The Morning Harvest: Farm and Food News, Ep. 33, Friday, November 13, 2026
Today in 30 seconds
The Forest Service proposed its first full grazing rewrite since 1977, and public comments close at midnight Dec. 14 on docket FS-2026-0199.
Livestock use permits would run up to 5 years instead of 1, and 165 vacant allotments are open for applications this month.
Ranchland values are up almost 10% in the Kansas City Fed's third-quarter survey, while operating loans average about 7.5%.
The alfalfa sprout outbreak was declared over Nov. 9 (77 sick in 16 states), but recalled lots can still be in your freezer, and Berlin Seeds' small bags carry no lot code at all.
A second recall is for the barn: Laub's Grade A Mini Hay Cubes, a horse feed, over possible botulism, sold Oct. 3 to Oct. 31 in Utah, northern Arizona, Nevada and southern California, not New Jersey.
Why it costs: plain tomatoes average $1.99 a pound in ads, about 28% above a year ago, while Romas went the other way to $1.39.
In season: leeks, where about half of what you buy gets trimmed off. Could you grow this: chestnuts, which break even around year 17.
Garden State: Alstede Farms lost nearly 70% of its apples to the April freeze, per News 12, and FSA emergency loans close Feb. 8, 2027.
What does the Forest Service's proposed grazing rule change, and how do you comment before Dec. 14?
What was proposed. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the proposed rule on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and the Forest Service published it in the Federal Register on Thursday, Nov. 12 (document 2026-23033, docket FS-2026-0199). It rewrites the agency's grazing regulations in 36 CFR part 222, the first comprehensive revision of Subpart A since 1977. It applies to national forests and grasslands in 16 contiguous Western states, and the notice puts the allotments at about 96 million acres. The Forest Service lists about 5,600 grazing permittees, with over 74 million of its 193 million acres under grazing permits. This is the Forest Service follow-up to our earlier post, Interior opens more public land to cattle grazing: who holds the permits, what the $1.69 fee buys, and what Secretary's Order 3454 changes. The rule leaves the fee formula alone (a $1.35 floor, with changes capped at 25% a year), so it changes access, permit length and paperwork rather than the per-AUM price.
Why now. The cattle herd is the backdrop. On Jan. 1, 2026 the U.S. had 86.2 million cattle and 27.6 million beef cows, according to USDA NASS as reported by Drovers on Jan. 30, and Drovers calls the total the smallest herd in 75 years. The Forest Service says about 10% of allotments are not under a current permit. USDA's Oct. 5 letter to allotment holders sets a goal of restoring 500,000 Head Months (a Head Month is one animal on the range for one month), and 165 vacant allotments are cleared for applications starting this month. Rancher and USDA adviser Hayden Ballard told DTN that conflicting rules between the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are a problem for people who use both agencies' land.
What would change. Livestock use permits, issued for 1 year today, would run up to 5 years. Term grazing permits stay at 10 years with renewal priority. Temporary non-use for personal convenience would rise from 3 consecutive years to 4. The rule also adds a drought and wildfire adjustment framework and expands stewardship grazing. It is only a proposal, with no effective date.
The new surcharge and what it could cost. When a permittee grazes other people's livestock, the proposal adds a surcharge of 35% of the difference between the federal fee and the prior year's private grazing land lease rate per AUM in that state (NASS). An AUM, or animal unit month, is the forage to sustain one cow and calf for a month. Beginning ranchers, documented mentees, permittee successors, immediate or extended family, and operators getting drought, fire or natural-cause relief are exempt. The notice gives no dollar amount, and the mechanic is modeled on the BLM surcharge in 43 CFR 4130.8-1(f).
For scale, the 2024 private lease averages from NASS, published in BLM Instruction Memorandum 2025-019, were Montana $29.00, Wyoming $26.00, Idaho $20.00 and Nebraska $47.00 per AUM. Using Montana's rate against the 2026 federal fee of $1.69, the gap is $27.31, and 35% of that is about $9.56 per AUM. On 500 leased AUMs (100 cows for 5 months), that is about $4,780. This is an illustration of scale, not a Forest Service figure, and it mixes a 2024 private rate with the 2026 fee.
What is not known yet. The final rule date has not been set. The notice calls the costs "modest administrative costs" and gives no dollar estimate, and it does not say how many permittees the 5-year term will reach. DTN reports that so far in fiscal 2026 the agency has reopened 25 allotments, issued 32 permits and added 178,000 AUMs. That is the closest precedent for how fast reopening has gone, not a forecast, and because the 500,000 goal is counted in Head Months, the two should not be read as a percentage of progress. Under Secretary Mike Boren told DTN that not all 165 vacant allotments will be leased, because some need fencing and water first, and USDA says it will map available allotments next year.
How the process works. Comments go through regulations.gov, docket FS-2026-0199, and close at midnight Dec. 14. USDA's preliminary view is that the rule is administrative and procedural and falls under a NEPA categorical exclusion, 7 CFR 1b.4(c)(20). Critics raised that point first, and the notice confirms it while saying site-specific grazing authorizations still get their own NEPA review.
Reaction. Sen. John Hoeven called the proposal a good step, according to Missoula Current. Chandra Rosenthal of PEER said it would "set the stage for backroom deals." Liz Carr of the Kettle Range Conservation Group called it a step backwards, and Josh Osher of Western Watersheds Project was among the critics in a joint conservation group release.
The BLM side. Interior Secretarial Order 3454, signed Oct. 27, covers BLM land. We broke that order down in why Interior opened more public land to cattle grazing, including what the $1.69 federal fee buys against $74.60 private rent. Its 30 day review of vacant allotments ends about Nov. 26, and a plan for the permit renewal backlog is due about Dec. 26 (our estimate, counted from Oct. 27). It also calls for full 10-year renewals. No BLM comment period has been announced, so the Forest Service docket is where you can comment right now.
What to do
File a comment at regulations.gov, docket FS-2026-0199, before midnight Dec. 14. Include your permit terms, your AUMs and your non-use history.
Ask your district ranger whether your area is among the 165 vacant allotments.
If you use both BLM and Forest Service land, watch your BLM field office for Order 3454 guidance and compare the two agencies' permit terms.
If you own land anywhere, a comment period is how landowners get heard on a federal rule.
If you shop for beef, this is about access to public land and permit rules. Nothing in it sets a food price.
Sources: USDA Forest Service grazing rule page, Nov. 12; Federal Register notice 2026-23033, Nov. 12; BLM and Forest Service 2026 grazing fees, Feb. 5; BLM IM 2025-019, Feb. 13, 2025; DTN, Nov. 11; Missoula Current, Nov. 11; Drovers cattle inventory, Jan. 30; Drovers on Order 3454, Oct. 28; USDA letter to allotment holders, Oct. 5.
What does the Kansas City Fed's farm credit survey say about ranchland values and loan rates?
What the survey found. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City released its third-quarter 2026 Agricultural Credit Survey on Thursday, Nov. 12, under the headline "Signs of Easing Pressure on Farm Finances." Authors Francisco Scott and Ty Kreitman polled 140 lenders in the Tenth District: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, the northern half of New Mexico and the western third of Missouri. Ranchland values rose almost 10% from a year earlier, with gains near 15% in Kansas, Missouri and the Mountain States. Irrigated cropland rose about 5%, nonirrigated cropland was steady, and cash rents were unchanged. Farm income fell at a slower pace for the fourth straight quarter, in every state except Oklahoma, where over 40% of lenders reported lower income than a year ago (up from 10% the prior quarter). The share of lenders with more than 10% of farm loans on their Watch List, meaning loans a bank is monitoring for trouble, fell from about 30% to about 25%.
Other districts. Other Fed districts differ. The Chicago Fed's August 2026 AgLetter, with 79 lenders, found values flat from a year earlier and down 3.7% after inflation, while the Dallas Fed's third-quarter survey of 50 bankers showed ranchland up 11.1%.
What lines up with the rise. The Fed survey itself does not assign a cause. USDA's Economic Research Service (Sept. 3, 2026) forecasts cattle and calf receipts at $140.7 billion, up $7 billion or 5.2%, mainly on historically tight supplies. Government payments are forecast at $47.4 billion in 2026, up nearly 70% from 2025 (Farm Bureau analysis of the USDA forecast, Sept. 3, 2026), and that money lines up with the jump in land values too. Net farm income is forecast at $158.4 billion, down 2.6% (5.5% after inflation), with expenses of $492.8 billion and record farm debt of $605.1 billion. Real estate loan rates near 7% usually weigh on values, but Iowa State's Rabail Chandio says the effects can take years to show. One caution from Farm Bureau: cattle prices dropped sharply after a beef import proclamation (660 million pounds) that the forecast may not include.
What borrowing costs. Lenders report average rates of about 7% on real estate loans and about 7.5% on operating loans, both "substantially above" their 20 year averages. For how the government rates compare, see this month's USDA farm loan rates. USDA's Farm Service Agency charges 6.25% on direct farm ownership loans and 2.25% on its down payment loans, as of November 2026. Per $100,000 borrowed, FSA's 6.25% costs $750 a year less in interest than the 7% real estate average (see our post on USDA Farm Loan Rates for November 2026: The Operating Rate Is Now 5.625 Percent).
What a loan costs per acre. USDA's July 31, 2026 land values report puts U.S. farm real estate at $4,500 an acre (up 3.4%), cropland at $6,020 (up 3.3%) and pasture at $2,000 (up 4.2%). Take 160 acres of cropland at $6,020: that is $963,200. At 7% interest only (the real estate average), the bill is $67,424 a year, about $421 an acre. U.S. cropland cash rent averages $160 an acre (USDA NASS, 2026), or 2.7% of value, so renting 160 acres costs $25,600 a year and the gap is about $41,800 a year. For pasture, 160 acres at $2,000 is $320,000, or $22,400 a year at 7% interest only ($140 an acre). A fully amortizing 30 year loan at 7% runs about $665 a month per $100,000 borrowed ($7,980 a year), against $7,000 a year interest only. These examples assume borrowing the full price, so they are a ceiling, not what any one buyer pays.
How the survey works, and what it leaves out. The Kansas City Fed survey is a quarterly opinion poll of agricultural lenders. It is not a set of appraisals or recorded sales. Percent changes use only banks that reported in both quarters, and it gives no dollars per acre, no national figure and no sales volume. USDA NASS works differently: it asks farm operators and landowners once a year and publishes dollars per acre. History is the caution. In the Tenth District's 2016 results, farmland fell 6% and ranchland fell 7%, Kansas nonirrigated land fell 13%, and cash rents fell 8% on cropland and 12% on ranchland (KC Fed, via Farm Policy News, Feb. 2017). Today rents are flat and ranchland is rising, so the pattern is different, but the survey cannot tell us where this goes next.
Reaction. Creighton's Ernie Goss says ranchland has held its value (High Plains Journal, Nov. 11). Farmer Mac's Jackson Takach said in February that values looked similar to 2025 and advised timing debt deliberately. Farm Bureau's Daniel Munch (Aug. 4) says the question is more about who is able to farm the land, since renters get no equity gains. In the Chicago Fed's August survey, 43% of lenders called farmland overvalued and 14% expected declines (Farm Policy News, Aug. 18). These comments came before Thursday's release.
The loan program most people miss. FSA's Down Payment loan for beginning farmers has the buyer put down at least 5%, and FSA lends up to 45% of the price or appraised value, whichever is less. A bank or other commercial lender covers the other 50%. The term is 20 years, and the rate is 4 percentage points below the direct ownership rate with a 1.5% floor, which is 2.25% at the November 2026 direct rate of 6.25%. A beginning farmer has operated 10 years or less. The catch is a cap: the FSA overview dated Oct. 2025 shows a $667,000 price cap, so FSA's share maxes out at $300,150 (45% of $667,000), and the direct ownership limit is $600,000. FSA microloans go up to $50,000. Confirm current limits with your county FSA office.
Putting land to work. If you own acreage and want it to earn, a fruit planting is one option. Curated Nature's orchard and vineyard service takes remote clients anywhere in the country, with a consulting or design only option for people outside our local install area. Local full service installation and management is our focus in Southern New Jersey. Start here: Stop mowing grass. Start growing fruit.
What to do
Ask your lender about fixed versus variable rates now. A fixed rate stays put, and a variable rate can rise if the Fed hikes. The Fed held its range at 3.75 to 4% on Oct. 28, and American Banker reports a December hike is under discussion after October prices rose 0.4%.
If you are a beginning farmer, call your county FSA office about down payment loans and microloans, and confirm current limits.
If you ranch in a drought area, talk to your lender early; about 25% of lenders still have over 10% of their farm loans on the Watch List.
If you rent, note that cash rents were unchanged in this survey.
If you do not farm, do not read one district's survey as a national number or a bubble signal.
Sources: Kansas City Fed Ag Credit Survey, Nov. 12; USDA NASS Land Values, July 31; Federal Reserve statement, Oct. 28; American Banker, Nov. 10; High Plains Journal, Nov. 11; Farm Bureau on land values, Aug. 4; Farm Bureau on USDA income, Sept. 3; Farm Policy News, Feb. 2017; FSA beginning farmer overview, Oct. 2025; Chicago Fed AgLetter, Aug. 2026; Dallas Fed survey, Q3 2026.
Is the alfalfa sprout outbreak really over, and what about the horse hay cube recall?
The sprouts. CDC and FDA declared the alfalfa sprout outbreak over on Nov. 9, 2026. It sickened 77 people in 16 states, and 6 of the 69 people with information were hospitalized. No one died. CDC says the true count is likely higher. The cause was a mix of E. coli (three strains: O26:H11, O103:H25 and O168:H8) and Salmonella Agona. Of the 77, 64 had E. coli only, 10 had Salmonella only and 3 had both. Illnesses began between May 31 and Oct. 19. The case states were FL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, NH, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, SD, WA and WI. New Jersey is not on the list.
Why it still matters. Recalled product can sit in a freezer, and sprouting seed lasts for years. Check the following.
Everything Sprouts, LLC (Minneapolis, MN): Everything Sprouts and Calco Alfalfa Sprouts, 5 oz, lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230. Crunchy Protein Sprout Mix, 5 oz cups, lots 222, 223, 226 and 230. Zesty Garlic Mix, lots 222, 223, 225, 226 and 230. Robust Radish Sprout Mix, 5 oz cups, lots 223, 226, 230 and 233. Distributed May 27 to Aug. 21, 2026, to wholesalers and grocers in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Berlin Seeds (Millersburg, OH): alfalfa sprouting seed, seed lot SAL2-24JB, expiration 12/31/2029. About 950 lbs were sold in store and online Feb. 13 to Aug. 23, 2026, to customers in 44 states. The 5 lb and 50 lb bags carry the lot code. The 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb and 1 lb bags carry no lot code, so you cannot check those by number.
What to do. Do not eat, sell, serve or sprout recalled product. Throw it away or return it to the store. If a frozen item has lost its package and you cannot confirm what it is, throw it away. Clean and sanitize any surface or container that touched it. If you ate it and feel sick, call a health care provider. Separately, CDC's general advice is to cook sprouts until steaming hot, which lowers risk for sprouts going forward. That is not permission to cook and eat recalled sprouts.
The horse feed recall. This one is animal feed, not groceries. Laub's Feeding & Cubing, Inc., of Beryl, Utah, is recalling Grade A Mini Hay Cubes over possible Clostridium botulinum, the germ behind botulism. FDA posted the notice Nov. 10, 2026.
Product: 1,500 lb totes and bulk. No lot code, UPC or best-by date is listed.
Sold: Oct. 3 to Oct. 31, 2026, through Paragonah Farm (Paragonah, UT) and the Feed Store (St. George, UT), then resold in Utah, northern Arizona, Nevada and southern California. New Jersey is not included.
Illness: horses in southern Utah, Nevada and Arizona have been sick and some have died. The cause is unconfirmed. No human illness is reported.
What to do. Do not feed the cubes. Return them to the seller, or store them covered and away from animals, and call Laub's at 1-435-439-5531. Call a vet right away for weakness, tremors, trouble swallowing or colic. FDA's line is 1-888-463-6332.
Sources: CDC outbreak notice, Nov. 9; FDA outbreak investigation, Nov. 9; Everything Sprouts recall, Aug. 22; Berlin Seeds recall, Sept. 23; FDA Laub's recall, Nov. 10.
Why do tomatoes cost what they do right now?
The price depends on which tomato you buy. USDA's National Retail Report, specialty crops edition dated Nov. 6, 2026, tracks weighted average store ad prices per pound for conventional tomatoes.
Tomatoes (plain): $1.99 on 1,195 ads, against $1.77 on 174 ads last week and $1.55 on 363 ads last year.
Plum (Roma): $1.39, against $1.45 last week and $1.95 last year.
Vine ripes: $2.49 on 38 ads, against $2.17 last week and $1.37 last year.
Vine ripes, greenhouse: $1.70, against $1.99 last week and $1.91 last year.
Vine ripes, on the vine, greenhouse: $2.01, against $1.98 last week and $1.78 last year.
How to read it. The plain tomato is about 28 percent higher than a year ago ($1.99 divided by $1.55). The week to week rise rests on only 174 ads last week, so it is a weak signal. Vine ripes at $2.49 rest on only 38 ads, so treat that number as thin. Romas moved the other way: $1.39 against $1.95 is about 29 percent lower on the year. So "tomatoes cost more" is true of the plain tomato and not true across every type.
Why the plain tomato is higher. November is when tomato supply hands off from northern summer fields to warmer regions and greenhouses. Tomatoes are harder to grow and ship in cold weather, and that seasonal shift is normal. These are ad prices, not shelf prices at every store.
What to do. Build sauce, soup and anything cooked around Romas. Save the pricier slicers for sandwiches.
Sources: USDA AMS National Retail Report, Specialty Crops, Nov. 6.
What is in season right now: leeks?
Leeks feel expensive because about half of what you buy gets trimmed. The Produce Market Guide, an industry reference, says 2 lb of fresh leeks yields about 1 lb after cleaning. That is a trade figure, not a USDA or university number.
Where they come from. USDA's Philadelphia Terminal Market vegetables report (NA_FV020) dated Oct. 30, 2026 shows bunched leeks arriving from California, New Jersey and Quebec. Edible Jersey says New Jersey leeks have two seasons, October through December and April through May. USDA's SNAP-Ed seasonal guide lists leeks as a winter item and says they take up to 5 months from planting to harvest.
How to pick them. Iowa State Extension says to look for firm, crisp stalks with as much white and light green as possible, and to avoid yellow or withered tops. The white and light green parts are what you cook.
Common mistakes.
Washing too little. Soil collects between the layers as the plant grows, so separate and rinse them (Iowa State, Illinois Extension).
Washing too early. Edible Jersey says to wait until you cook, since early washing can speed spoilage.
Tossing the tops. Illinois Extension says to cut the dark green tops off and save them for stock.
Buying limp or yellow leeks. All three sources say to skip them.
Storage. Unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, leeks keep up to 2 weeks (Iowa State, USDA SNAP-Ed).
What to do. Buy leeks for soup, trim the tops, and simmer the tops into stock the same night so the whole bunch gets used.
Sources: USDA AMS Philadelphia Terminal Market report, Oct. 30; Iowa State Extension, Apr. 29, 2026; University of Illinois Extension, Nov. 2021; Edible Jersey, updated Feb. 28, 2025; Produce Market Guide, undated, checked Nov. 13; USDA SNAP-Ed seasonal produce guide, undated, checked Nov. 13.
Could you grow chestnuts, and what does it really cost?
Chestnuts are a long horizon land asset, and the numbers are honest only if you read the cost first.
The cost, first. The University of Missouri's Chinese chestnut planning budget (G739) models net losses in years 1 to 10 that add up to a deficit of about $21,000 an acre. Cumulative break-even comes around year 17. This is a 17 year bet. Plant if you think in decades.
The conservative upside. Virginia Tech puts mature yield at 1,500 to 2,000 lb an acre. Missouri's guide uses a wholesale price of $3.50 a lb. So 2,000 lb x $3.50 = $7,000 an acre gross, before costs. At the low end, 1,500 lb x $3.50 = $5,250.
Missouri's more optimistic model, kept separate. G739 assumes 3,000 lb an acre at a blended $5.75 a lb (75 percent retail at $6.50 and 25 percent wholesale at $3.50). That works out to 3,000 lb x $5.75 = $17,250 gross. Marketing costs of 15 percent on retail and 5 percent on wholesale come out of that. Missouri's model also shows net income of about $7,500 an acre per year by year 15. These are planning estimates, not guarantees. They are not blended with the $7,000 figure above.
Back story. Chestnut blight arrived from Asia in the early 1900s. By 1950 it had infected more than 80 percent of mature American chestnuts, leaving the species functionally extinct as a forest tree (NC State Extension). Restoration is not yet a commercial planting option. Commercial orchards use blight resistant Chinese chestnut and hybrids. Imports to the US come mainly from Italy, China and South Korea (UF IFAS).
Timing. Grafted trees can bear 2 to 3 years after planting (Missouri, Virginia Tech). A meaningful commercial crop of at least 750 lb an acre starts in years 6 to 9 (Missouri AF1007). Full production of about 2,000 lb an acre comes by years 12 to 15.
Cultivars and pollination. Extension recommendations include Qing, Gideon, Sleeping Giant, Shing and Auburn Homestead. Qing can show delayed graft failure (Missouri AF1007), so buy from a nursery with a track record. Most chestnuts cannot self pollinate. Plant at least two cultivars, with pollinizers within 200 ft and about 25 percent of trees as pollinizers in Missouri's model. Buy grafted trees of a tested cultivar, since seedlings vary widely (Rutgers).
Site. Chinese chestnut is cold hardy to about 20 degrees F below zero when dormant. It wants full sun, soil pH 5.5 to 6.5 and deep, well drained soil. Saturated or poorly drained ground, including bottomland, is unsuitable. Rutgers fact sheet FS1225 rates Chinese chestnut among the most successful nut trees for New Jersey and warns against frost pockets.
Risks and work.
Weevils are the greatest threat to nut quality (Missouri). Rutgers says a prompt harvest then a 30 minute soak at 122 F kills weevil eggs.
Oriental chestnut gall wasp is present in Virginia and can cut mature yields 50 to 75 percent for several years (Virginia Tech).
Ink disease spreads in poorly drained soil, so drainage is the main defense.
Deer and voles: Virginia Tech calls for 8 ft fencing.
Harvest is largely by hand. Nuts must be gathered daily once the burs open (Rutgers). A new worker gathers about 50 lb an hour. Refrigerated nuts keep about 2 to 4 months, so the sales window is short.
Markets: there is no USDA grower price series, and most growers sell direct.
What to do. This winter, test your soil, check how fast water drains and plan on two cultivars before you order a single tree.
Sources: University of Missouri Extension G739, revised Apr. 2026; Virginia Tech ANR-279P, 2017; Missouri Center for Agroforestry AF1007, 2012; Rutgers NJAES FS1225, Feb. 2014; NC State Extension on chestnut blight, Apr. 27, 2023; UF IFAS HS1155, modified Jan. 29, 2026.
Farm threat watch: what is Neopestalotiopsis, and what should strawberry growers do?
Neopestalotiopsis, or Neo-P, is a fungus that attacks strawberry plantings. Rutgers notes it has been found regularly across the eastern half of the US.
What it does. It causes tan to brown circular leaf spots that can merge and kill leaves, along with petiole lesions, crown rot and root rot that lead to wilting, stunting and plant death. Crown infection is the most serious form. Fruit rot occurs too, though it is less common in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest than in the Southeast (Ohio State).
How it spreads. The main route is infected nursery plants, plugs and transplants. Plants can carry it with no symptoms at planting and decline later. In the field, rain splash, overhead irrigation, wind driven rain and contaminated tools move it. Warm, humid weather, long leaf wetness and dense canopies favor it. It survives in plant debris and crown residue and can persist over winter.
What to look for. Circular tan to brown leaf spots, often with tiny black spore masses near the center, which help separate it from look alikes such as anthracnose (NC State). Symptoms resemble other strawberry diseases, so confirmation can need microscopy or molecular testing through your state extension or plant diagnostic clinic.
What growers anywhere should do.
Start clean. Buy plugs from reputable nurseries and avoid any with symptoms. Because infection can be latent, a healthy looking plant is not proof. University of Maryland trial work found clean plugs were the key factor, even at sites with a Neo-P history.
Pick cultivars carefully. None is fully resistant. In NC State's 2026 trial, Rocco, Scarlet and 921 were lowest and Ruby June and Miss Jo most susceptible. Maryland found Ruby June and Camino Real most susceptible.
Scout often, especially after wet weather. Remove diseased plants and residue, work infected fields last, and sanitize equipment and footwear.
Cut leaf wetness. Improve spacing and airflow, avoid overhead irrigation and mulch between rows to limit splash. Avoid replanting strawberries in infested ground.
Treat fungicides as support, not a cure. Ohio State says no fungicide is registered specifically for this disease. Maryland found sprays had limited efficacy and worked better before infection. Spray programs are not uniform: Rutgers' alert passes along a fall program that includes Switch, while NC State says Switch and Miravis Prime are better saved for spring. Ask your own state extension for the program that fits your region, and always follow the label.
The New Jersey detection. Rutgers (Andy Wyenandt) confirmed Neo-P in New Jersey strawberries in an alert dated Nov. 9, 2026. No farm or county was named. New Jersey also saw it in 2020 and 2024, and Rutgers says fall infections in the state have caused significant problems the following spring. In 2020, dieback reached up to 50 percent in some plantings that fall.
What to do. If you grow strawberries anywhere, scout after every wet spell. Send suspect leaf spots to your state extension diagnostic lab.
Sources: Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory alert, Nov. 9; Rutgers Neo-P archive, Oct. 7, 2020; Ohio State Extension fact sheet, Jul. 8, 2026; NC State Extension, Aug. 21, 2026; University of Maryland Extension, Jun. 12, 2026.
How is New Jersey's apple year ending after the April freeze?
Alstede Farms in Chester lost nearly 70 percent of its apple crop to the freeze, News 12 reported on Nov. 10, 2026. That is a single source, one News 12 report.
The freeze. It ran April 19 to 22, 2026. A mid April warm spell with 90 degree days pushed trees into early bloom, and then lows dropped into the 20s (governor's letter).
The statewide picture. In a May 20, 2026 letter to USDA Secretary Rollins, Gov. Sherrill said losses could reach or exceed $300 million, an early estimate based on New Jersey Department of Agriculture assessments that found damage above the 30 percent federal threshold. It is a projection, not a settled figure. The state declared an emergency on May 20 under Executive Order No. 18. USDA Secretary Rollins approved a disaster designation on June 8, 2026, covering all 21 New Jersey counties (17 primary and 4 contiguous).
Alstede's season. The farm is still planning Thanksgiving pies, a second season of cut your own Christmas trees and winter lettuce in tunnels.
The deadline. USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans are available to eligible operators, and the application deadline is Feb. 8, 2027. Apply through your local FSA office, with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's emergency loan fact sheet.
What to do. If you farm in New Jersey, mark Feb. 8, 2027 and call your county FSA office now. If you shop, buy New Jersey apples and pies this season.
Sources: News 12, Nov. 10; Governor's office release, May 20; NJBIZ, May 2026; Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory freeze page, Jun. 2026; Governor's statement, Jun. 11.
Want fruit on your own land?
If you own land anywhere in the US, Curated Nature can help you plan it. Our orchard and vineyard service takes remote clients anywhere in the country, with a consulting or design only option for people outside our local install area. Local full service installation and management is our focus in Southern New Jersey. Start here: Stop mowing grass. Start growing fruit.
Buy local: pasture raised ground beef from Sickler's Circle View Farm in Monroeville, NJ, $9.99 a pound at our farm stand in Hammonton. Pickup is by appointment only. See the beef.
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