June 9, 2014 by

Sex and the Single Asparagus

When planting new asparagus fields, the advantages of choosing the newest Rutgers hybrid male varieties far outweigh the disadvantage of increased cost. We asked Steve Garrison, Rutgers Professor Emeritus, to discuss the benefits of these new, expensive varieties that will be increasingly offered by seed companies worldwide since Rutgers NJAES recently both licensed and sold its asparagus-breeding program. Finally, we test your memory of high school biology describing how 45 years of genetics and technologies research made hybrid all-male asparagus production fields possible.

Rutgers Hybrid Male Asparagus Variety Benefits

Asparagus spears emerging in a field of Rutgers NJAES all-male hybrid asparagus

Rutgers Hybrid Male Asparagus

According to Dr. Garrison, the best Rutgers hybrid males out-yield females by 15-25% over time – the differences increasingly apparent after the 2nd and 3rd years. One reason for this is that the male plants do not produce fruits (seeds) which would divert crop energy resources away from future stalk growth. Hybrid male asparagus emerge earlier in spring under colder soil conditions than females. In addition, hybrid male production fields are longer-lived. Compared with females, the hybrid male stalks fetch better prices due to a higher percentage of yield pack out of desirable USDA No.1 Grade diameters of medium and large. In asparagus, the larger diameter spears have superior culinary qualities of tenderness and sweetness. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Education, Growing Crops
December 16, 2013 by

Motivating Farmers to Attend Worthwhile Extension Programs

The itinerant teacher will be expected to give as much thought to the economic side of agriculture as he gives to the matter of larger acreage yields.

Congressman A.F. Lever of South Carolina,
US House of Representatives Report No. 110
creating Cooperative Extension Work, 1914

There’s a lot to chew on in Congressman Lever’s statement. With the creation of Cooperative Extension, Congress intended for educators to be mobile, traveling to farmers for the purpose of teaching the most economical methods of distribution as well as the best methods of production. There was an expectation that thought be given to what amounts to a curriculum for farmers. Following from that is the expectation that thought be given to how to motivate farmers to engage in programs that provide value to their lives and livelihood.

You might think that there is an easy, single answer to what motivates farmers to engage in worthwhile Extension programs: Profit. However, there’s more to it than that. In fact, we may be inadvertently presenting programming in ways that actually lead to disengagement.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Education, Political Economy
January 4, 2012 by

Successful Urban Fringe Farmers
Know More than Just How to Grow Crops

This month in the Sustaining Farming on the Urban Fringe Newsletter, we look at the skills growers in our state are required to have in order to be successful. View the Newsletter

Mark Carduner, owner of Working Dog Vineyard and Winery in Hightstown, explains vertical trellising, judicious herbicide use, disease and canopy management customized to each varietal. Discussion topics relevant to his urban fringe location included wonderful customer clientele and supportive community, but also bird damage, neighbor communication, herbicide drift precautions, marketing challenges, and occasional air quality impacts from proximity to NJ Turnpike.

Filed Under: Articles, Education, Newsletters, Political Economy
October 19, 2011 by

Agritourism in New Jersey

ag-tractor

Ag census data shows our state ranks first nationally in the percentage of farm revenue earned from agritourism.

When you think about the agricultural challenges in NJ, such as market competition, rising land and input costs, encroachment from sprawl, and a complex regulatory environment, this statistic becomes less surprising. In order to stay in business, farmers operating small and mid sized farms have had to look for ways to add value to their products. Farm life, as fewer people are engaged in it, turns out to be a product. It is something people are drawn to, even as urban & suburban lifestyles pull them further and further away from a tangible relationship with land and food. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Agritourism, Articles, Economics, Education, Farmers-Communities