Elwin Orton, professor emeritus of plant biology and pathology at Rutgers, was inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. Orton, who was among four Rutgers faculty members to be honored during the annual awards dinner on Oct. 18, was credited with “saving the U.S. dogwood industry” with new varieties of hardy, disease- and […]
Commercial Agriculture
Plant biologist Jim Simon wins prize for scientific excellence for African agricultural research
An internationally recognized expert on horticultural, medicinal and aromatic plants, Jim Simon, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, was awarded a Scientific Excellence Award by the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) during a ceremony held in conjunction with World Food Prize events in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 16. […]
Patent Award Caps Seven Decades of Asparagus Breeding at Rutgers
Asparagus, a perennial favorite and prized vegetable among gourmands, has attracted a wider base of devotees as research reveals the nutritional powerhouse found within its spears. One might assume that new and improved asparagus varieties originate from Europe, the epicenter of the culinary world. This is partly true, but the asparagus fancied in Europe is […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Not All’s Backwards in the Backwoods
The New Jersey Pine Barrens – the backwoods of New Jersey, is contrary to all we consider standard “Jerseyness”. It’s the most unpopulated part of the most populated state. It is untouched wilderness on the urban fringe. The people that dwell there are known as “Pineys” – simple folk living off the land. It’s the […]
Turkey Trivia and Tips
Ronny Lee, owner of Lee Turkey Farm in East Windsor, New Jersey provides interesting trivia on an American favorite holiday dish. Lee works with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and is a former member of the Rutgers Ag Leadership program.
NJAES Board of Managers’ Meredith Compton named 2013 Outstanding Young Farmer
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced that Meredith Compton, a fruit and vegetable farmer and co-owner of Peaceful Valley Orchards in Pittstown, has been named New Jersey’s 2013 Outstanding Young Farmer by the State Board of Agriculture. Compton, who serves as vice president of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Board of Managers, will […]
Rutgers Class Helps Grow Better Pumpkins
The 2013 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Pumpkin School will meet at the Burlington County RCE office on Jan. 18.
Crabapples, berries and all kinds of fall fruit
Yew, winterberry, crabapple, and chokeberry have one thing in common at this time of year. They all bear fruit. Most of it is vivid red, but a few woody plants have dark blue, almost black, fruit…Everyone knows the American holly has the most notable…
South Jersey’s cranberry industry unlikely to return to glory days
Forests in Belleplain used to be bustling this time of year with hundreds of workers picking cranberries and hundreds more crushing and canning the fruit in nearby factories…"Farmers are starting to see this disease, which had been gone for 100 y…
Wildlife Expert Receives USDA Grant to Study Bats and Bugs
Brooke Maslo, wildlife expert and assistant professor in the Rutgers Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources was awarded a $34,501 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant to study how bats might help farmers combat the brown marmorated stink bug and other agricultural pests. Using DNA analysis of insect fragments in bat guano, […]
