I first noticed them when visiting my son’s family in West Milford, then again when I visited the NJ Botanical Gardens in Ringwood State Park. They seemed to be everywhere, from crawling as youngsters to flying as adults. The trees were providing less shade than was expected for mid-June or July. It became obvious to this arborist and forester – they were back, and with a vengeance… By “they” I mean the dreaded gypsy moth – as young hairy caterpillars eating leaves and then as adult moths looking to lay eggs for next year’s onslaught… “The Department of Agriculture’s intense surveillance program is designed to keep gypsy moth populations at bay,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher said. “When populations increase dramatically like this year, we will aggressively survey to determine the severity of next year’s gypsy moth problem and recommend spraying in areas where it is warranted.”… This article was written by Nicholas Polanin, associate professor, agricultural agent II, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension of Somerset County.
THE GARDENER STATE: It’s a Fair Summer Indeed!
From the temperature and the calendar, we all know its summer time, when the living is supposed to be easy, even as we await the dog days of summer to reach us next month. But did you know that it’s also 4-H County Fair time in Central Jersey!?… Here…
Rutgers Board of Trustees Elects 2015- 2016 Officials
Frank B. Hundley, a financial services industry executive from Flemington, has been elected to a one-year term as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Rutgers University, according to a statement… William E. Best, a senior vice president at PNC Bank,…
Scarlet Fever- It’s Cool to be Hot!
It certainly must be Christmas in July with all the parties and festivities for gardens and gardeners alike!… Next Saturday, July 25, the annual Rutgers Gardens Open House will once bloom in Central Jersey. An annual event since 1965, this open house…
THE GARDENER STATE: Just What is Growing On Out There?
Has anyone else around here noticed all the construction and installations going on Major intersections, front yards, and even parking lots have all undergone a transformation of sorts, though to the untrained eye, this all seemingly blends in with the…
Black Sea Bass Change Sex for Survival
Rutgers marine researchers and New Jersey fishermen are piecing together the details of the strange, gender-bending sex lives of black sea bass- a study that could improve understanding of the bass population and help the beleaguered recreational fishing industry… Scientists have long known black sea bass are “protogynous hermaphrodites,” a species in which fish that begin life as females can switch gender to male. But the details of how and why that happens are not completely understood… “It sounds crazy, right? But from an evolutionary perspective, it’s a perfect way to keep balance in a population,” said Olaf Jensen, an assistant professor with Rutgers’ Department of Marine and Coastal Science leading the project. “If it’s operating out in nature, maybe we don’t have to worry so much about fishing pressure removing the big males and skewing the sex ratio.”… The idea for the project started in 2010, when Jensen was talking to Eleanor Bochenek, director of the Fisheries Cooperative Center at Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, who works with fishermen and other people who make a living on the water.
THE GARDENER STATE: Jersey Blues the Best This Season!
Late season strawberries or early season tomatoes and zucchini or corn -that’s the red and white for the holiday weekend ahead, but what of the “blue?”… According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 54 million pounds of blueberries were produced in 2012 on 7,500 acres with a value of $80.8 million. New Jersey ranks fifth in the nation in blueberry production. Atlantic and Burlington counties are the main harvesters of the state fruit, accounting for 97 percent of the blueberry acres harvested in 2012… “The blueberry bush makes a wonderful choice for the home gardener as a flavorful food crop or as an ornamental landscape shrub,” said Bill Sciarappa, agricultural agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) in Monmouth County. “But there are several important considerations in deciding which particular varieties are best suited to your goals, your planting site conditions, and localized climate.”
Rutgers Scientists Discuss Pope’s Comments on Climate
Pope Francis issued a much-anticipated encyclical that called on people to change their lifestyles and energy consumption to address the manmade causes of climate change. The document casts the fight against climate change- which disproportionately affects people living in poverty- in moral terms… Rutgers Today asked a few of the university’s noted climate scientists how the pope’s words could alter the global conversation. As deniers of climate change continue to refute an urgent need to reverse alarming environmental shifts, Rutgers scientists are hailing the pope’s message as a pivotal moment that could lead to greater action. Here is what they had to say… “Science may be able to inform policy by forecasting how severe climate change will be. However, when confronting environmental challenges, considerations of fairness, equity and justice must also inform international agreement to combat climate change,” said Benjamin Horton, Department of Marine and Coastal Science and a member of Rutgers’ Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. His research on sea-level rise was included in a webcast of President Barack Obama’s January State of the Union address.
Chicken-raising Grows in Popularity in Central Jersey
More Central Jerseyans are opting to raise their own chickens as a source of fresh eggs, and Sayreville resident Rachel Collier is interested in joining that group… The Colliers were among the more than 30 people who attended the “Raising Chickens in Your Backyard” workshop on Wednesday at the EARTH Center in Davidsons Mill Pond Park. The free workshop was hosted by Joseph Heckman of Ringoes, a soil fertility specialist for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, who has been raising chickens outdoors on pasture since 2005. He discussed such topics as baby chicks, coops, feeder systems, protection from weather and predators, and the collection and care of eggs… Robert Mickel, Rutgers Cooperative Extension county agricultural agent for Hunterdon County and regional livestock agent, said there has been an increase in residents who want to raise their own chickens for eggs.
Support Your Local Fisherman
We often feel that we should eat more seafood and don’t always have the access to local responsibly harvested or farmed seafood. Well, that’s all about to change… As a result of a demonstration project by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County…
