What’s New

Agrivoltaics research a focus of the RAREC twilight meeting

By Andy Wyenandt • September 25, 2024

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, and the potential economic rewards of establishing the agrivoltaics research plots at the station and what roles the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP) Team has across the state and region.

Figure 1. Dr. Dan Ward speaking with attendees in front of the specialty crops research block at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC).

Dr. Ward answered many important questions about the logistics and potential of establishing farm land as a dual-use source of income using agrivoltiac panels and the ground beneath to grow crops. In addition with the research currently being conducted on specialty crops and soybean at RAREC, other work is currently being done at the Animal Farm on the Rutgers-SEBS campus in New Brunswick and at the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, New Jersey.

Figure 2. Soybean research plots being watered with overhead irrigation at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Members of the RAP team have worked closely with NJ-BPU to help facilitate and begin the implementation of the dual-use solar program in New Jersey as well as with the American Farmland Trust over the past three years to be the source of information for agrivoltaics research, education, and training for stakeholders in New Jersey and throughout the region.

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAPS Team only – For Permission contact RAPS at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.

Agri-Technology and Research Twilight Meeting at RAREC

By Andy Wyenandt • September 14, 2024

Agri-Technology and Research Twilight Meeting at RAREC
Thursday September 19^th, 2024
4 pm until dark

Location: Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC)
121 Northville Road
Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302

This year’s twilight meeting at RAREC will continue to showcase new agricultural technologies for stakeholders in the state. We will showcase the newly operating agrivoltaics system with specialty crops (fresh-market tomatoes, bell pepper, and eggplant) and soybeans growing beneath them and discuss new technologies for autonomous weeding. Specialists will also discuss their research and provide updates on fiber hemp, Christmas trees, native plants, invasive fruit pests, and vegetable disease.

Speakers:

Tim Waller, Cumberland County RCE Nursery Agent. “Nursery and Ornamental Research: Christmas Tree Pathology Studies and Native Plant Demonstrations”

Dan Ward, Director, RAREC. “Agrivoltaics for NJ: Progress and Promise”

Raul Cabrera, Extension Specialist in Nursery Production and Management. “Fiber Hemp and Weeds”

Ann Nielsen, Extension Specialist in Entomology. “Incorporating Insect Behavior into Management of Invasive Fruit Pests”

Thierry Besancon, Extension Weed Specialist for Specialty Crops. “Update on new technologies for weed management in sweet corn”

Andy Wyenandt, Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology. “Updates on vegetable disease control”

Harvesting of specialty crops at RAREC continues

By Andy Wyenandt and Dan Ward • September 9, 2024

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 by an extended period of extremely long, hot, dry weather (90 and above) in July led to the blasting of flowers pushing back our harvest season. To date, we have completed 7 eggplant, 3 tomato, and 3 bell pepper harvests and plan to continuing harvesting as late in the fall so we can to collect as much yield data as possible.

On 19 September, RAREC will be hosting it’s annual fall twilight meeting from 4 pm until dark. The public is welcome! For more information on the RAREC twilight meeting please click here.

Figure 1. Specialty crops growing into the conventional block (without panels) at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ.

Figure 2. Specialty crops growing in the single-axis tracking single-panel block at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ.

Figure 3. Specialty crops growing in the single-axis tracking double-panel block at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, NJ. Note the long shadow cast by the double-panel arrays across the block in the early morning as the panels face due east.