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Final harvest of the specialty crops at RAREC brings an end to a successful first year
The harvesting of the agrivoltaics specialty crops study came to close on 18 Oct. at RAREC in southern New Jersey. The work could not have been done without the dedicated volunteers of the Master Gardener Program of Cumberland County, New Jersey led by Kaylynn Hyson. Dr. Wesley Kline, Cumberland County Agricultural Agent, was instrumental in…
Final Hay Cutting and Biomass Assessment for the Season at the Snyder Farm
On 3 Oct., Biomass Assessment was conducted at the Snyder Farm for the last time this season. Samples from each sub-plot were collected and fresh weight and dry weight were recorded. On 7 Oct., the third cut was done and the hay allowed to dry down. Moisture measurements were recorded in the windrows and samples…
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Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
A sincere thank you from Program Lead David Specca and the RAP team to the 80+ people who attended the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program ribbon cutting ceremony at the Rutgers Animal Farm in New Brunswick, NJ! Special thanks to the speakers who applauded the research and outreach efforts of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program and discussed the…
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Agrivoltaics research a focus of the RAREC twilight meeting
The agrivoltaics research at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) was a focus of the 2024 RAREC twilight tour on 19 Sep that was attended by stakeholders and Extension personnel from around the state. Dr. Dan Ward, RAREC Director and RAP Team member, spoke to the attendees at length about the challenges, costs,…
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Harvesting of specialty crops at RAREC continues
As we swing into the fall in southern New Jersey, the harvesting of our specialty crops (fresh-market tomato, bell pepper, and eggplant) continues at RAREC. Harvest began on 2 August with our eggplant, 8 August with the bell pepper, and on 22 August with the fresh-market tomato. A late transplanting date of 10 June, followed…
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Soybean production under Agrivoltaic panels at RAREC in southern New Jersey
In addition to the specialty crops research, members of the RAPS Team are also studying the effects of Agrivoltaic systems on soybean production at RAREC in southern New Jersey. Last fall, on Oct 6, 2023, a rye (variety not stated) cover crop was established at 2 bu./A and terminated this spring on April 29 with…
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Harvesting begins with the specialty crops at RAREC in southern New Jersey
Harvest began on 2 August at RAREC when the first ‘Palermo’ eggplants were harvested with the help of the Cumberland County Master Gardeners. Dr. Dan Ward, Director of RAREC and member of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAPS) Team speaks with Cumberland County Master Gardeners about the current specialty crops agrivoltaics research being done at the…
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Second tie on the specialty crops at RAREC begins in southern New Jersey
The specialty crops are quickly establishing themselves at RAREC this summer. The fresh-market tomatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers are ready for their second tie of the season. Tying specialty crops has numerous benefits to each crop. First, it helps keep developing fruit from touching the surface of the plastic mulch and soil surface. Fruit with…
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Grass Establishment at Animal Farm
Establishment of forage grass for beef cattle grazing was conducted at the Rutgers Animal Farm on July 25, 2024. Total coverage of green area and percentage of cool vs. warm season grass was determined using using a half meter square randomly tossed in each plot. Both the experimental and control areas were graded. The change…
Hay Biomass Assessment at Snyder Farm
The second hay cutting samples this season were collected at the Snyder Farm on July 8, 2024. A biomass quality analysis is performed before each cutting, analysis consists of the “Basic Plus Minerals” package from Dairy One’s Forage Laboratory (Ithaca NY). Continuous biomass assessment throughout the growing season is important to help determine if differences…
Spraying for disease and insect pest control on the specialty crops at RAREC
On July 15th, the weekly fungicide + insecticide spray program for common disease and insect pest control were initiated at RAREC. An air blast sprayer commonly used in orchards and vineyards for the same purposes was used to apply the pesticides across all whole plots. Since the panel post rows run north-south. The spray application…
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Agrivoltaic panels and rainfall at RAREC
Agrivoltaic panels (AV) can have a dramatic effect on the displacement of rainfall as well as soil moisture levels in the field. Based on the time of day, the direction and angle of the AV panels, and the amount of rainfall or snow during that time the movement of water off the AV will dramatically…
Staking and tying the specialty crops at RAREC in southern New Jersey
On 28 June, four foot tomato stakes were set into place in the Agrivoltaic research plots at RAREC (Figure 1). Prior to setting stakes, test stakes were placed at one end of the double-panel AV block to see if the stakes would clear of the rotation of the panels. The AV panels, double or single…
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Transplanting the specialty crops at RAREC in southern New Jersey
On June 10, 2024 the first specialty crops (eggplant, pepper, tomato) were transplanted at the RAREC Agrivoltaic (AV) research site near Bridgton, New Jersey. Each AV block (double panel, single panel, or no panel) contains 10 raised beds (55 ft long) that were established between three rows of AV panels spaced 34 ft apart which…
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Tilling the ground and making beds for the specialty crops – Agrivoltaic Research at RAREC in southern New Jersey
During the first week of June the ground was prepped and raised beds made for the multi-year specialty crops study at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, New Jersey. The specialty crops research at RAREC is being lead by members of the Rutgers RAPS Team; a multi-disciplinary team which was established in…
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