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May 28, 2008
Gypsy Moth –The 2008 aerial spraying program for gypsy moth is 80 percent complete and is expected to finish by the end of the week.  The program was to treat a total of 93,814 acres in Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Sussex and Warren counties with Foray 76B (Bacillus thuringiens) by Downstown AeroCrop Service of Vineland  under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture.

Agricultural Education Web Site – A new website designed to encourage and support agricultural education and teaching agricultural education was launched on May 20.  The site at www.jerseyageducation.nj.gov supports the current agricultural education program in the state and offers information for both students and teachers.  There is a section on FFA, professional development and upcoming events. 

Marketing ReportCommunity Farmers Markets:  As the season gets underway, there are 100 community farmers markets in the state, six of which are new this season:  Linden, Margate, Virtua Health in Camden, West End in Long Branch, and Manahawkin in Ocean County.

Retailer Visits:  Secretary Kuperus and Division of Marketing and Development representatives made their annual Jersey Fresh field calls to the state’s chain stores produce executives to discuss the Jersey Fresh season and the importance of displaying the Jersey Fresh point of purchase materials in the stores’ produce departments.  Jersey Fresh point of purchase materials, such as banners, price cards and bin wrap, are being distributed to individual store locations.

Seafood Promotion:  Meetings were held with chain store retailers, including Kings, Food Circus, Wegmans, WholeFoods and Acme to help them promote Jersey Seafood.  A presentation on country of origin labeling was provided for seafood managers from Food Circus Supermarkets. Staff is also working with local wholesalers to help distribute promotion materials to fish stores and other small retailers.

Advertising:  Radio advertising will be the focus this season, with commercials currently running on Millennium Radio Network featuring Secretary Kuperus informing consumers about greens, seafood, blueberries and Jersey Grown stock.  These commercials will air through the end of June.  Additional commercials will be recorded for other commodities for airing during the summer season.  It is expected that the season’s advertising will conclude the last week of September.

JerseyFresh Availability Report:  The weekly Jersey Fresh Availability and Forecast Reports began last month and will continue to update food writers, industry and consumers throughout the summer and fall.

Upcoming Events:  June 3 – The Department will host the monthly Eastern Produce Council dinner at the Marriot in Teaneck.

July 27th - August 1st -- South Jersey Hot Chefs will once again host “Farm to Fork Week” highlighting the hospitality industry’s usage of Jersey Fresh and Jersey Seafood products.

SADC Approves Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans -- The State Agriculture Development Committee last week granted conditional preliminary approval to comprehensive farmland preservation plans and project area applications submitted by 15 counties under the new County Planning Incentive Grant Program. Collectively, these applications represent a mix of strategies to attempt to preserve more than 136,000 acres of farmland in the next decade. The SADC also granted preliminary conditional approval to 37 municipal planning incentive grant applications that are seeking to preserve more than 88,500 acres of farmland over the next 10 years. These approvals enable counties and municipalities to begin submitting individual farm applications. SADC approval of funding will be contingent on Garden State Preservation Trust approval and legislative appropriation of funds.

Asian Longhorned Beetle Protective chemical treatments of potential host trees have begun in Linden in the Middlesex/Union County quarantine area to prevent infestation by Asian longhorned beetle.  A total of 11,751 trees were injected with the systemic insecticide imidacloprid as a precautionary measure to protect against the beetle.

County Animal Response Team Website -- County Animal Response Team (CART) information on the Division of Animal Health’s website has been revised to improve user navigation and continue to provide New Jersey with up to date resources for animal emergency planning.  The new CART web page can be accessed at www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/prog/cart.html.

School Fruit and Vegetable Program – By June 9, the Department will select 25 schools in the state to participate in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program for the 2008-2009 school year.  The program provides fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables throughout the school day to teach students the importance of good nutrition, including eating fresh fruit and vegetables.  A total of 94 New Jersey schools, within 68 districts submitted applications.

Jets Eat Right, Move More Program – The New York Jets has informed the Department that it will continue to partner with the Department for the 2008-2009 school year on the Eat Right Move More program.  Jets players visited five schools during the current school year and one school sent representatives to a December Jets game to be honored on the field.  The program encourages students to enjoy eating the nutritious foods served in their school cafeterias and live healthy lifestyles.

New JerseyEnvirothon -- The team from Bridgewater-Raritan High School came in first in the New Jersey Envirothon, held May 10 at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. Participating in the all-day environmental education program were 245 high school students from 16 counties.  Winners received college scholarships.  The students performed problem-solving experiments at five testing stations, followed by a written test.  The team was honored at the May 21 Conservation Education Awards Ceremony in Trenton.

Livestock Seminar -- At Rutgers University on April 23rd, a senior veterinarian organized and taught a day long seminar on livestock handling, biosecurity on livestock premises, humane treatment of livestock and the role of animal control officers in County Animal Response Teams. Over 100 people attended, primarily animal control officers but also local health officials, veterinary technicians and other animal care providers. The afternoon included a live animal multi-species demonstration on livestock handling using the animals and personnel from the Rutgers University Animal Care Program.