Implementing new technology, the results of applied research, is one reason American agriculture has been so successful. Innovation is an important component of sustaining farming on our urban fringe.This month in the Sustaining Farming on the Urban Fringe Briefing, we check out how an innovation, newly available in NJ, helps growers save money and lessen environmental impact.
For the second season, Rutgers NJAES is partnering with the Network for Environmental and Weather Applications (NEWA) at Cornell, bringing Jersey farmers and ag advisors insect and disease forecasting decision-making support.
NEWA is a web-based tool that combines our local NJwxnet weather stations (maintained by Rutgers State Climatologist David Robinson & staff) with crop pest models. Together this information adds to grower knowledge and intuition, builds upon Rutgers IPM scouting & advising programs, to give a broader picture of what is going on in a field. This knowledge refines the "to spray or not to spray" decision-making process - that's good for a grower's bottom line and good for the environment.
While NEWA was created in 1995, lead by Juliet Carroll of Cornell, this is the second year NJ growers have had access to integrated NJ weather data within the NEWA system. Funding for this is provided by Rutgers this year; the previous year was supported by the Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association.
You can find out how to use NJ NEWA online at the Rutgers Snyder Farm Weather-Pest Forecasting Portal.
