The Hammonton Green Committee has partnered with the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Atlantic County and The Eagle Theatre to develop a native plant garden to celebrate the region’s environment and help mark the 100th anniversary of The Eagle Theatre. Volu…
Atlantic County
Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers spring lawn and garden tips
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers the following tips for people doing work on their lawn and garden this spring. Bulbs: Start planting summer bulbs in May. Some favorites are gladiolus, dahlias, calla lilies, caladiums, alstroemeria, lilies, cro…
Tough Winter Could Stifle a Migrating Bug [AUDIO]
The hard winter may have left New Jersey with at least one positive side effect: the slowing of the migration of a pine tree-devouring insect. Richard VanVranken, agricultural agent and head of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County, said the southern pine beetle can encircle a pine tree and cut off its water supply, killing the tree over time. This harsh weather may have put the brakes on the bug’s northern migration to the Mullica Rver, but the jury’s still out. “There have been some reports that we got close to it (low temperatures) for extended periods in some parts of the region,” VanVranken said. “Other parts didn’t quite get cold enough.”
Wild winter could freeze pine beetle population growth
This Winter’s wild weather has been somewhat pesky to say the least, but there is an upside to this season’s weather: The extreme cold could play a part in eliminating some six-legged pests. The southern pine beetle is an invasive insect capable of leveling pine forests. “There aren’t any natural enemies. It’s been very mild winters for the past dozen years or so and there hasn’t been anything to hold them back,” said Richard VanVranken, department head at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County. The warm-weather insect crossed the Delaware Bay into New Jersey around 2001 and has infested pinelands all the way up to the Mullica River. “Whether or not it’s going to hop that and get into the heart of the Pinelands is a real worry for the natural ecosystem,” said Van Vranken, adding that this winter of roller-coaster temperatures could take a toll on the insect’s population.
South Jersey farmers fear harsh winter’s effects on crops
Temperatures will start to rise, and the long, cold winter will begin to recede – but for a lot of local farms, the damage already may have been done. The extreme lows reached this year could impact crops, timing and pricing for agricultural businesses throughout the region, experts said. “We haven’t had anything like this in 20, 25 years,” said Atlantic County Agricultural Agent Gary Pavlis…Mark Ehlenfeldt, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Rutgers University, spoke at the Blueberry Open House in Hammonton on Thursday, where growers heard from researchers on all aspects of growing the fruit. “People have been concerned about how much cold we have had, and have we had any damage?” Ehlenfeldt said. “Our research shows that if buds are unopened and tight, they are 50 percent hardy to at least (negative) 4 degrees. It varies by variety, but this is an average.”
Make the World Better through Rutgers Environmental Steward Training
Imagine being able to discuss climate change with the State Climatologist or learn about New Jersey’s geology from the people who map it. Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear how New Jersey’s environmental regulations get enforced from a person who actually does the enforcement? How about learning about the role of soils in the environment […]
Master Composter training offered
Across the country, food waste is the single largest component of municipal waste. Backyard composting offers a beneficial way to reduce waste by recycling a large portion of that food. Composting is more than a waste reduction strategy, producing a va…
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Orange is the New Black Friday
VonThun Farms of Monmouth Junction, NJ, is a regular vendor at the Highland Park Community Farmer’s Market every season. As the days grow crisp and fall is in the air, VonThun’s end their participation in the community market, even though the market is open for many more weeks. Did they run out of produce and […]
NJ 4-H Teens Boost Leadership Skills and Civic Engagement at Citizenship Conference in the Nation’s Capital
New Jersey 4-H Members learned about government processes in the vibrant, living classroom of the nation’s capital as part of Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF), an intensive 4-H civic engagement program for high-school youth held at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The New Jersey 4-H delegation of 30 youth and three […]
New Jersey 4-H members to attend national conference
Thirty 4-H members have been selected to represent New Jersey at the 2013 Citizenship Washington Focus Conference. This conference, now in its 54th year, is taking place this week at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md. Citizens…
