Scarlet Fire™ Extends Ornamental Dogwood Season The Rutgers 250 All-Star Variety for June 2016 is the ‘Rutpink’ Scarlet Fire™ dogwood tree. This is the first Cornus kousa variety released in over 45 years to the ornamental nursery market. Rutgers plant breeder Tom Molnar, continued the decades of work started by renowned breeder and professor emeritus […]
Commercial Agriculture
John and Anne Gerwig Directors Fund Presents First Awards
The first John and Anne Gerwig Director’s Fund awards for Rutgers Cooperative Extension were given out on May 4, 2016 at an event at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health that celebrated the Gerwigs and their tireless devotion to extension and underserved populations in New Jersey. The Gerwigs were presented with the commemorative book, […]
Record-Breaking Heat Grips India Amid Rash of Farmer Suicides
Temperatures in India reached a record-breaking 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit Friday, according to the Associated Press, suffocating parts of the country, and drawing further attention to a tragic rash of suicide deaths among the nation’s impoverished farmers, who are battling drought and other environmental conditions that stifle agricultural production… “The heat wave in India is another example that our climate is changing,” said Ben Horton, a scientist at the University of Rutgers who focuses on climate change. “We are now experiencing climate extremes that include droughts, wildfires, flood, storms, and tropical cyclones as well.”
Rutgers 250: NJAES All-Star Variety of the Month – Strawberries
Strawberry research at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) dates back to 1870. By the 1920s, strawberry research was focusing on strawberry breeding and variety trials. Some of the noteworthy strawberry cultivars released by Rutgers NJAES have been Sparkle, Jerseybelle and Raritan. The newest addition, Rutgers Scarlet™ which has exhibited good production and exceptional […]
Revolutionary for 250 Years: Lyman Schermerhorn
Lyman Schermerhorn developed the Rutgers tomato in 1934 which turned out to be the leading commercially grown tomato variety of the mid-20th century. Schermerhorn, who was appointed as vegetable specialist in 1914, and worked on asparagus and rhubarb breeding, began the breeding of improved tomato varieties in 1926. This new variety ripened from the inside […]
John and Anne Gerwig Director’s Fund Award – John Gerwig’s Remarks
Dr. John L. Gerwig, Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension 1962 – 1992, gave the following remarks on May 4, 2016 at the first awards presented to Cooperative Extension Faculty from the John and Anne Gerwig Director’s Fund. “I learned long ago that if you make short comments that they can’t be all wrong. First I […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: The Historic Rutgers Tomato Gets Re-invented in University’s 250th Anniversary Year
Of the hundreds of varieties of tomatoes grown by home gardeners or commercial growers, there are a few standards that have become household names. One of those is the ‘Rutgers’ tomato – a leading home garden and processing variety of the early/mid-20th century. While the Rutgers tomato is no longer commercially grown for canned tomato […]
Terra Tech’s Subsidiary, Edible Garden, Signs Exclusive Agreement with Nutrasorb to Produce and Commercialize Nutrient-Rich Salad Blend
Terra Tech Corp. announced that its subsidiary, Edible Garden, a retail seller of locally grown hydroponic produce, herbs, and floral products, has signed an exclusive license agreement with Nutrasorb LLC, a spin-off of Rutgers University, to grow and commercialize nutritionally-enhanced lettuce varieties… “This is the first nutrient rich, health promoting, super salad blend, and we are excited to partner with Edible Garden on this initiative,” said Dr. Ilya Raskin, Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, School of Environmental & Biological Sciences and Chair & Managing Partner of Nutrasorb.
Rutgers NJAES Board of Managers Hosts Rutgers Research Tour
The Board of Managers (BOM), an advisory group to the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), is made up of representatives from New Jersey’s county boards of agriculture. The BOM also serves as advocate for the experiment station and provides input to NJAES’ directors on matters concerning the state’s agricultural enterprise. In addition to quarterly […]
In a Midwestern cornfield, a scene of Chinese theft and espionage
United States law enforcement agencies are a urging farmers and businesses more broadly to be increasingly vigilant amid a rise in attempted thefts of genetically engineered seed and other commercial secrets… Carl Pray, a Rutgers University economist who specializes in Chinese agriculture, told the Monitor that “it may not ease the concerns of consumers who are largely focused on food safety.”
