The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (or NJAES) is an entity currently operated by

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in conjunction with the

State of New Jersey New Jersey is a state located in both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the heavily urbanized Northeast megalopolis, it is bordered to the northwest, north, and northeast ...

in the university's role as the state's sole

land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...

. Today, it conducts research in agriculture, horticulture and turf grass science, and through the

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

aids New Jersey farmers, landscapers, and residents in each of the state's twenty-one counties.

History

In 1864 the State of New Jersey named Rutgers College as their sole

land grant college A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, or a beneficiary ...

. Pursuant to the

Morrill Act of 1862 The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally owned land, often obtained from Native American tribes through treaty, cession ...

, this designation gave federal lands to the state that the state could then sell to raise money to develop practical education in agriculture, science, military science and engineering.McCormick, Richard P. ''Rutgers: A Bicentennial History''. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1966). George Hammell Cook (1818-1889), a professor of chemistry and natural sciences, influenced the state to select Rutgers over the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

). Cook was appointed state geologist in 1864 and later became the college's vice president. With the college's land grant status and new funding for scientific studies, Cook expanded his research and teaching into geology and agriculture.David Murray (compiler).
A Memorial of Rev. William Henry Campbell, D.D., LL.D. Late President of Rutgers College
'. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Trustees of Rutgers College, 1894), 45–47.Rutgers College and Raven, John Howard (Rev.) (compiler).
Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Rutgers College (originally Queen's College) in New Brunswick, N.J., 1766–1916
'. (Trenton, New Jersey: State Gazette Publishing Company, 1916). The Agricultural Experiment Station began with agriculture instruction in the college's Geology Hall, built in 1872, until New Jersey Hall was built in 1889. The New Jersey state legislature provided funds to construct an "Agricultural Hall" to house the station, and Rutgers built the Richard Romanesque style building in 1889. The university operated the station from that facility and through its college farm located on what became the college's Cook Campus where it remains today at 102 Ryders Lane in

North Brunswick, New Jersey North Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is centrally located in the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region within the New York metropolitan area. A ...

. Through the station's Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE), the NJAES provides

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

programmes to residents and professionals throughout the state of New Jersey. OCPE offers courses in topic areas like Wetlands preservation, Professional Golf Course Turf Management, Food Science, Food Safety, Public Health and Safety, Landscape construction and architecture, environmental sciences, and recycling. The station aims to increase coursework and research in planned agricultural production and competitiveness; food science and engineering; nutrition, health and safety; marine and coastal resources; natural resources and the environment; and human and community resource development.

References

External links

New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station's Office of Continuing Professional Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers University Agriculture in New Jersey