics.

Expert speakers from commercial horticulture and landscape design firms, as well as faculty and staff from Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), provide attendees with the opportunity to learn from highly-respected professionals with a wealth of experience.

With 25 new and three revised workshops, there are great options for both new and returning participants. The “Jam’in Basics” workshop will cover the fundamentals of making jam, jelly, and other spreads for shelf storage or the freezer, while the “Walkways, Pathways, and Stairways” session will cover entryways into the home and garden, including proper construction.

A new hands-on session, “Potted Plant Creations,” will provide attendees with the opportunity to create and take home their own potted plant arrangement. Other new workshops include “The Wonderful World of Bulbs,” “Growing Organic NJ Tomatoes and Peppers,” “Trellises in the Edible Garden,” “Fertilizer and Pesticide Calibration,” “Deer Control Methods,” “The Cook’s Herb Garden” and so much more!

Reflecting a commitment to giving back, the Home Gardeners School organizers invite attendees to bring food donations to the event. These items will be distributed to New Jersey families in need through Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH), a universitywide initiative working to address the issues of hunger across New Jersey.

Participants are also invited to bring donations for Scarlet Paws Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit collaboration of Rutgers staff, faculty, students and community volunteers that rescues stray animals on the Rutgers campus.

For more information or to register for Home Gardeners School, visit www.cpe.rutgers.edu/hgs or call the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education at 848-932-9271.

GardenerNews.com

From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Brian Schilling Director

Protecting Homes from Termites

Termites are the most important structural pest in the United States. Each year they cost homeowners as much as $11 billion for treatment and property damage.

As the weather warms up in the spring, termites become more active. It is a good idea for homeowners and property managers to understand what steps they can take to protect their homes from termite infestations.

What are termites? Termites are insects that naturally occur underground in the soil.

They feed on cellulose found in fallen trees, tree stumps, roots, and the wood used to build our homes. They also feed on other materials that contain cellulose, like paper or cardboard.

Most of the individuals in a colony are white in color. Each year, a mature colony produces thousands of swarmers (winged adults) that are black in color and have long wings. They swarm out from the nest during a warm, sunny day. The termite swarmers pair up during their flight to mate, then land and search for a place to begin a family. Their wings break off shortly after landing, and the new king and queen start their colony by excavating a small chamber in soil.

In New Jersey, the peak swarming season is during April and May. Homeowners often realize their homes are infested by termites only when they see the swarmers either indoors or outside their homes.

Termite prevention: The following landscaping practices will help prevent termite infestations in structures: 1) Consider using rubber mulch or gravel near the foundation instead of wood mulch. If wood mulch is used, try to use a minimum amount; 2) Remove stumps, dead trees and roots, wood debris, and cardboard boxes from the yard; 3) Move firewood and woodpiles at least 20 feet away from the house and store off the ground, if possible; 4) Avoid planting shrubs and trees near the dwelling; 5) Do not use untreated wood for landscaping, fences, wooden decks, etc.; 6) Eliminate soil-to-wood contact around the foundation perimeter of the home; and 7) Remove any wood, cardboard, or other cellulosecontaining materials from crawl spaces.

Termites are dependent on moisture to survive and they thrive in areas with excessive moisture. As a result, it’s important to ensure that there is proper drainage around dwellings to avoid water accumulation: 1) Repair leaking water pipes, faucets, and air-conditioning units; 2) Grade soil away from the foundation of the house; and 3) Divert rainwater away from the foundation by installing downspout extenders and splash blocks, and maintain clean gutters and downspouts.

Termite inspection: Use a flashlight and a screwdriver or a garden trowel to inspect for termite activity. Termites are often found in wooden baseboard moldings, at the bottom of door frames and window frames, basement sill plates, etc. Tapping on the wood with the handle of a screwdriver is one way to check for wood damaged by termites. Damaged wood will have a hollow sound when tapped.

Also, look for mud tubes on exposed areas of the exterior foundation wall or on basement/ crawl space walls. If mulch is present beside the foundation, use a garden trowel to examine if termites are present under the mulch every 10 feet surrounding the perimeter of the foundation. Many pest management companies will also provide preventive monitoring for termites.

Termite control: A termite colony usually has hundreds of thousands of individual insects and occupies a large area. When termites are found in a dwelling, it is best to hire a pest control company to get rid of them. The cost for treating a single home usually is between $1000 and $2000, which is why prevention is very important.

There are two types of treatments–baiting and liquid residual. Baiting treatment involves the installation of termite bait stations in the ground around the foundation. Each station contains an insect growth regulator that only kills insects, leaving no insecticide residues in the soil outside of the bait stations. The disadvantage of this method is termites need to find the bait and feed on it, which can take longer to kill a colony.

The second method (liquid residual) requires a trench to be dug around the foundation, which is then treated with a liquid insecticide and covered with soil. The liquid insecticide will form a continuous band around the foundation. When termites move in the soil between the nesting area and the wood material in the structure, they contact the treated soil and are killed. This method may eliminate a colony faster and provide at least five years of protection. The disadvantage is that large amount of insecticides are left in the environment.

For more information on termites, the fact sheet Termite Prevention and Control (FS338) can be found on the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station publications website at www.njaes.rutgers.edu/fs338.

Editor’s note: This month’s contribution was written by Changlu Wang, Ph.D., Associate Extension Specialist in Entomology at Rutgers University.

GardenerNews.com

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

March 2020 7

Snowdrops – The Start of the Garden Symphony Every autumn, as gardeners visit their favorite garden center, they are confronted by racks of rather unsexy appearing “bulbs” or geophytes as they are properly called.

Occasionally, a gardener will take a leap of faith and buy a few of the dry, papery brown objects in the hopes they will magically appear the following spring and resemble those images attached to the display. And magically appear they do! With the first promise of warmer weather, geophytes begin to awaken and start their spring “symphony”’ of color.

To me, there is none as iconic as the white flowering Snowdrop.

Snowdrops are botanically known as Galanthus, with roughly 20 species stretching from the Pyrenees of northern Spain and southern France east through southern Poland and Italy to Syria and Northern Iran.

Although a member of the Amaryllis family or

Amaryllidaceae, their physical appearance certainly does not bear any resemblance to the flowers that adorn many a January windowsill. Snowdrops are a true bulb, composed of modified leaves with each bulb roughly the size of a thumbnail.

The common name of Snowdrop first appeared in 1663 in the book Great Herbal written by the English botanist John Gerard (1545-1610). The origin of the word is uncertain, although it certainly does look like a drop of snow emerging from the ground.

Galanthus was initially penned by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1717-1778) in 1735 within his first major document named Systema Naturae. Honoring the milky white flower, the name is derived from the Greek Gála or milk and Ánthos for flower.

The most common species planted in gardens, and deservedly so, is Galanthus nivalis. This species was also named by Linnaeus in 1753, with the species epithet coming from the Latin meaning “of the snow.”

Typical to the genus, each bulb produces two linear leaves that grow to six to eight inches long with the equally tall flower scape emerging from in-between the leaves during January through March, depending on the location.

As is typical to the genus, the flowers are composed of six white tepals. A tepal is an organ that is intended to attract pollinators, but does not have the vascular system of either a petal or a sepal, which are respectfully a modified anther and leaf.

The three outer tepals are pure white with a more linear shape and slightly convex cross section.

Initially hanging downward, they flair outwards on warmer days, giving the flower greater presence and exposing the three inner tepals to pollinators. The central three tepals are roughly one-third the length of the outer whirl and have a bell-like appearance. Each inner tepal bears green markings that act as nectar guides for pollinators.

“Flora Plena” is a cultivar that has numerous additional tepals, producing a “double” flower.

Another very popular and

readily available species is Galanthus elwesii. The plant resembles its aforementioned cousin in all aspects except it is slightly larger and later to emerge. The species honors the British botanist and entomologist Henry John Elwes (18461922), who came across a field of large flowered snowdrops in 1874 while botanizing in the mountainous regions near Smyrna, Greece. In 1875, the English botanist Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) honored Elwes with the species epithet.

Snowdrops are an easily grown bulb and are successfully transplanted while the foliage is still green and in active growth.

All the species enjoy well-drained soils and thrive in full sun or in locations beneath deciduous trees and shrubs. The rule of thumb is to plant geophytes at a depth of three times their diameter, which for Snowdrops is around two inches deep. As with all the geophytes, they look best when used in sweeps of several hundred where the budget permits, and allowed to naturalize.

Snowdrops are a remarkably

rewarding and long-lived geophyte for your garden and pair nicely with early-blooming Quince and Witch Hazels in the garden. Whether purchasing bulbs next fall, or you are able to acquire plants this spring, Snowdrops will delight you for years to come as they are among the first to begin your spring symphony of garden color.

Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; a part time lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers Continuing Education Program; and past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium.

He can be reached at bcrawf@sebs.rutgers.edu.

For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens. rutgers.edu.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Phone Directory Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-224-8040 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

8 March 2020

GardenerNews.com

GardenerNews.com

March 2020 9

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Water. Salt. TLC

It’s time to take a good, hard look at your houseplants.

First, take a look at the top of the planting medium. If it has a whitish, crusty build up on it, your planting medium probably has salt build up. That’s really bad. As we all know in the landscape, salt kills. Houseplants will start to show the effects of salt build up by the color of their foliage. Browning tips mean trouble.

Other signs of excess soluble salts include reduced growth, dropping of lower leaves, small new growth, dead root tips, and wilting.

Did you know that fertilizer dissolved in water turns into a soluble salt? After water evaporates from the potting soil, the salts stay behind. As salts in the soil become more concentrated, plants find it harder and harder to take up water. If salts are allowed to build up to high levels, the plant takes water out of its root tips, causing death.

One way to reduce the amount of salt build up is to leach plants every four to six months. To do this, water the soil thoroughly, as you usually would. Then, after about five minutes, water again, letting excess water flow out the bottom drain holes. The first watering dissolves the fertilizer salts. The second washes the salt out of the soil.

If a layer of salt has formed a crust on top of the soil, be sure to remove the salt crust before you start to leach. Take care not to remove more than one inch of soil.

Another way is to repot the plant using a planting medium that best suits the plant.

Now, there are a couple of ways to water your houseplants on a regular basis; watering from the top or watering from the bottom.

Top watering is the most common method.

Irrigate so that the water drains freely from the bottom of the container. Small plants can be placed in the sink and returned to their locations after the water drains.

Any excess water should be dumped from drainage saucers. Bottom watering simply means putting water into the saucer or setting the container in a pot of water, allowing the water to be absorbed and drawn up into the potting mixture. Empty out any excess water.

Never let your houseplants sit in water.

One way to determine when to water is to test the soil with your finger to a depth of about two inches. If the soil is dry, it probably needs to be watered. This method works for most plants but there are exceptions like succulents and cacti which need far less water. Another quick test is to

lift the plant, pot and all, to check its weight change. The plant with dry potting medium will weigh much less than the plant which still has ample water in its potting medium.

While you’re testing for watering needs, pay attention to the potting media. If your finger can’t penetrate two inches deep, you may need a more porous potting mix or the plant may be root bound.

I’ve personally found that my houseplants do not like the water from the kitchen sink.

One day I had an open bottle of water that I purchased from my local Kings Food Market. As I glanced over at my pathos, which sits up on a high pedestal and has long trailing foliage, I decided to empty the remaining contents into the pot, after I realized it needed watering. About a week later, I noticed the foliage had a darker, healthier color to it.

As crazy as I am, I decided to visit Kings Food Market, again, and purchase larger containers of bottled water. All of my houseplants are now enjoying the bottled water and show signs of improved health and color. My houseplants are getting real TLC from me.

I’ve even started to water my indoor herb garden with bottled water.

Frigid water straight from the faucet can shock the roots, especially for tropical plants, so be careful. If you use a watering can, fill it when you’re done watering; when the time comes to water again, the water should be at room temperature – and if it’s tap water, it has a chance to dechlorinate.

When outdoor temperatures cooperate, rainwater is probably a plant’s favorite, if you don’t live in a place with too much pollution, that is. Well water is usually good too, if it’s not too alkaline for acidloving houseplants. Tap water can be great, but the salt in softened water can become problematic – and some plants don’t like chlorinated water. Finding the right water can take some trial and error.

I like to use organic liquid houseplant fertilizers. They are made from liquid kelp, fish emulsion, compost tea and liquid bone meal.

There are a few other things that houseplants need to be healthy like sunlight, humidity and temperature, but that is another topic for another discussion.

A happy houseplant makes for a happy life!

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening, landscaping and nursery communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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10 March 2020

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEWS USDA Announces Details of Risk Management Programs for Hemp Producers The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on February 6 the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters. A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available. Producers may apply now, and the deadline to sign up for both programs is March 16, 2020.

“We are pleased to offer these coverages to hemp producers. Hemp offers new economic opportunities for our farmers, and they are anxious for a way to protect their product in the event of a natural disaster,” said Farm Production and Conservation Undersecretary Bill Northey.

Multi-Peril Crop Insurance Pilot Insurance Program The MPCI pilot insurance is a new crop insurance option for hemp producers in select counties of 21 states for the 2020 crop year.

The program is available for eligible producers in certain counties in Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Information on eligible counties is accessible through the USDA Risk Management Agency’s Actuarial Information Browser.

Among other requirements, to be eligible for the pilot program, a hemp producer must have at least one year of history producing the crop and have a contract for the sale of the insured hemp. In addition, the minimum acreage requirement is 5 acres for CBD and 20 acres for grain and fiber. Hemp will not qualify for replant payments or prevented plant payments under MPCI. This pilot insurance coverage is available to hemp growers in addition to revenue protection for hemp offered under the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection plan of insurance. Also, beginning with the 2021 crop year, hemp will be insurable under the Nursery crop insurance program and the Nursery Value Select pilot crop insurance program. Under both nursery programs, hemp will be insurable if grown in containers and in accordance with federal regulations, any applicable state or tribal laws and terms of the crop insurance policy.

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program NAP provides coverage against loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain, seed or CBD for the 2020 crop year where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available.

NAP basic 50/55 coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production. Buy-up coverage is available in some cases. The 2018 Farm Bill allows for

buy-up levels of NAP coverage from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price. Premiums apply for buy-up coverage.

For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is $325 per crop or $825 per producer per county, not to exceed $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.

Eligibility Requirements Under a regulation authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and issued in October 2019, all growers must have a license to grow hemp and must comply with applicable state, tribal or federal regulations or operate under a state or university research pilot, as authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Producers must report hemp acreage to FSA after planting to comply with federal and state law enforcement. The Farm Bill defines hemp as containing 0.3 percent or less tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry-weight basis. Hemp having THC above the federal statutory compliance level of 0.3 percent is an uninsurable or ineligible cause of loss and will result in the hemp production being ineligible for production history purposes.

For more information on USDA risk management programs for hemp producers, visit farmers.gov/hemp to read farmers. gov frequently asked questions. For more information on the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program, visit USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services’ website to read AMS frequently asked questions.

United Nations Declares 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health Plants make the oxygen we breathe and give us 80 percent of the food we eat. But plants are under attack by invasive pests.

These pests destroy up to 40 percent of the world’s food crops and cause $220 billion in trade losses each year according to the United Nations (U.N.). That leaves millions of people worldwide without enough food to eat and seriously damages agriculture—the primary source of income for rural communities.

To bring worldwide attention to this challenge, the U.N. has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health. They are calling on people, organizations, industries, scientists, and governments to work together to protect plants against the introduction and spread of invasive pests. The U.S. National Plant Protection Organization—the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Plant

Protection and Quarantine—is leading the effort in the United States.

“At USDA, we do all we can for our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers so that they can continue to feed and clothe this nation and the world,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Greg Ibach. “That’s why we’re urging everyone to take this issue seriously and to do their part.

Protecting plants from pests and diseases is far more cost effective than the alternative.”

According to USDA, everyone can help avoid the devastating impact of pests and diseases on agriculture, livelihoods, and food security. You can get started today by taking a few important actions, including: look for and report unusual signs of pests or disease in trees and plants to your local Extension, State department of agriculture, or local State

Office; don’t move firewood. Instead, buy heat-treated firewood or responsibly gather wood near the place it will be burned to ensure tree-killing beetles hiding inside can’t spread to new areas; always declare food, plants, or other agricultural items to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when returning from international travel so they can make sure these items are free of pests; and contacting your local State Office before you buy seeds or plants online from other countries to find out if they need to be inspected and certified as pest free or meet other conditions to legally bring them into the United States.

To learn more about the International Year of Plant Health and how you can help stop destructive invasive plant pests, visit USDA’s website at www.aphis.usda.gov/ planthealth/2020.

GardenerNews.com

March 2020 11

Agricultural producers have always searched for ways to improve their yields. Through the years, growers have tried numerous means of increasing their production.

These include, but are certainly not limited to, natural selection, cross-breeding, improved agricultural practices, pest control, and genetic modification.

Grafting is also a tried and true method of increasing production.

In fact, certain segments of the agricultural industry have become almost totally reliant on this process.

In horticulture, grafting is basically defined as joining two or more plants together, and then growing them as one plant.

Generally, a piece of one plant, sometimes referred to as the scion, is grafted on to the top of another plant, which is usually called the rootstock. Once the graft has healed, these finished plants can continue to be grown in place, or more than likely, can be transplanted somewhere else.

Grafted fruit trees, for example, are generally grown in a nursery, and then sold to growers who then plant them on their respective farms.

There are many reasons why

we started to notice a drop-off in yield. Because we were using a fixed structure and the plants were being grown in the same soil year after year (we couldn’t rotate production like we would normally do), disease had started to build up in the soil, which was affecting our yield.

By grafting the variety of tomatoes that we wanted to grow onto a disease-resistant rootstock, we were able to overcome this difficulty without having the expense of moving the structure every year.

While grafted tomatoes are hard to grow and expensive to purchase, they are still cheaper than a new greenhouse!

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

growers do this. First of all, this allows farmers to grow a consistent product. Let’s look at apples as an example. If you plant a seed from an apple, it will grow.

But it will not necessarily grow into the same type of apple that it came out of. In fact, there is a very high likelihood that it will be different from its parent.

That is why growers take cuttings or “budwood” from existing cultivars so that they end up with a known and consistent finished product. Growers, and consumers for that matter, need the certainty of this process to ensure a uniform apple that is true to its name in quality and characteristics.

Another reason that growers use grafted plants and trees is to control the bottom part of the plant. While this is not as

Grafting

readily apparent to the eye, it is nonetheless extremely critical in agricultural production.

The bottom part of the plant or the rootstock, generally influences the growing characteristics of the scion. So, when a grower wants to plant an apple orchard, he or she wants all of the trees in that orchard to grow with the same amount of vigor. This way, they can all be planted at the same spacing and, if they are managed properly, will fill their allotted space in the orchard without leaving gaps or being overcrowded.

Also, certain rootstocks do better in certain climates and different types of soil. Therefore, it is a very good idea for growers to match up the varieties that they think will sell well, with a rootstock which will not only grow well on

their farm but also provide them with the desired orchard, both in size and productivity. As an example, a grower who wanted to plant apples in a pick-yourown orchard would want to make certain that those trees would not be so tall that the customers could not reach them.

On our farm, we not only plant and grow grafted fruit trees, but we have also started using some grafted vegetable plants as well.

While grafted vegetable plants are not nearly as commonplace as fruit trees, they are starting to become more and more common in the industry.

A number of years ago, we started growing some tomatoes under a greenhouse-type structure so that they would mature earlier in the season. This worked well for a couple of years, but then

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is Mayor of Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, NJ. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

Atchison Named Director of New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Marketing and Development New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher announced the appointment of Joe Atchison III, of Cherry Hill, as Director of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Marketing and Development. Atchison has been with the NJDA since 2005.

“I am pleased to announce that Joe Atchison has accepted the position as Director of the Marketing and Development Division,” Secretary Fisher said. “He has extensive knowledge of the industry and has been an effective leader in the department in many capacities over the years.

I know Joe has the creativity, drive and ability to lead the Marketing Division to even greater levels by building on the successes of past directors.”

Since 2013, Atchison has served as Coordinator of Agricultural Development conducting outreach to many agricultural organizations throughout the state. He also has managed the development of creative messaging and marketing plans for the Jersey Fresh program. Atchison joined the New Jersey Department of Agriculture in 2005 as a Marketing Specialist supporting the Director of Marketing.

Atchison earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University after majoring in Management and Marketing. He lives in Cherry Hill, Camden County with his wife, Mary Kay

and two children, Katherine and Joe IV. “I look forward to continuing the relationships we have built over the years and working to develop new relationships with growers, producers, retailers and others crucial to the agricultural industry in the Garden State,” Atchison said. “Marketing and Development is essential in maintaining the high profile of New Jersey’s agricultural industry in a very competitive environment. I thank Secretary Fisher and the State Board of Agriculture for this appointment and all of those who have supported me. I am fortunate to work with an experienced, knowledgeable team of great people. I have worked under two outstanding previous Directors and I hope to bring the best of them to the table while adding my own experience to the position.”

The Division of Marketing and Development plays a critical role in enhancing the markets of New Jersey farm products by developing and expanding markets, both here and abroad.

The Division provides regulatory and service programs to the agricultural community and the public.

The Bureau of Market Development and Product Promotion and the Economic Development section helps farmers access new markets, as well as working to improve bottom

line efficiencies on the farm. Inspectors from the Bureau of Commodity Inspection and Grading ensure that the public receives quality produce, seafood, poultry and egg products.

The agricultural chemistry bureau inspects and certifies various fertilizers and feeds purchased

by New Jersey farmers. The Equine Industry programs provide equine services as well as administer the Sire Stakes program.

12 March 2020 The landscaping and nursery industries face tough challenges every day, specifically because of our dependency on the whims of Mother Nature to cooperate.

But there are many more issues that we must face each day that threaten the future of these industries.

In order to be successful, we must look at these obstacles as challenges and not problems.

I write this not to ask anyone to feel sorry for our industry, as we have wonderful business owners, employees and friends that work in tandem to make our great state a beautiful one. I write in hopes that readers will recognize the dedication and knowledge that go into making the landscape and nursery industries what they are.

Likely the greatest challenge both landscapers and growers face now, and for years, is the lack of a quality labor force. Although it is often thought that our employees are “cheap labor,” nothing could be further from the truth. Because there are so few people that want to work in the tough conditions we face (long and hot days, inclement weather, time, etc.), the salaries provided per hour are actually much higher than the current minimum wage.

But the salaries are not the most challenging issue when it comes to personnel. With the unemployment rate at an all-time low (a little over 3.5 percent at time of printing),

GardenerNews.com The NJLCA Today

By Gail Woolcott Executive Director

Rising to the Challenges

employees are rare. Take into consideration the hard work required and hoping to find long-term, quality employees and there is little chance of finding them in our industry.

Therefore, many employers find themselves depending on the H-2A and H-2B temporary visa programs.

I have written on these programs in the past and won’t belabor the issue, but suffice it to say, we are in big trouble in the labor department.

Answers to this challenge are not readily available, but the NJLCA is trying to find sources of reliable employees for our industry, including apprenticeship programs, internships with local trade schools and colleges and increasing the awareness of the many opportunities in our industry through public education.

There is also continuous regulatory pressure put on our industries. From equipment bans and limitations to pesticide regulations, many companies are having to hire

full time employees just to comply with all of the state and federal requirements.

Not only do we need to comply with the many rules of owning any business, but the intricacies of a business that relies on equipment and lawn care treatments that are constantly being bombarded with bad press. As individuals, we understand how consumers want to be sure to enjoy a safe living environment, but we find that many of those same individuals require their properties to look perfectly coifed.

At NJLCA, we are in favor of providing the best possible outcome on properties, with the least amount of impact on the environment. We are strong proponents of integrated pest management. Solutions are continually being sought for advanced products and equipment that will impact our environment the least. We encourage our contractors

and growers to look at organic options and use common sense when choosing the remedy vs. the impact.

Unfortunately, there are many consumers that need to understand to leave it to the professionals when pesticides and lawn care treatment is required. These trained professionals are able to know the correct product to use at the right time in the exact amounts required.

Finally, the last challenge I would like to discuss is professionalism.

Professionalism in itself takes hard work. Our industries need to keep on top of all industry developments to be sure they are following best practices. They need to make sure they are following proper business protocols, human resource laws, tax codes, insurance and licensing requirements and more.

Unlike a plumber, who is viewed as a professional because he or she has knowledge that the consumer does not have, a landscaper or

grower is thought of as just someone who mows the lawn or puts seeds in the ground. This is in no way the case.

Our industries need to be highly technical and know the why, what and how of each thing they do. We are as professional as a plumber or an electrician and need years of learning and wisdom to do what we do properly.

The next time you look to hire a landscape or nursery professional, please understand that you will get what you pay for. The cheapest price is not the best option and that individual is not spending the time to hone his or her craft, nor follow the letter of the law.

V Sho Dis

Editor’s note: Gail Woolcott is the Executive Director for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association.

She was presented with a community service award from the Borough of Fairview for her assistance in leading the 9-11 Memorial Park project and the Legislative Champion of the Year award from the Federation of Employers and Workers of America. She is currently the State Licensee Chair on the National Association of Landscape Professionals International Certification Council.

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Experts trust the #1 brand in organic gardening Laura LeBoutillier grew up working in her parents’ garden center.

Since then, she and her husband Aaron have published hundreds of inspirational and educational gardening videos online for over 2.4 million loyal fans. Laura loves her garden and uses only the best products to ensure it looks beautiful. That’s why she trusts Espoma OrganicŽ for her fertilizer and potting soil needs.

Espoma. A natural in the garden since 1929.

Visit www.espoma.com/video to see our inspirational videos.

16 March 2020 For hundreds of years, man has shown interest in investing in improving grasses for functional, recreational or aesthetic reasons.

Many times, it was to create better grazing possibilities for animals. As time went on, grasses provided a benefit for environmental reasons like controlling erosion on their land.

The desire to have a relatively low-growing turfgrass started perhaps as early as the 12th century due to grazing and the use of hand scythes.

A dense, fine-cut turf is very appealing in the modern landscape all over the world today.

Great looking sports fields, home lawns, parks, lush golf courses and recently the Super Bowl, all create a strong desire to have the best lawn in town.

Thousands of years ago on the African savannahs, lowercut grass helped man to better spot approaching danger or stalk prey to hunt. In medieval days in England and Europe, large clear grass fields helped scan the horizon for “friend or foe.”

In the 1500s, Scotland started the golf craze and then came cricket and soccer, requiring improved turfgrass conditions.

Soccer has become a worldwide

GardenerNews.com Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Todd, tell me about sod… sport today. Later, Jonathan Green himself built bowling greens in England for the many factory workers to let them enjoy some rest and relaxation from the long, hard hours of daily work.

The first mechanical mower was developed around 1830 to improve density and functionality of turfgrasses. In the early 19th century, a “sled-like device” was introduced to control the width and depth for harvesting sod.

The popularity of lawns designed in city and public parks, PGA golf tournaments on TV and the modern day “cookiecutter” suburban developments that became quite affordable to the average population built after WWII created an explosive demand for quality turfgrass whether seeded of sodded. The idea of an “instant lawn” was

appealing but more expensive than applying grass seed.

Today’s sod industry has come a long way in the last 50 years.

For many years the cool season grass species used for growing sod was Kentucky bluegrass alone. Today a combination of Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and sometimes fine fescues are used by most sod growers.

The fields usually are seeding in the fall and take 14 to 18 months to grow enough to knit together for harvest. Today a modern-day sod harvester can cost over $250,000. Today sod is also available in “big-rolls” which are used for large areas such as ballfields. These larger rolls help to reduce labor installation costs.

This takes some forward thinking on the sod grower’s part to predict future demand for sod.

Many home builders offer sod on the whole lawn or part of the property for best eye appeal and value. Sod is frequently sold by the roll at many retail establishments if you need to patch up certain areas of your lawn. Some choose to redo their whole lawn.

As Do-it-yourself homeowner lawn care products became available and easier to apply along with home irrigation systems, the quality of home lawns improved.

The age of professional lawn care businesses that you could pay to take care of your lawn also experienced a boom in the 1970s.

Sometimes after sod has been installed, a year or two later it doesn’t look very good.

The sod looked great when it was installed, what happened?

Generally, the sod was introduced to an environment that was not

desirable to grow sod. Perhaps it was too shaded or installed on a slope that you could not water at all.

The main culprit for sod demise is poor soil quality. If you have hard compacted soil or a low soil pH value, the sod will suffer.

Perhaps you never fertilized the sod at all since it was installed two years ago? Don’t blame the sod!

Remember, the farmer grows sod for a living and is taking steps to produce the best quality product he can. He tests his soil and adds soil amendments as needed. He fertilizes a few times a year, also spraying out weeds.

He mows the sod regularly with sharp blades.

These steps sound a lot like the advice I’ve been giving over the years on how to grow a great lawn.

Do your homework to see if sod is right for your lawn. Enjoy the start of spring.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

The Almost Forgotten American Beech

By Hubert Ling Although American Beech, Fagus grandifolia, is available commercially, it definitely is not the first tree you think of when planning to landscape your yard.

The tree is moderately slow growing, is a bit too tall at 70 to 90 feet for street plantings, spreads out, and makes dense shade. It has a shallow root system which commonly forms suckers and is very sensitive to root zone disturbances and drought; in addition, it is not pollutionor salt-resistant.

Beech seedlings are adapted to low light conditions, thus beech can continue to reproduce, even in dense shade, and continue to provide candidates to replace adult trees which are sick or damaged. This leads to a stable Northeastern plant community, which is called the beech-maple climax forest.

American Beech is an attractive graceful tree and has a lovely smooth, palegray bark. This beautiful bark may be a disadvantage since it is an almost irresistible temptation to graffiti artists.

Any cuts made in the thin bark will persist for the life of the tree. In the fall, the dark green beech leaves turn a lovely bronze and some of the leaves may persist through the winter.

If protected, and if you have the room, a beech tree will add its stately presence to your estate.

In Colonial America, extensive beech forests were present on the rich bottom land soils of Middle America.

Such areas were deliberately sought out by settlers and when cleared gave rise to prosperous farms. Thus, most of our beech was lost. Beech nuts were one of the favorite foods of the passenger pigeon and the loss of extensive beech forests was a main contributing factor to the extinction of this

once common and beautiful bird. Beech trees range from Canada to Florida and west to Texas and Wisconsin. In New Jersey, beech are found in almost every county but less commonly in the Pine Barrens.

Beech wood is hard, light colored, and fine grained; it bends easily when steamed.

Once seasoned, it is very stable and was the preferred wood for the body of wooden smoothing planes. Beech was also commonly used for flooring, furniture, toys, and paper. It also makes a high quality, long-burning firewood.

The flowers of beech trees are small and inconspicuous; male and female flowers are borne separately but each tree has both genders.

As is common in maple and oak, beech flowers are wind pollenated. The fruits are about half an inch in diameter and roughly spherical with short, soft, curly spines covering the surface. These fruits split

open at maturity to release two triangular nuts. These nuts are thin-shelled and avidly sought for by birds, rodents, opossums, foxes, deer, bears, and people. The nuts, as mentioned in last month’s article, are rich in oil, which is used like olive oil in cooking and previously was used as lamp oil.

Raw beech nuts are considered to be mildly toxic but this does not seem to impede animals or people who roast them to remove the toxins. The leaves are sometimes browsed by deer, but they are not a staple food.

Beech is listed as the larval food for the early hairstreak butterfly.

Beech roots support a curious obligate parasitic, the beechdrop. This plant is about eight to 18 inches tall and has neither real leaves nor chlorophyll. It only produces stiff stalks with small curved tan or purple flowers. Beechdrops don’t seem to harm the trees much and are only found under

about 10 percent of beech trees.

Beech trees are generally propagated from the nuts.

Plant them as soon as they are released since dried nuts go dormant. Make sure that the seeds you use actually have a kernel inside them; many trees produce nuts with no contents! The seeds need 90 days of stratification, but germination is generally high. Be sure to protect your nuts from critters or you may end up with nothing but upturned pots.

Planting an American beech tree in the appropriate setting will leave a valuable legacy; the wild critters and your descendants will be reminded of your foresight and thoughtfulness for hundreds of years.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

GardenerNews.com

March 2020 17

USDA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE NEWS The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

Scientists Bolt Down the Defenses Against Ambrosia Beetles

Exotic ambrosia beetles are costly pests of ornamental and fruit trees nationwide—from front-yard plantings of Japanese maple and oak to commercially grown orchards of cherry, peach, plum and even avocado.

Now, however, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists may have found a way to turn the tables on the beetles. Unchecked, the two- to three-millimeter long pests tunnel into the sapwood of host trees and expose them to symbiotic fungi that obstruct the flow of nutrients.

The researchers’ tactic exploits a key weakness of ambrosia beetles—namely, their attraction to ethanol emitted by stressed, injured or dying trees and a reliance on the alcohol to “farm” gardens of the fungi as food without interference from other competing microbes.

Trees severely infested by the beetle-fungus duo cannot be saved, so careful monitoring and preemptive measures must be taken beforehand. These include deploying ethanol-baited traps to monitor the beetles’ flight and timing insecticide

treatments to deter them from boring into the trees on which they land. However, the traps also tend to capture non-target beetle species, obscuring accurate counts and monitoring.

Michael Reding and Christopher Ranger, entomologists with the ARS Application Technology Research Unit in Wooster, Ohio, tried a different approach. Instead of the standard bottle traps, they used ethanol-infused bolts cut from the stems of young host trees—red maple, American elm, sassafras and dogwood among them.

In nursery trials, the researchers hung both the traps and bolts (with and without ethanol) about 1.6 feet off the ground using steel rods and compared the number and types of ambrosia and other beetle species that visited them.

Among results reported in the November 2019 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology: The bolts worked as well as the traps but with the added benefit of attracting fewer non-target beetle species; Xylosandrus germanus, an exotic species known as the black stem borer, generally

Trained Dogs Are the Most Efficient Way to Hunt Citrus Industry’s Biggest Threat

Dogs specially trained by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing—also known as citrus greening—according to a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread. Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is crucial because trees can be infected and act as a source to spread the disease months or years before showing symptoms that are detectable by the naked eye.

ARS plant epidemiologist Timothy R. Gottwald with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, discovered that dogs can be trained to sniff out the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacteria that causes citrus greening, with greater than 99 percent accuracy.

“We found that, once trained, these dogs were able to identify infected trees within two weeks of the trees being inoculated,” Gottwald said. “The dogs also were able to distinguish the citrus greening pathogen from a variety of other citrus bacterial, viral, fungal, and spiroplasma pathogens, including closely related Liberibacter species.

During testing, the citrus greening detector dogs had total of 4 to 15 false negatives and false positives on 950 to 1,000 trees per dog. Occasionally, the dogs alerted on clean trees that were in the same spot where an inoculated tree had been placed in previous tests due to residual scent.

In contrast, the only currently USDAapproved method for confirming the presence of the citrus greening pathogen—a DNA-based assay called a polymerase chain

reaction (PCR) test detected less than 3 percent of infections at 2 months, 16 of 30 inoculated trees at 16 months, and 20 out of 30 in 17 months.

PCR tests also require considerable time, financial and human resources for sampling, processing and laboratory work.

They are very expensive to use as a general surveillance tool.

The training is similar to that of explosives sniffing dogs, in which the dogs are taught to recognize a particular odor and to sit down next to the source once found.

The dogs are rewarded with play time with a toy. However training is more extensive and specific because the dogs are trained to detect a bacteria infecting a plant, and the two cannot be separated.

So far, Gottwald’s program has trained 19 dogs obtained from European breeders of detection canines because of their keen abilities and drive.

“When we ran epidemiological models, we found canine detection combined with infected tree removal would allow the citrus industry to remain economically sustainable over a 10-year period, compared to using molecular assays or visual inspection combined with tree removal, which failed to suppress the spread of infection,” Gottwald explained.

Citrus green sniffing dogs have been deployed for 9 months in California and northern Florida.

In the past decade, huanglongbing has caused more than 70 percent decline in the production of oranges for juice and the fresh fruit market in Florida and threatens other states, making it the largest economic threat to the $3.35 billion U.S. citrus industry. It was first found in the United States in 2005, citrus greening has spread to Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Louisiana.

preferred the bolts over the traps and was the most common ambrosia species captured; TBolts cut from red maple tended to be most attractive to the pests—especially X. crassiusculus, another exotic species known as the granulate ambrosia beetle; Bolts began to lose their attractiveness after seven days. By 14 days, few if any beetles could be found in them; and drilling a hole down the middle of the bolts and filling them with ethanol—a variation to infusing them— also worked.

The researchers will further investigate this “drill and fill” variation as a way to extend the bolts’ use for monitoring purposes as well as to facilitate screening of different insecticide treatments.

Such screening currently involves injecting trees with ethanol to lure the beetles so that the insecticides’ effectiveness against them can be evaluated. However, using the bolts may help reduce some of the time, labor and expense that’s involved, according to the researchers.

Freeze-Dried Strawberries and Ice Cream Make for a Very Stable Relationship

ARS researchers have shown some freeze-dried berry powders—especially freeze-dried strawberry powder—can act as outstanding stabilizers in ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts.

Freeze-dried strawberry powder is so effective a stabilizer that frozen dairy desserts with it included will maintain their shape even after reaching room temperature, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research food technologist Cristina Bilbao-Sainz with the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit in Albany, California.

To be technically classified as ice cream, it must contain between 10 percent and 16 percent milkfat; everything else is called a frozen dairy dessert.

Without a stabilizer, ice cream— home-made or commercial—can become unpleasantly crunchy with the growth of large ice crystals. It can happen in either or both the ice cream maker or the freezer, when temperatures change. Stabilizers also slow down melting, prevent wheying off (the leaking of a clear watery serum), help avoid shrinking during storage and increase your mouth’s perception of creaminess.

Standard stabilizers such as sodium alginate, guar gum, iota carrageenan, xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose are commonplace. But people tend to react negatively to these unfamiliar, chemical sounding names when they appear on an ice cream label, assuming these must be artificial ingredients.

Actually, many do come from natural sources. For example, sodium alginate is extracted from brown seaweed.

Bilbao-Sainz became intrigued with the idea of freeze-dried fruit powders as ice cream stabilizers when an all-natural dessert maker came looking for scientific facts about them. The possibilities of freeze-dried fruit powder have been previously known but not

technically quantified.

“We discovered that some of the freeze-dried fruit powders—especially strawberries—completely prevent the meltdown of dairy frozen desserts similar to ice cream made with whole milk, whole whipping cream, sugar and skim milk powder,” Bilbao-Sainz said. “Freeze-dried berry powder will absorb moisture from the premix base, improving its stability and texture to the point where the frozen dessert will keep its shape even after “melting” to room temperature.”

This is probably due to the fiber in the berry powder becoming completely hydrated, which contributes to an increase in viscosity and resistance to melt-down, she explained.

In Bilbao-Sainz’s testing, adding 3.5 percent of either strawberry, raspberry or blackberry freeze‐dried powder reduced the water available for ice crystal formation during stirring and freezing, preventing crystal growth and slowing melting. That translates to adding about 0.7 ounces for a 1-quart home ice cream maker.

Strawberry powder was the best stabilizer, completely preventing melt‐down, followed closely by raspberry. While blackberry powder prevented the frozen dessert from wheying off the foam structure still collapsed so it lost its original shape.

Blueberry powder, on the other hand, did not prevent melt-down or ice crystal formation during refreezing, and the frozen dessert showed a little wheying off.

Of course, using freeze-dried strawberry powder as a stabilizer in frozen dairy desserts such as ice creams also means accounting for the added strawberry flavoring—a plus if you are making strawberry balsamic vinegar ice cream, more difficult in a brown butter bourbon ice cream recipe.

This research was published in the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation.

18 March 2020 January is trade show month and there is no better trade show in the country, in my opinion, than MANTS. The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, this year, was January 8-10. Celebrating its 50th year, MANTS was conceived as a “vehicle to stimulate commerce for the region’s nursery industry, and brought together a group of forward-thinking nurserymen to plan the first show” (Vanessa Finney - Garden Center Magazine).

Today MANTS is sponsored by the Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia State Nursery and Landscape Associations equally. Widely considered The Masterpiece of Trade Shows™, MANTS means business.

Some 300,000 square feet of exhibit space “maxes out” the bottom level of the Baltimore Convention Center.

MANTS 2020 welcomed over 12,000 registrants (including exhibitors) from 44 states and 15 countries (including the United States). MANTS is, quite simply, mammoth! Nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies, this is the place to network, educate yourself and prepare for the upcoming spring season.

GardenerNews.com Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Forty-Five Minutes of Bliss

Armed with copious notes and always determined to cover the show corner to corner, this year’s MANTS show certainly didn’t disappoint. Conversations with vendors, learning about new and upcoming plants, product research and catching up with friends are all vital to our company and its success.

Trolling the trade show floor, for the first two days, had me validating suppliers, solidifying relationships and learning from the industry’s best. And at the conclusion of day two, I was confronted with an unexpected, but certainly welcome, surprise.

Standing in front of the Monrovia Growers booth, finishing great conversation with our salesperson and friend, Pier Hutton Davis, Dr. Michael Dirr was fast approaching. After a quick and heartfelt greeting, Dr. Dirr dropped his bags in

Dr. Michael Dirr, left and Bob LaHoff.

the booth and graciously asked me to join him to show me an exciting new plant.

As we made our way through the aisles, we talked briefly about plant propagating, patents, vendors and our retail culture, always circling back to quality being paramount.

As we approached the Griffith Propagation Nursery, Inc. booth, I said, “Are you showing me the new hydrangea Froggie™?”

Interested that I had heard of the plant, and to have someone like Dr. Dirr explain all the intricacies of the plant, which he coaxed along, was epic.

Hydrangea Froggie™, Hydrangea macrophylla Froggie™ (‘COF HM2’ PPAF), is a new mophead hydrangea with unique flower coloration.

Green-pink and pure pink sepals in a mophead inflorescence, four to six inches in diameter,

will occasionally produce a pure pink flower. The progression of opening from green to spotted, and then more pink, has this writer believing this is where the name Froggie™ was contrived from.

Producing larger, thicker sepals than other Hydrangea macrophyllatypes, Froggie™ holds its color in the heat and drought too. Additionally, Bigleaf hydrangea types are not known for great fall color.

However, Froggie™ seems to break that mold, too, with pronounced shades of red in the autumn. Blue accents, to varying degrees, have also been reported, as well as a somewhat “metallic sheen.”

Froggie™, while not a reblooming (remontant) hydrangea, offers better cold tolerance than many of the French legacy cultivars. In fact,

it was here that Dr. Dirr began an academic rant, riffling off many of those legacy cultivars with such ease, quick to point out, however, that Froggie™ differentiates itself by its high Cercospora resistance (leaf spot disease) in production under overhead watering.

Other notable attributes of Froggie™ include lustrous dark green leaves, again turning shades of red in the fall, mildew resistance, a tight compact habit complete with strong stems and an estimated “hardiness” in zones 6-9. Finishing roughly four feet by four feet, Froggie™ should prove itself useful in mass plantings, in a container on your porch or by the pool, or as a single specimen. And the fact that it’s tolerant of salt spray should make it a great candidate down the Jersey shore.

For more than 40 years Dr. Michael Dirr has given himself to the “green industry.”

A horticulturist, breeder and author, his teachings, research, books and plant introductions seem endless. Walking the aisles, listening intently to Dr. Dirr, his encyclopedic mind seamlessly wove botanical nomenclature with breeding, patents, history and friendships.

Dirr’s energy and passion is so intense and his recall, wit and storytelling comes feverishly at you… the entire experience was simply “sensory overload.”

There are those who would love to meet Hines Ward, Fran Tarkenton or Herschel Walker, also from the University of Georgia, but for me I wouldn’t trade my 45 minutes walking the trade show floor with Dr. Dirr.

Introduced to several of his friends and colleagues and being introduced as a friend was a great thrill on many levels. Imagine meeting Mickey Mantle in the Yankee’s dugout, sitting there one-on-one talking baseball.

That’s what my experience was like!

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers.

He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

GardenerNews.com

March 2020 19

Let’s Go…to GCNJ District Flower Shows

By Jeannie Geremia Contributing Writer

The year 2020 offers gardeners and the general public so many opportunities throughout the year to participate and view flower shows throughout the Garden State.

Sure, we miss the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show that took place at the NJ Expo Center in the middle of February since 2003.

We all have wonderful and hilarious memories of The Garden Club of New Jersey’s fabulous Standard Flower Show being the centerpiece of this joyous springtime in February extravaganza.

It was always a challenge with weather, Valentine’s Day and unexpected glitches keeping us on our toes, but all things come to an end and we are thrilled with turning this one big flower show into four District Flower Shows that will be staged in North, Central and South Jersey, and encompassing different growing seasons.

The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc. is comprised of eight Districts throughout our state, 100-plus garden clubs, and a membership totaling 4,500 members. We decided to combine several of our Districts so that our members can share responsibilities, workshops, ideas and form lasting relationships and friendships throughout our great state.

The first District Flower Show is coming up fast so please mark your calendars.

The Central Jersey District IV and District V garden clubs have partnered to present a National Garden Clubs Standard Flower Show entitled “Let’s Go…” to be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Shady Rest (Scotch Hills Country Club), 820 Jerusalem Road, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076, free and open to the public.

They are working hard to finalize their tantalizing and fun schedule, which is the law of the show and contains all the information

that exhibitors need to know in order to participate on a fair and equal basis.

This Flower Show is being held at my favorite time of year, heading into mid-spring when our gardens are filled to brimming with tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, bluebells, hepaticas, bleeding hearts, dutchmen’s breeches, dogtooth violets, oh, be still my heart! I’m rapturous already as to what fabulous horticulture will be on display!

The theme “Let’s Go” was purposefully chosen to lead exhibitors and the viewing public in all kinds of directions including “….the Growing Fields of Holland,” “…Buck Gardens,” “… the Conservatory” in the Horticulture Division, and “Enjoying Culinary Delights with “…dining in Chinatown,” “…with a Trip to Little Italy,” “…In My Secret Garden,” and off to “…At the Circus,” then onto “…Far Away Places” and “Paris in the Springtime,” “The Magic of Disney World,” and “Hawaiian Paradise.” Whew, such fun!

More to follow with BotanicalArts, a new Division that opens up Horticulture to new possibilities and this District Flower Show has chosen to feature Dried and Preserved Plant Material besides showcasing the popular botanical jewelry, decorated birdhouses and photography! Youth will enjoy displaying their creativity in collages and photography and educating us all with “…where we can lend a helping hand.”

District IV & V are fundraising to mount this show and would love your support by purchasing Hellebores that can be ordered by April 1, 2020, with pickup at the Flower Show on April 25. The Hellebores for sale in one-gallon containers are: Helleborus Honeymoon, “Rome in Red,” Helleborus Wedding Party, “Blushing Bridesmaid”; Helleborus Wedding, “Party Confetti Cake”; Helleborus Honeymoon, “Spanish

Flare,” and Helleborus Wedding Party, “Dark and Handsome.” They are $25 each and will be a great addition to your Hellebore collection! Please contact Teddie Falcone with questions at tlfalcone@ comcast.net.

District I, II, and III, our North Jersey garden clubs, not to be outdone, are staging a Small Standard Flower Show on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at Christ the King Church, 16 Blue Mill Road, New Vernon, with a show entitled “Following in Her Footsteps,” an homage to Vita Sackville-West, Gertrude Jekyll and Rosemary Verey.

How inspirational is that?!

District VIII stands alone as it includes all our Jersey shore clubs and is bursting with 25 clubs and counting.

They have settled on staging their District Flower Show on Friday, September 25, 2020 and Saturday, September 26, 2020 at the Presbyterian Church Hall on Sycamore Avenue in Shrewsbury, N.J. They are still hard at work on schedule theme, so more to come.

District VI and District VII, our South Jersey garden clubs, are busy bees working on a Standard Flower Show schedule entitled “Dancing with Flowers” to be held on Friday, April 9, 2021 and Saturday, April 10, 2021 at Morven Museum and Garden at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, N.J. with workshops and fundraisers pending.

Be prepared to be “WOWED” by all these District Flower Shows and look for your local garden club flower shows and ENJOY! Editor’s note: Jeannie Geremia is The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc. President, and a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Master Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club, and the Raritan Township Historic Committee.

Jeannie’s email address is: jgeremia42@gmail.com

Women’s History Month: Remembering the Women’s Land Army of America (Continued from page 1)

eat the rations served without complaint? “Yes!” came the reply. They signed the pledge forms and joined in a rousing cheer: Don’t be a slacker, Be a picker or a packer, WLAA, Rah, rah, rah!

Initially, farmers did not look favorably on employing women in agricultural work. Women had farmed alongside men, but as wives and daughters, not as hired hands. Many felt that these women would not be able to cope with the difficult working conditions on a farm.

However, the farmerettes of the WLAA proved to be capable and successful and soon won over their skeptics.

Farmers became the WLAA’s loudest champions, and the farmerette was celebrated as an icon of American women’s patriotism and pluck.

Several New Jersey women played a strong role in the story of the WLAA. In Morristown, Dorothy Miller Post continued the family tradition of community service as Captain of the Morris County WLAA Unit. Dolly, as she was known, along with the Garden Club of Morristown, helped support the unit by providing training and financial resources. Her home is now Macculough Hall.

In Far Hills, Martha Brookes Hutcheson, one of America’s first licensed landscape architects, trained young women in agricultural practices on her property, Merchiston Farm. There women grew rye, wheat, fruits and vegetables and husbanded pigs, poultry, sheep and dairy cows. In this way Hutcheson’s vision for landscape design to serve a social agenda was brought to fruition.

The property, now Bamboo Brook, is part of the Morris County Park System.

From 1917 to 1920, the WLAA sent more than 20,000 urban women into rural America to take over farm work.

It was a civilian enterprise organized and financed by women who insisted on fair labor practices. It taught women agricultural skills and leadership and management techniques.

The WLAA also touched on some of the most significant social issues of the 20th century - sexual and class distinctions and discriminations. When World War I ended in 1918, many within the organization wanted to continue the program. But financial difficulties prevailed and in 1920, the organization was disbanded.

For the next Women’s History Month, we’ll focus on the WLA of WWII, in which 3.5 million women rolled up their sleeves to support the war effort. The story includes women as disparate as Eleanor Roosevelt and Helena Rubenstein. I call them Soil Sisters. Do you know any?

Please contact me if you do. Perhaps your mom, an aunt, friend or neighbor was a farmerette in WWII. I’d love to meet them and find out about their experiences.

The “Greatest Generation” included quite a few great gardeners.

Editor’s Note: Lesley Parness has taught horticulture and environmental education around the world for the past four decades. Retired from her post as Superintendent of Horticultural Education at the Morris County Park Commission, her focus now is garden history and botanic literature. She is a past President and Founding Member of the Garden State Gardens Consortium, and a member of the Herb Society of America and The Council on Horticultural and Botanic Libraries. Lesley lectures throughout the tri-state area. She can be reached at www.lesleyparness.com, where a complete listing of her presentations and workshops may be found. This column will appear in the paper every other month.

20 March 2020

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NORTHEAST DEPARTMENT CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Connecticut Farm Service Agency Seeking Loss Adjusters

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is currently accepting offers from individuals interested in providing contracted crop adjusting services throughout Connecticut for the 2020 crop year. Loss Adjuster applications are due March 15, 2020 to the Connecticut FSA

State Office.

Additional information can be found in the FSA Connecticut news release, Connecticut FSA: Farm Service Agency Seeking Loss Adjusters.

Applications and a complete position description may be found at any FSA

county office in Connecticut or online through the following link to the application.

Applications should be emailed to Clark.Chapin@usda.gov or mailed to the Connecticut Farm Service Agency State Office, 344 Merrow Road, Suite

B, Tolland, CT 06084. All applications postmarked or delivered by March 15, 2020 will be reviewed. Selections for interviews will be based on work experience, agriculture background, availability and the need for loss adjusters in the area.

NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Funding for Two New Projects Delivers on Promise to Expand Research, Marketing, and Workforce Development Initiatives Following the State’s Forestry and Wood Products Summit

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced $600,000 to support two new projects that will boost the state’s forestry and wood products sector. The Department is investing $500,000 in Cornell University’s Arnot Teaching Forest to improve and expand maple processing and increase efficiency in operations. An additional $100,000 will allow the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) to offer training opportunities in the industry. Both projects deliver on commitments outlined at the State’s first Forestry and Wood Products Summit in 2018.

Commissioner Ball said, “These new programs will help grow New York State’s timber and forestry sector, which is a major component of our agricultural economy upstate. The programs provide the critical links between education, training and research that are needed for a successful, modern-day forestry industry and enhance the workforce pipeline from student to forestry and wood products producer.”

Arnot Teaching Forest Project The Arnot Teaching Forest project will provide critical renovations, equipment upgrades, the construction of a research kitchen, and the creation of a modern sugar

house for expanded processing and research by Cornell University’s Maple Program. The forest, operated by the Department of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, spans 4,200 acres. Located about 15 miles from Ithaca, Arnot is used for teaching and for Cornell Cooperative Extension activities and research.

It is also home to two maple syrup research facilities.

The funding is being provided from the Southern Tier Agricultural Infrastructure Program, which complements the region’s Southern Tier Soaring plan to grow agriculture and advance the economy.

Workforce Development Project The funding provided to the WDI from the New York State Wood Products Development Council leverages $521,000 in federal assistance from the Northern Border Regional Commission in support of the forest industry in the North Country and throughout the State. The project will assist loggers, sawmill and transport companies, foresters, and wood products manufacturers to participate in expanded workforce development programs, including: Troops to Timber, a collaboration between WDI, Paul Smith’s College, and Fort Drum. Troops to Timber teaches transitioning soldiers about opportunities

for second careers in forestry and provides hands-on experiences through a series of workshops. The program is expected to benefit up to 80 students; Paul Smith’s College Summer Logging Training program. Funding will enhance this existing program, which provides handon training and connects students to viable internships that can lead to successful careers in logging; and New York Logger Training (NYLT). The NYLT program provides educational skills and training for the forest products industry, including foresters and sawmill companies, in New York State.

About the Council Established by statute within the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Wood Products Development Council is tasked with supporting and encouraging the practice of sustainable forestry and the manufacture of wood products. The Council works to improve public understanding and appreciation of New York’s forests and forest products, and to direct attention and funding to programs and ventures that sustain existing forest product markets and promote the development of new markets.

VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE VAAFM Will Employ Blockchain Tracking Technology for 2020 Hemp Season

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) recently finalized a strategic contract with Vermont based company Trace, to utilize the company’s blockchain-based platform with a secure soil-to-shelf hemp registration, licensing and enforcement tracking system. This first-in-the-nation hemp tracking system will allow the Agency to assist Vermont’s hemp growers and processors with the rapid expansion of the hemp marketplace.

“The Agency is excited to partner with Trace, in developing blockchain technology to administer the Hemp Program’s registration, and crop and product tracking needs to help ensure consumer protection and quality control in Vermont’s growing hemp industry,” said Cary Giguere, VAAFM Director of Public Health and Agriculture Resource Management. “We are excited to partner in the rollout of this new and innovative work.

Vermont producers and consumers will benefit from

the transparency this partnership brings to the Vermont hemp industry.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the State of Vermont in this endeavor,” said Trace CEO Josh Decatur. “Our company was born in Vermont so we’ve been able to see firsthand the value Trace can bring to Vermonters growing, cultivating, testing and selling hemp.”

The Trace platform will allow hemp growers, processors and certified laboratories to register online while also acting as the administrative management system for the state hemp program. Trace technology will allow the Agency to track the status of the state’s hemp crop and ensure that Vermont’s reputation for producing high quality hemp is maintained through monitoring and enforcement. Vermont will also become the first state in the nation to have a fully integrated registration and tracking system for its hemp program.

VAAFM Secretary Anson Tebbetts said, “The Agency is delighted to partner with a Vermont company to develop this exciting new agricultural crop, and to help our growers meet the expectations of a high-quality Vermont product.”

The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill has legalized hemp in all 50 states, with Vermont seeing rapid growth in hemp grower registrations from the 2018 to 2019 growing season. In 2018 the Agency issued 461 grower licenses, up from 89 in 2017. In 2019 that number grew to 986. “This growth has required the Agency to move forward with innovative ideas to ensure the Agency can assist our hemp growers to produce the premium quality that consumers expect in a Vermont product,” Tebbetts said.

The new technology will be employed for the 2020 Hemp Program Registration season.

GardenerNews.com

March 2020 23

OF AGRICULTURE NEWS DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Recognizes Barczewski for Contributions to Agriculture

Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse recognized long-time Delaware State University Department Chair Dr. Richard Barczewski with the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture. With thirty-five years of dedicated service, Barczewski was recognized for developing Delaware’s agricultural industry though educating generations of agriculturalists, promoting animal agriculture, and service to agricultural organizations, including 4-H and FFA. As a long-time attendee of the Delaware Agricultural Industry Dinner and an active member of the Delaware Council of Farm Organizations, Barczewski is known for his mentorship to farmers, students, and a resource to those in government and industry.

Humbled by the recognition, Dr. Barczewski shared, “The love for agriculture that my father instilled in me basically led me to the choice of my career. I couldn’t have asked for a better career, a better job, and a better group of people to work with.”

Barczewski began his career as the state livestock extension specialist with the University of Delaware.

After ten years, he accepted a position with Delaware State University (DSU) as a faculty member, and shortly after was named Chair of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. After twentyfive years, Dr. Barczewski retired from his post at the university on January 1, 2020.

“Land grant institutions play an important role in agriculture – from educating future agriculturalists, to conducting research that will make great strides in helping us feed the world’s growing population to transferring that knowledge through hands-on outreach to our farmers, citizens throughout the state of Delaware, and inspiring young people through 4-H,” said Secretary Scuse.

Scuse noted that Barczewski lived the land-grant mission here in Delaware, impacting hundreds, if not thousands of people. Barczewski was influential in housing the Delaware FFA Executive Secretary at DSU; he brought back a teaching degree in Agriscience Education; he increased student enrollment; and acquired the Smyrna Outreach and Research Center to increase research and hands-on learning for faculty and students. He never stopped conducting outreach to farmers and was a regular

columnist in the Delmarva Farmer.

More than 400 people attended the 49th Delaware Agricultural Industry Dinner, including farmers, business leaders and elected officials. It is sponsored by the Delaware Council of Farm Organizations.

Past recipients of the Secretary’s Award include: University of Delaware Provost Dr. Robin Morgan (2019); Fifer Orchards (2018); brothers Richard and Keith Carlisle of Greenwood (2017); former MidAtlantic Farm Credit senior vice-president Kenny Bounds (2016); Farm Service Agency official Robin Talley (2015); Schiff Farms of Harrington (2015); farmers Laura Hill of Lewes and Barbara Sapp of Milton (2014); dairy farmer Walter C. Hopkins Sr. of Lewes (2013); then U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Michael Scuse, a former Delaware secretary of agriculture (2012); Delmarva Farmer Senior Editor Bruce Hotchkiss (2012); James Baxter of Georgetown (2011); brothers David, Ed and Robert Baker of Middletown (2010); Bill Vanderwende of Bridgeville (2009); and Ed Kee of Lincoln (2008).

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE New Jersey Department of Agriculture Announces 2020 Outstanding Young Farmer

Edward “Ned” Gaine, an Atlantic County aquaculture farmer, has been chosen as New Jersey’s 2020 Outstanding Young Farmer by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Gaine and his wife, Olga, are one of 10 finalists for the National Outstanding Young Farmer Award. He was recognized for the New Jersey honor at the 2020 New Jersey State Agricultural Convention in Atlantic City on Wednesday night.

“Ned Gaine’s passion and work ethic have allowed him to realize his dream of building a successful aquaculture business,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher said. “The ability to carve his own path in the industry is a testament to his fortitude, intelligence, and vision. He has become a leader in aquaculture farming and I congratulate Ned as he is well-deserving of this honor.”

Gaine, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., earned degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Resource Management from Stockton University, and after he began growing oysters for Rutgers in Cape May, he earned a Master’s degree in biology from Rutgers University. With his love for aquaculture fully realized, Gaine then became the first person to acquire a fully permitted aquaculture lease when New Jersey opened the Aquaculture Development Zone to allow shellfish farming in 2012.

“I sat outside the state office from 3 a.m. until they opened,” Gaine stated in his application. “I was not going to let opportunity pass me by.”

Gaine currently uses mostly the rack and bag technique to raise his crop of oysters. Rack and bag

farming involves metal racks shaped like low tables in tandem rows hundreds of feet long. The product is stocked in mesh bags and suspended off the bottom of the bay floor on top of the racks.

“The most common question asked after stating you are a farmer is ‘what do you farm?’ ” Gaine said.

“As you may imagine, when I say ‘Oyster’, it tends to involve a lot of explaining.”

The time that Gaine can tend to his crop is dictated by the tides, averaging about four hours per day. The maximum farm hours per week can reach 38.

“I have no control over my business on-farm hours,” Gaine said. “It is dictated by the sun and the moon. My life revolves around the lunar schedule, and every day the tide is an hour later. One Tuesday I’ll be on the farm at 6 a.m., and following Tuesday at 2 in the afternoon.”

The support from his wife Olga is also vital to the family business. She has a background in agricultural accounting and is also a licensed shellfisherman. She often worked in the field with Ned before they had their son Ted. Olga is also a Registered Nurse.

“Olga’s primary contributions are as a consultant and her masterful time management at balancing life around the lunar cycle,” Gaine said.

Gaine has been presented with U.S. congressional recognition for his collaborative efforts. He has also been involved in habitat restoration on his leases, including placing over 10 thousand bushels of shell to build the foundation of a new oyster reef.

Gaine sits on the Leasing Committee for the NJ Shellfisheries Councils, serves on the Atlantic

County Board of Agriculture executive committee, and is a delegate to the State Agricultural Convention for that board.

The OYF program is the oldest farmer recognition program in the United States, with the first group of national winners selected in 1955. The goals of the OYF program are to foster better urbanrural relations through the understanding of farmers’ challenges, as well as the appreciation of their contributions and achievements; to bring about a greater interest in farmers/ranchers; and to help build an urban awareness of the farmers’ importance and impact on America’s economy.

The OYF program encourages a greater interest in agriculture and recognizes local citizens’ contributions. The National OYF program is sponsored by Deere & Company, administered by the Outstanding Farmers of America Fraternity, and supported by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and the US Junior Chamber of Commerce.

The National Outstanding Young Farmer Award will be presented Saturday, February 8 at the National Outstanding Young Farmers Awards Congress in Westbrook, Connecticut.

For more information on the state’s Outstanding Young Farmer program, visit: www.nj.gov/ agriculture/about/sba/cover.html or contact Marketing and Development Division Director Joe Atchison at (609) 292-5536 or email joe.atchison@ ag.nj.gov.

24 March 2020

GardenerNews.com

Expanding the Future of Agriculture in New Jersey

The New Jersey State Agricultural convention and trade show was held at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City, Atlantic County, N.J., on February 4-6, 2020.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) presented the convention in cooperation with the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey and Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

The joint 2020 convention and trade show opened on Tuesday, Feb. 4, with educational sessions held by the Vegetable Growers Association.

Highlights from the program included sessions

on organic production, wine grapes, hemp agronomy, peppers, integrated pest management, high tunnels, regulatory issues with hemp, tomatoes, blueberries, small fruits/strawberries, creating value added products and services to increase profits, specialty crops, food safety, creative marketing and agritourism, vine crops, and new technologies for New Jersey agriculture.

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher spoke to the delegates on Wednesday morning, February 5, during the opening ceremony of the Agricultural Convention. New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney addressed the Joint Agricultural Convention Dinner on

Wednesday night.

On Thursday morning, February 6, there was a panel discussion with various agriculture-related industry representatives.

The Agricultural Convention serves as the status of where agriculture is, and it provides a direction to what the future holds.

More than 150 delegates convened for the event to represent every aspect of New Jersey agriculture from nurseries to equine to university research. As mandated by state law, those delegates collectively set policy direction for the NJDA. They also establish the board that oversees the department.

Tom Castronovo/Photos

New Jersey State Board of Agriculture Board Member Paul Hlubik, left, welcomed Brian Schilling, director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, to the 105th convention floor.

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March 2020 25

One of the great and constant lessons of working on the State Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee is how closely agricultural issues intertwine with the preservation of natural resources and open space.

It’s hard to talk about one without recognizing its impact on the other. By preserving open spaces for agricultural use, we limit urban sprawl, keep our water and soil clean, and provide for an abundance of locally grown produce.

That’s why I’m proud of the committee’s recent work in shepherding a fund to provide grants that preserve farmland into law. The Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund directs $1.35 million from corporation business taxes into grants to nonprofits seeking to freeze development on dedicated farmland and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.

I’m also proud of the committee’s work in creating an award - the Garden State “Landowner of the Year” - that recognizes landowners for outstanding efforts preserving wildlife populations and habitat on their property. By annually recognizing those who work to preserve indigenous plants and

session, it is with a sense of urgency to protect the critical relationships between agriculture, natural resources, and our state’s open spaces.

We also recognize that this goal requires a strong relationship with New Jersey’s agricultural community. I am very grateful to have been reappointed chair of this committee and consider it an honor and a pleasure to work with the Garden State’s farmers, nursery operators, foresters, aquacultural harvesters, gardeners, and environmentalists.

All of us on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee look forward to continuing to learn and to look to New Jersey’s agricultural communities for guidance and advice.

We look forward to hearing from you.

There is always an air of anticipation swirling among the winds of March. As winter begins to loosen her icy grip, the first scents of spring tantalize us with hints of the coming season.

On farms throughout New Jersey, farmers are busy getting their fields in shape. Like a painter before a blank canvas, empty brown fields will soon be transformed into a variety of colors; each holding Jersey Fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and countless other local gems so eagerly awaited.

Tractors, plows, and other farm equipment, gleaming from a winter of cleaning and repairs, buzz around fields throughout the state. Nature’s alarm clock has been set, and the race begins for farmers to plow-plant-growharvest before fall’s first frost.

Each growing season begins with optimism and expectations for success. In this spirit, it is fitting that National Agriculture Week is always held during this month. This year, it will be celebrated March 22–28. As farms throughout our country begin a new season, our nation takes a moment to recognize and appreciate the countless contributions agriculture has made in all our lives.

In New Jersey, the New Jersey Agricultural Society also uses March as the month

Agriculture and Natural Resources

By Eric Houghtaling New Jersey Assemblyman

Focusing on Agriculture’s Role in Preserving Open Space

insect populations to combat invasive insects, we are drawing attention to the need to protect native species.

Protecting native species is another example of the inseparable ties between agriculture and preserving our state’s natural resources. It’s one that the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will continue to focus on in the months ahead.

When I attended the Total Pro Expo with Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher this January, a large part of the conference focused on the importance of protecting native species - as well as the dangers of invasive species.

We’ve all seen what invasive Eurasian watermilfoil and water chestnut can do to the natural grasses of an estuary. We must constantly call attention to the important role that native plants

play in our state’s ecology and the challenges that invasive species both plants and insects - present to maintaining healthy local ecosystems.

One of our biggest priorities in 2020 will be making sure that every farm can continue to do the work that makes Garden State agriculture - our third-largest industry - succeed. That’s why we’re looking into legislation enshrining farmers’ “right to farm” – because farmers shouldn’t be entangled in litigation for the “crime” of owning a farm. If you’re doing everything by the book, you should be able to take care of your day-to-day tasks and make the investments you need to make in order to help your business succeed.

Farms aren’t the only area we plan to focus on. It’s more important than ever before to

make sure we’re preserving our open spaces. In addition to making our communities more livable and healthy, open spaces provide homes for wildlife, reduce flooding, and improve air quality by filtering out pollutants. In cities, green spaces muffle noise pollution and reduce the heat island effect from asphalt and concrete.

Most New Jerseyans recognize the importance of these qualities, which is why we’ve voted to approve 80 percent of all open space ballot questions over the past 30 years. Still, we need to be ever vigilant. Development can gobble up open space at an alarming pace.

The real estate boom of 2002 to 2007 drove the development of 34 football fields worth of open space a day - much of that farmland, orchards, and open fields.

So, as the committee begins its work in the new legislative

NJ Agricultural Society

By Al Murray Executive Director

Celebrating Agriculture as a New Season Begins to celebrate this great industry and honor individuals who have done so much for New Jersey’s agricultural industry. On March 14, members of New Jersey’s agricultural industry will gather at Mercer County Park to honor three longtime farm families.

The Gold Medallion is the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s highest honor. It is presented annually to an individual who has been actively involved in statewide agricultural organizations and provided leadership in a variety of ways. Recipients have also included agribusiness people, career employees, private citizens and officials who have been extraordinary in moving the industry forward.

This year, the award will be presented to John Formisano, Sr. of Formisano Farms, located in Buena, N.J. Formisano Farms was established in 1908 in Carlstadt, N.J., when John’s grandfather

arrived in America. In 1953, the family farm was bought out, and now is the site of Teterboro Airport. The Formisanos relocated to Buena in Atlantic County and continue to farm approximately 400 acres.

Married for 60 years to Mary (Van Steyn), they have four children, 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild. In addition to dedicating his life to his farm, John is a 56-year member of the Atlantic County Board of Agriculture, has served as the president of the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, has served as a board member of the Rutgers Research and Development Center, and served terms on the Rutgers Experiment Station Board of Managers. He has been recognized by countless organizations for his dedication and leadership.

The Century Farm Award is presented to a farm that has been

in the same family and operational for at least 100 years. This year, the Society will be recognizing two farms.

Vannini Farms is a fourthgeneration, family-owned and operated farm, established in 1909. Located in Vineland, N.J., John Vannini and his family are a wholesale produce supplier specializing in many different ethnic vegetables, herbs and spices. The farm is also certified organic, and they carry a line of organic products.

Bullock Farms is a 100-acre farm located in Cream Ridge, N.J. The farm began in 1860 and has been operated by generations of the Bullock family. The farm is a perfect example of how New Jersey’s agricultural industry continues to change and evolve to reflect the ever-changing demands of the public. The farm first grew potatoes, then tomatoes, then transitioned into all grain.

Editor’s Note: Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling is Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the New Jersey State Assembly. He can be reached at 732-695-3371 or AsmHoughtaling@njleg. org, or by mail at 802 W. Park Ave., Ste 221, Ocean Township, NJ 07712 Christmas trees were added, as were pumpkins, as the Bullock family embraced agri-tourism.

Autumn days now include hayrides, corn mazes and other activities designed to entertain and teach the public about agriculture.

The latest transition occurred when Bullock Farm became New Jersey’s first on-farm brewery.

Screamin’ Hill Brewery produces 15 products which all contain between 80–100 percent of the ingredients grown on the family farm.

These families are just a small sampling of the exciting and vibrant agricultural industry that continues to flourish season after season.

Editor’s Note: Al Murray is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society. Established in 1781, the Society is New Jersey's oldest organization whose purpose is to advocate, educate and promote on behalf of New Jersey's agricultural industry. Mr. Murray previously spent his entire career at the NJ Department of Agriculture, serving as the Assistant Secretary. He can be reached at njagriculturalsociety@ gmail.com

26 March 2020

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March 2020 Contributing Writers

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Full Moon March 9, 2020 Eastern Daylight TIP OF THE MONTH

Gardening depends on the weather, which is unpredictable. An inexpensive soil thermometer helps keep planting time in perspective.

Soil temperature generally lags behind air temperature in spring.

Take soil temperature measurements twice a day for an average, in the early-morning and in the afternoon/evening. Taking and recording readings over a couple of days will give you an even more accurate average of your current soil temperature.

Place the thermometer one to two inches into the soil for seeds, and as deep as the pot in the case of transplants.

Many internal and environmental conditions influence seed germination: condition of the seed, presence of water, sufficient air, soil conditions, and temperature.

Fifty degrees is a good benchmaark for cool-season crops. And the soil should be 60 degrees or more for warm-weather plants like tomatoes, peppers and basil. In fact, for tomatoes it should ideally be 65 to 70.

Crabgrass starts to germinate when soil temperatures reach 55-60 degrees and stay at that range for about a week.

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